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'girl on the train' pays homage to hitchcock.

Michael Schaub

The Girl on the Train

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"They are a perfect, golden couple," Rachel Watson thinks, regarding handsome Jason and his striking wife, Jess. "He is dark-haired and well built, strong, protective, kind. He has a great laugh. She is one of those tiny bird-women, a beauty, pale-skinned with blond hair cropped short." Rachel, the main narrator of Paula Hawkins' novel The Girl on the Train , is obsessed with the pair; they represent to her the perfect relationship that she once had, or seemed to, before it imploded spectacularly.

She can't stop thinking about Jason and Jess, but she doesn't know them. She sees them through the windows of a train, one she takes each morning and evening on her commute to and from London. The couple, whose real names are Megan and Scott, live a few houses away from the one Rachel used to occupy, before her alcoholism poisoned her relationship. "They're a match, they're a set," Rachel reflects. "They're happy, I can tell. They're what I used to be, they're Tom and me five years ago. They're what I lost, they're everything I want to be."

When Megan goes missing, Rachel's world, already profoundly messy, shifts even farther off-center. Did Megan run away, or was she kidnapped? What about the man that Rachel saw kissing Megan one morning? Rachel finds herself unable to stay away, and winds up directly in the middle of the investigation, all while trying to deal with her growing addiction to alcohol and her frequent memory lapses.

It's difficult to say too much more about the plot of The Girl on the Train ; like all thrillers, it's best for readers to dive in spoiler-free. This is Hawkins' first thriller — she's a journalist by training — but it doesn't read like the work of someone new to suspense. The novel is perfectly paced, from its arresting beginning to its twist ending; it's not an easy book to put down.

Even the most cleverly plotted thrillers don't work without compelling characters, but the people we meet in The Girl on the Train are drawn beautifully. The point of view alternates among three characters: luckless, obsessed Rachel; charming, complicated Megan; and Anna, the new love of Rachel's ex Tom.

Rachel is a wreck. She seeks solace in gin and wine, ignoring her roommate's pleas to get help. She turned to alcohol after she and Tom were unable to conceive a child via in vitro fertilization: "It was, as everyone had warned us it would be, unpleasant and unsuccessful. Nobody warned me it would break us. But it did. Or rather, it broke me, and then I broke us." After that, it didn't take long for her collapse to become complete and total. "I went from being a drinker to being a drunk," she admits, "and there's nothing more boring than that."

Megan's sections flash back in time to before her disappearance. She's manic and voluble, but hasn't quite come to terms with two extremely tragic events in her past. Anna, meanwhile, just wants a quiet, picket-fence kind of existence with Tom and their child. She's grown to hate Rachel, who's having a hard time leaving their family alone, calling Tom frequently during her numerous drunken spells.

Alternating points of view is a tricky prospect; it can easily come off as unnecessary or gimmicky. But Hawkins uses the technique masterfully, giving just enough away each chapter. None of the revelations in The Girl on the Train are tidy, and the picture gets much murkier before the mystery is resolved. Much of the complexity of the novel is due to Rachel, an exceptionally unreliable narrator with a tendency to pass out drunk, forgetting everything that happened the day before.

Hawkins' writing is excellent, and also cinematic, in the best possible way. Her novel doesn't read (as many thrillers do) like a screenplay that's been wrestled kicking and screaming into prose form. But the story, down to the title, is indisputably Hitchcockian, and in some scenes, Hawkins seems to be paying tribute to the director's imagery in films like Strangers on a Train and Rear Window . The ending plays out like a movie scene — perhaps a little too much like one, though it's easy to forgive a little melodrama when the prose that's led up to it is so solid.

But what really makes The Girl on the Train such a gripping novel is Hawkins' remarkable understanding of the limits of human knowledge, and the degree to which memory and imagination can become confused. Reflecting on her fellow passengers on her daily train ride to and from London, Rachel thinks, "I recognize them and they probably recognize me. I don't know whether they see me, though, for what I really am." They don't, of course, and they can't. It's hard enough — maybe impossible — for a person even to see herself for what she really is.

