I really wanted to love this book. The premise is right up my street - a ghost trying to solve the mystery of her own death. Although I enjoyed the back stories of the railway station staff they were far too prevalent and boring for me (ukeleles?). I ended up skipping most of the book as it was far too much like chic lit which is really not my thing.

The ghost of Lisa Evans is confined to Peterborough train station, having been killed by a train 18 months before. When Lisa witnesses a man fall from the edge of platform seven into the path of an oncoming train she is desperate to understand the connection between them, and to remember who she was and what exactly happened to her.
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Many may be familiar with Louise Doughty as the author of Apple Tree Yard, which was adapted into a 4 part series on @bbcone. I neither read the book or watched the series so had no idea what to expect from this author! But I was pleasantly surprised. There’s a LOT explored in this novel - friendship, death, family, suicide, childhood and domestic abuse, the immigrant experience, loneliness, coercive and toxic relationships, and of course, Peterborough, where the novel is set. It’s hard to summarise my thoughts on a book that covers so much, but the one thing that is explored that had me absolutely GRIPPED were the sections where Lisa describes her relationship with her doctor boyfriend. How Doughty portrays the gradual manipulation and gaslighting of Lisa is incredibly well done. The sections focusing on this were very tense and unsettling - I couldn’t put it down.
I admit, I was dubious about the story being narrated by a ghost, but actually it kind of works! I also wondered how Doughty was going to end a novel where the main character is dead and things clearly can’t be all ‘happy ever after’ but I think she manages quite a sensitive and moving finale.
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I also thought that setting the novel in Peterborough was quite interesting. The boundaries of where Lisa is able to explore is well described throughout and many place names are mentioned. This might be a good one to read if you’re from or live there. Then you can tell me if it’s all accurate!
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Thank you to @faberbooks for the advanced copy on @netgalley.
Platform Seven is published on 22nd August.

Platform Seven starts as a quasi-ghost story, before branching out into a mystery story. I enjoyed the earlier sections more, as Lisa observes the living uncovering information, but once we get into a long recounting of her life and relationship, and of those around her, the pace drags and the sense of mystery is gone - the inevitable is apparent from an early stage, and the inexorable journey to get there is dragged out. Doughty writes convincingly of a toxic relationship, but it’s neither an interesting or enjoyable read, or a emotionally engaging one. I found the unnecessary and extraneous detail irritating at times - there’s practically a beer advert towards the end (Jaipur, a lovely beer to be fair)..


Having said all that, i hope some readers recognise their own relationships in the central duo and find the strength to seek help and leave a manipulative and coercive partner. If just one person acts as a result then it’s worthwhile..

This will be a success, but it just didn’t work for me i’m afraid.

This has been on my TBR list since the day it was announced and it did not disappoint. I started reading this on an afternoon plane journey but it should be read on dull days or even better at night when the atmosphere would be just right.

It centres around Portsmouth train station where two suicides have taken place in eighteen months from the same platform. Our narrator, Lisa, is the second of these and is trying to unravel the mystery surrounding the events leading to her death.

As much as the subject matter and most of the novel is dark, the writing and likeable main character make it very readable. There are some time jumps back and forward but these are easy to follow and there are several engaging secondary plot lines. The point of view narrative is quite unusual which made me hesitant to start, not to worry though because you settle in quickly and the reader builds a connection with Lisa.

This is a chilling and deeply unsettling novel. A blend of ghost story and thriller.
This is a compulsive read with excellent descriptions. It’s sensitive in its handling of emotionally upsetting issues.
This is an emotional engaging read. A very good book

I enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. I loved the completely unique perspective, which I've not experienced in this genre before. I loved the writing style and the descriptions were perfect, very easily capturing the environment of a train station, and the emotions of humans. I found it a slow read because I was a little bored in some places, but overall it was enjoyable and something different.

When I tried to explain this book to my partner, the only way to describe it was: 'it's really weird but really good'. Platform Seven is a unique book, not only because it is told from the perspective of a ghost, but because it reads like a coming-of-age story, as Lisa follows her past in order to release her spirit. We watch her watch herself, watch her understanding develop. Through the relationship with Matty, with her parents, the united front who always irritated her, with her friends and colleagues and alone in her flat, her thoughts and feelings as the years seemed to rush by.

Platform Seven is a gripping, winding tale of life, death, and the space in between, the space where we find love and truth and ourselves.

This is the first time I have read this author and I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the writing style and the unusual aspect it was written from.

I was originally drawn the to novel because Peterborough Station is somewhere I have changed trains numerous times and close to where I was brought up and lived so I was intrigued.

Lisa, who is a ghost, narrates the story. At four o’clock in the morning a man makes his way to platform seven, which is the furthest away from all the night staff and out of vision. Lisa sees him and tries to stop him from jumping under the train.

