Summary

Rachel – On Friday morning, July 5, 2013, Rachel notices a pile of light blue clothing on the side of the train tracks, along with something white, while she is commuting from Ashbury to Euston for work. Whenever she sees these sorts of things, she wonders about who they belong to, and why they were left behind. As she passes through suburbs, Rachel enjoys seeing people safe at home, which comforts her. On the way home, she drinks premixed gin-and-tonics, thinking of the first holiday she and Tom ever spent together, on the Basque coast in 2005.

Monday morning rolls around. Sitting in carriage D, stopped at a signal, Rachel can see into her favorite house, Number 15. Inside and outside, she often sees a married couple, whom she nicknames Jess and Jason. Jason is handsome, and Jess is beautiful. They appear to be perfect. Often, Jason is away...