The Girl on the Train review – on the right track thanks to Emily Blunt

The British star holds it all together as her character falls apart in this US adaptation of the Paula Hawkins bestseller

F ans of Paula Hawkins’s runaway bestseller have reacted with dismay to the changes made to her story as it travelled from the page to the screen. Whether it’s shifting the destination from the grit of London to the gloss of New York, or casting commuters “too glamorous” to ride this route, The Help director Tate Taylor has signally failed to reassure doubters that their beloved journey has not been disrupted. Yet for those (like me) who jump aboard Taylor’s movie before reading the book, there’s plenty to keep this cinematic train a-rollin’, from Charlotte Bruus Christensen’s adventurous cinematography to Danny Elfman’s expressive score and Erin Cressida Wilson’s oddly sympathetic script. Most importantly, in the shape of the mercurial Emily Blunt, The Girl on the Train has a believably derailed heroine whose hollow eyes, crusty lips and stumbling gait convey Leaving Las Vegas levels of addiction while still retaining an air of mystery and intrigue.

Stupefied by her divorce from Tom (Justin Theroux), Blunt’s permanently pickled Rachel travels the picturesque Hudson Line into the city, passing through the leafy, upmarket suburb where Anna (Rebecca Ferguson) is now raising a child with Rachel’s ex-husband. Attempting to avert her gaze from her former home (“That bitch is living in my house”), Rachel fixates on a neighbouring dwelling whose glamorous inhabitants seem to be staging theatrical acts of love for her viewing pleasure. Rachel imagines them existing in a state of bliss, until she glimpses something that cuts against her sozzled fantasies. When Haley Bennett’s alluring Megan goes awol, Rachel presents herself to handsome Scott (Luke Evans) as an old friend with crucial information. But do Rachel’s own lapses of memory hide a guiltier secret?

“I’m not the girl I used to be,” says the circling narration, a phrase that echoes throughout the film, linking the central characters, all of whom are variously living a lie. There’s a strong, feminist-inflected suggestion that Rachel, Megan and Anna are different sides of a singular shared experience, their dreams, memories and voices intermingling in a mosaic of female rage, a silent scream in this modern Stepford. Intertitles announcing fluid character perspectives (“Megan”, “Anna”), and time frames (“Six months ago”, “Last Friday”, “Today”) are flashed up on screen, but it’s Christensen’s camera that really defines our point of view, from the gliding shots of restless Megan, through the glacial home life of Anna, to the in-your-face expressionist inebriation of Rachel. As seen through Rachel’s eyes, the world has an appalling hangover, forever awakening in a pool of blood and vomit. There’s a touch, too, of William Hjortsberg’s Falling Angel (memorably filmed as Angel Heart ) about Rachel’s struggles to remember who she is and what she has done, a hint of horror behind the Fatal Attraction facade.

Unflattering comparisons with David Fincher’s more stylish vision of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl are inevitable, although a closer screen cousin would be Rowan Joffe’s amnesiac thriller Before I Go to Sleep (from SJ Watson’s novel), a connection emphasised by a line of Rachel’s voiceover, which eerily echoes that title. Hitchcock’s Rear Window obviously looms large too, yet it’s the erotic thriller template laid down by the Joe Eszterhas-scripted Jagged Edge and Basic Instinct that casts the longest shadow. Screenwriter Wilson’s credits include Secretary and Chloe (the latter being Atom Egoyan’s unloved remake of Anne Fontaine’s Nathalie … ), both of which vaguely prefigure the voyeuristic twists served up here as she wrestles with the multiple voices of Hawkins’s source.

In the end, however, the whole movie rests upon the shoulders of Emily Blunt, and she holds it all together brilliantly, even as her character is falling apart. From the intimacy of My Summer of Love , through the “hangry” sorcerer’s apprentice of The Devil Wears Prada to the sci-fi action heroine of Edge of Tomorrow and the blindsided FBI agent in Sicario , Blunt has proved herself to be a mesmerising presence in a range of genres. In Rachel’s fractured personality, we see echoes of Blunt’s previous screen lives, refracted through a prism of self-destruction that somehow never alienates the audience. Retaining the British accent that makes her even more of an outsider in this scary New World, Blunt convinces completely as a drunken fish out of water. This train may not be bound for glory, but her disruptive company is worth the price of the ticket.

• The Girl on the Train
• Mark Kermode's film of the week
• Emily Blunt
• Paula Hawkins

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The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins - book review: Suburban thriller goes native

Super set-up slightly let down by a less convincing climax, article bookmarked.

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The phenomenal success of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl , both book and movie, continues to ripple out in the publishing industry, and 2015 sees the publication of more domestic noir tales of poisonous relationships than you can shake a drugged glass of Chablis at. The one with the most buzz is probably this debut from a journalist turned novelist, which has already been optioned by Dreamworks.