This isn’t merely a ghost story though. It is a dark, unnerving (at times) analysis of lives and how they intertwine as well as the secrets people hide. The depths of love, abuse and family life are carefully explored with no holes barred. I found it a gripping read and will definitely be seeking out others by this author as ‘Apple Tree Yard’ is highly rated as well.

Thanks to NetGalley, Faber and Faber Ltd, Faber & Faber, and Louise Doughty for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Excellent read and highly recommended.

I’d like to thank Faber & Faber Ltd and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Platform Seven’ by Louise Doughty in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

It’s 4am at Peterborough Railway Station and apart from the night staff on duty the only person there is a middle-aged man sitting at the end of Platform 7. It’s perfectly clear to the young woman who’s watching him that he’s decided to end his life and although she tries to stop him he walks straight through her and throws himself onto the railway line. She knows how he feels as she did the same herself but it’s only when she witnesses his actions that it unlocks memories of herself before her own death.

I thought the descriptions were well-written of Dalmar and Tom working at night at Peterborough Railway Station, and PC Akash Lockhart the only British Transport police officer on duty, and the manner in which they were affected by the actions of the man. The idea was different to have the ghost of Lisa Evans as the narrator of the story but as I carried on reading the story seemed to slow down and I found it hard to continue, eventually giving up half way through. I apologise to Louise Doughty that unfortunately it just wasn’t the sort of story I enjoy though I’m sure I’ll be in the minority.

As soon as i saw this on here, and read that premise , i was so excited! reading that made me so instantly intrigued about how this would go and what it would entail. And what i discovered what such an interesting and though provoking story, which i loved every minute of.

Like previous book i had read and loved Apple tree yard, and i was drawn into the story straight away. This is so much more complex of a story that i first did think it would be, full of different characters lifes and paths they went down. Also it covers some really heavy subject matter, done in such a brilliant way and made for some really tense reading, but i was just so engrossed.

I liked how it was split into parts, each one comprising of a few chapters, and ending on a cliffhanger which each time made me so eager to read on and find out answers. I really liked the main character and her narrative all the way through, hearing all her thoughts and feelings was just so interesting and added such emotion to the story.

What interested me also was just the fact that it wasn't just a thriller, it had so much more to it, and so many layers to the story and the way it was told. It's a psychological thriller, but with domestic, family and supernatural big elements playing parts too. It made for such an engrossing and gripping read that i didn't want to put down. The way that the author is so descriptive of everything just makes you feel like you know the places like the back of your hand, it's all so familiar.

As mentioned this does cover heavy subject matter also, these parts were tense to read but i felt they were very important to have here , and covered really well!.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loved previous books by this author, or just to anyone who loves a more complex and layered thriller.

I really enjoyed the beginning of the book,when we were in the station,and the characters were being revealed.
When we took a step out of the station and looked back on Lisa's life,for me it lost that thing that made it different. I didn't enjoy it quite so much.
Interesting in parts,but also too slow in other parts.

This was a really slow starter, I took till about 30% to get into it and see where it was going. But then, wow, a really chilling and sad thriller. Well worth a read.

There have been two suicides on platform seven st Peterborough train station but who is our narrator, Lisa Evans and what really happened to her?
This unusual book has a narrator who is dead and it is her job to piece together the events behind both her own and the other suicide.
This brings her into contact with many other players involved in the deaths, including the police and the neighbours and families.
The novel is a little slow at first but once it gets going it’s compelling and the relationship between Lisa and her doctor boyfriend Matty is a believable and compelling story of an abusive partnership.
This is a dark read but a good one. You know the sinister ending right from the start, so the interest is in piecing together what really happened in the manner of a thriller told backwards in time.
I’d recommend it if the subject matter appeals to you.

A gloomy, yet atmospheric ghost story. The ghost being Lisa Evans and there is a connection with Peterborough Station - where the main 'action' takes place'

Wonderful observations of people using the railway, but I am afraid the book I found slow to start with and inevitably never kept my interest.

What more can I say? A brave and unusual way of telling a story.

This is an unnerving, chilling and deeply unsettling novel from Louise Doughty, a literary blend of haunting ghost story and thriller revolving around two suicides that take place on the eponymous Platform Seven at Peterborough Station. In the very early hours of a bitterly cold November morning, a man makes his way to an isolated part of the station, far from any member of staff, thinking himself entirely alone as he walks purposefully to the edge of the platform. He is not alone, he is closely observed by the ghost of Lisa Evans, a secondary school teacher who had herself committed suicide there, but she is unable to intervene and prevent the tragedy that ensues. Unusually, the story is narrated by Lisa's ghost.

Amidst the background of every day life, conversations and ordinariness of the busy Peterborough Station, we learn about the repercussions of the suicides on station staff and others, such as a young police officer. As the narrative unfolds, we learn of Lisa's disturbing relationship with Dr Matthew Goodison, a man who turned out not to be who he first appeared to be, a controlling, coercive and abusive man, and members of Lisa's family. In a painfully realistic manner, Doughty outlines the difficulties of leaving abusive partners, and that unfortunately, justice is not always the end result. Despite the harrowing nature of the subject matter, Doughty manages to infuse the book with the spirit of hope that makes reading this a bearable experience.