The Girl on the Train is a tight thriller with some refreshingly realistic nasty characterisation and an intricate interweaving of narrative voices, but its narrow vision lacks some of the expansive social commentary of its American contemporaries, and there are times in the final act when the nuts and bolts of the plotting show a little too clearly.

The story is split among three women, each of them unreliable to varying degrees, and each of them carrying around a lot of baggage. The focus is Rachel, a miserable alcoholic who commutes into London every day, creating a fantasy world for a glamorous couple she sees sitting out on their deck each morning. The couple live along the road from Rachel’s ex-husband Tom and his new wife Anna, who slips into the narrative unobtrusively at first before muscling in more firmly as the tale progresses.

Added to that we get the viewpoint of Megan, the girl half of the glamorous couple, who of course isn’t as perfect as Rachel imagines, and who has a terrible dark secret of her own.

When Megan goes missing Rachel thinks she holds the key, having seen her in her garden with another man the day before. But the police don’t take her seriously on account of her drinking and blackouts, as well as the spiteful nature of her relationship with the couples in question. Through a number of bad decisions Rachel elbows her way into the investigation and the lives of those involved, not necessarily making things better.

Hawkins shows real skill in switching between the characters’ voices at just the right time to ramp up the tension. The subtle revelations about each of the characters and how they relate to the current situation are drip-fed to the reader with precision, and the author is good at making inconsequential details suddenly have huge importance.

If the set-up and mounting drama are great, there is something a little less convincing about the climax. An over-reliance on a returning memory of one of Rachel’s blackouts begins to grate, likewise when Rachel starts to visit Megan’s therapist undercover to get information, it’s a bit ham-fisted. But overall this is a cleverly crafted piece of modern suburban noir.

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Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

Kirkus Reviews' Best Books Of 2015

New York Times Bestseller

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN

by Paula Hawkins ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 13, 2015

Even the most astute readers will be in for a shock as Hawkins slowly unspools the facts, exposing the harsh realities of...

Desperate to find lives more fulfilling than her own, a lonely London commuter imagines the story of a couple she’s only glimpsed through the train window in Hawkins’ chilling, assured debut, in which the line between truth and lie constantly shifts like the rocking of a train.

Rachel Watson—a divorced, miserable alcoholic who’s still desperately in love with her ex-husband, Tom—rides the same train every day into London for her dead-end job, one she unsurprisingly loses after one too many drunken outbursts. Continuing her daily commute to keep up appearances with her roommate, Rachel always pays special attention to a couple, whom she dubs “Jess and Jason,” who live a seemingly idyllic life in a house near her own former home. When she sees a momentary act of infidelity, followed soon after by news that Jess—whose real name is Megan Hipwell—has disappeared, Rachel is compelled to share her secret knowledge, becoming enmeshed in the police investigation, which centers on Megan’s husband, Scott. Further complicating matters is the fact that the night Megan vanished, Rachel has a hazy memory of drunkenly stumbling past the Hipwell home and seeing something she can’t quite recall. Hawkins seamlessly moves among Rachel’s present-day story as the investigation into Megan’s disappearance widens, Megan’s own life leading up to her disappearance, and snippets about Anna, the woman for whom Tom left Rachel.

Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-59463-366-9

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Riverhead

Review Posted Online: Nov. 5, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014

THRILLER | GENERAL & DOMESTIC THRILLER | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE

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More by Paula Hawkins

BOOK REVIEW

by Paula Hawkins

More About This Book

PERSPECTIVES

by Max Brooks ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020

A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z (2006).

A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.

Pub Date: June 16, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine

Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020

GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | SCIENCE FICTION

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by Max Brooks

BOOK TO SCREEN

THEN SHE WAS GONE

by Lisa Jewell ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 24, 2018

Dark and unsettling, this novel’s end arrives abruptly even as readers are still moving at a breakneck speed.

Ten years after her teenage daughter went missing, a mother begins a new relationship only to discover she can't truly move on until she answers lingering questions about the past.