This is a compulsive read, beautifully written, with vibrant characterisation, sensitive in its approach to its emotionally upsetting issues. It touches on tragedies, grief, love, hate, loss, suffering and domestic drama, and of finally understanding that we are not as alone as we may think. This is an emotionally engaging read that touches on a vitally important issue in society, a roller coaster of a book which packs a punch. Many thanks to Faber and Faber for an ARC.

The ghost of a girl killed by a train at Platform Seven is trapped in the station. She spends her time observing the passengers and staff.
Early one morning a man at the end of the platform falls in front of a train.
Slowly Lisa's memory begins to return and now she remembers her name and the events leading up to her death.
This was a slow moving tale about relationships and consequences.
Thanks you to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for my e-copy copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I've read by Louise Doughty but I've heard good things about her writing from friends. I was slightly sceptical about the premise of the book - I wasn't sure how engaging a ghost narrator would be given that you know how her story ends - but I thought it was worth a try.

The story is told by Lisa Evans, a ghost trapped at Peterborough Station since her untimely death there. The story opens with a suicide at the station (on the titular Platform Seven) and another ghost joining Lisa. Through this event, we meet some of the key figures in the story - most importantly Somali security guard Dalmar, British Transport Police officer Akash. As Lisa tells the story leading to her death, we are also introduced to Lisa's family and Dr Matthew Goodison, Lisa's boyfriend. All are vividly drawn and pull you into her tragic story which is a compelling but dark read.

I did find myself wanting to read on to find out what happened to Lisa and how it would all end. However, I found this book really quite slow in places and ultimately a little unsatisfying. I think that the story could have been told in a tighter way without losing impact. I also found the subject matter a little darker than I like - I was prepared for the subject matter of the suicide and ensuing grief of those left behind, but it was pretty unrelentingly bleak even taking this into account. It's very well written and plotted, but just not really to my taste.

Overall, I would recommend this to people who enjoy a well crafted thriller. It's sinister and dark and will keep you reading. It's not quite my cup of tea, but it is a clever and engaging read.

This is not my usual book and to be honest took me a little while to get into. But I’m very glad I persevered! By about a fifth of the way through I was very connected with the main character, and the life she lived before she died. It unfolded very well and as I read more and more I found myself unable to put it down

Platform Seven is beautifully written I sank into the writing of it - and the premise was clever and involving. Told from the point of view of a ghost, haunting a train station, there is a mix of mystery and drama that was immediately engaging.

A 5* rating seemed likely, however I became less enamoured with the actual story by the time I was at the halfway stage. The prose and the way Louise Doughty uses language is second to none but genuinely I did feel it went on a bit. And on..and then on a bit more. As the ghostly figure endlessly drifted and self contemplated so did my mind wander. 

The character drama elements were wonderfully done as you learned more about the people working at the station, the background to the Platform Seven suicides, but I do feel a good chunk of the middle had too much nothing happening. 

Overall a good read that in my personal subjective opinion could do with a more hefty edit - beginning and ending magnificently but losing cohesion at the centre.

Still recommended though. Especially if like me you live for those odd quirky beautiful sentences that hit you when you are reading a genuinely talented writers work.

In order to become engrossed in Louise Doughty’s latest novel, the reader really does have to suspend disbelief! The narrator is Lisa Evans, a former secondary school teacher and partner of Dr Matthew Goodison, who appears to have committed suicide at Peterborough station. Aimless and stuck in an afterlife hinterland that isn’t exactly purgatory, she begins to remember what brought her to this place and how and why she died. As she travels round her home town we are introduced to others who have suffered and some who feel that the reason for her death needs further exploration.
This is a novel about polar opposites: love and hate. Lisa learns that only love can set her free and, in doing so, begins to understand what real love looks like as she listens in on the lives of the railway staff, the police, her friends and her parents. The hatred comes in the form of her partner. Appearing as a caring, able, devoted doctor, he is actually a cruel abuser who moves from coercive control to physical abuse over the course of the story. Lisa recognises what he is and yet finds the prospect of confronting his behaviour terrifying. Doughty depicts the roller-coaster ride of emotions felt by Lisa very convincingly. ‘Just walk out of that door NOW!’ we feel like shouting, whilst understanding that it’s almost impossible for her to do so.
By the end of the novel Lisa has realised that, even though she now survives in spirit form, ‘…to the people who cared for me, I exist, living on in their hearts. I am not alone. I never was.’ And the author is brave enough to allow the story to carry some grim truths too: the guilty do not always receive their just desserts.
Whilst the author gives us credible characters and domestic situations and captures the ordinariness of everyday Peterborough effectively, ‘Platform Seven’ suffers a little from its ghost story format which distracts from the important issues focused on. No new insights on the human heart but, as ever with Doughty, a story well told.
My thanks to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.