Laurel Mack’s life stopped in many ways the day her 15-year-old daughter, Ellie, left the house to study at the library and never returned. She drifted away from her other two children, Hanna and Jake, and eventually she and her husband, Paul, divorced. Ten years later, Ellie’s remains and her backpack are found, though the police are unable to determine the reasons for her disappearance and death. After Ellie’s funeral, Laurel begins a relationship with Floyd, a man she meets in a cafe. She's disarmed by Floyd’s charm, but when she meets his young daughter, Poppy, Laurel is startled by her resemblance to Ellie. As the novel progresses, Laurel becomes increasingly determined to learn what happened to Ellie, especially after discovering an odd connection between Poppy’s mother and her daughter even as her relationship with Floyd is becoming more serious. Jewell’s ( I Found You , 2017, etc.) latest thriller moves at a brisk pace even as she plays with narrative structure: The book is split into three sections, including a first one which alternates chapters between the time of Ellie’s disappearance and the present and a second section that begins as Laurel and Floyd meet. Both of these sections primarily focus on Laurel. In the third section, Jewell alternates narrators and moments in time: The narrator switches to alternating first-person points of view (told by Poppy’s mother and Floyd) interspersed with third-person narration of Ellie’s experiences and Laurel’s discoveries in the present. All of these devices serve to build palpable tension, but the structure also contributes to how deeply disturbing the story becomes. At times, the characters and the emotional core of the events are almost obscured by such quick maneuvering through the weighty plot.

Pub Date: April 24, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5011-5464-5

Page Count: 368

Publisher: Atria

Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018

GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | SUSPENSE | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | SUSPENSE

More by Lisa Jewell

by Lisa Jewell

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Reviews of The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Summary | Excerpt | Reviews | Read-Alikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio

The Girl on the Train

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• Jan 13, 2015, 336 pages
• Jul 2016, 336 pages
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Book summary.

"Gripping, enthralling - a top-notch thriller and a compulsive read." - S J Watson, bestselling author of Before I Go To Sleep

Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She's even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. 'Jess and Jason', she calls them. Their life - as she sees it - is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy. And then she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but it's enough. Now everything's changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she's only watched from afar. Now they'll see; she's much more than just the girl on the train...

Excerpt The Girl on the Train

She's buried beneath a silver birch tree, down towards the old train tracks, her grave marked with a cairn. Not more than a little pile of stones, really. I didn't want to draw attention to her resting place, but I couldn't leave her without remembrance. She'll sleep peacefully there, no one to disturb her, no sounds but birdsong and the rumble of passing trains. •   •   • One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl . . . Three for a girl. I'm stuck on three, I just can't get any further. My head is thick with sounds, my mouth thick with blood. Three for a girl. I can hear the magpies—they're laughing, mocking me, a raucous cackling. A tiding. Bad tidings. I can see them now, black against the sun. Not the birds, something else. Someone's coming. Someone is speaking to me. Now look. Now look what you made me do. RACHEL •   • ...

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Book Review: The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins

Author:  Paula Hawkins

Publisher:  Doubleday

Genre: Psychological Thriller

First Publication: 2015

Language:  English

Major Characters: Rachel Watson, Megan Hipwell, Anna Watson, Scott Hipwell, Kamal Abdic, Tom Watson

Setting Place: London, England

Theme: Drugs and Alcohol, Memory and the Past, Guilt and Blame, Versions of Reality

Narration: First Person (Rachel, Anna, and Megan Point of view)

Book Summary: The Girl On The Train

Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She’s even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them.

Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy. And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed.

Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she’s only watched from afar. Now they’ll see; she’s much more than just the girl on the train…

Book Review: The Girl On The Train

If you want to read a gripping mystery/psychological thriller that will blow your mind, this is the book for you. Well written with a very well done plot, “The Girl on the Train” is told from multiple (three) POVs. I love a dual POV and I also love a multiple POV if it’s well done and necessary. And here it really was. I liked to be in these characters’ minds.

In my opinion the author did a really great job with the three character’s voices. All three of them felt unique and like me you will experience so, so many feelings reading their story. While they were interesting, I can’t say I liked any of them. But it was ok. I don’t expect to like all the characters I read about and here the reader is not meant to like them. All of them are flawed, all of them have insecurities and fears and because of that all of them felt real and in some way even relatable.

One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl… Three for a girl.

I found ‘The Girl on the Train’ to be a quintessential psychological thriller . By that I mean the vast majority of the story is told from the minds of 3 characters. This was risky business as at least 2 of them, Megan and Anna, are unlikable. Many probably dislike the third character, Rachel, who is the main protagonist, as well. The author Paula Hawkins made it work, however, as she did a terrific job with character development. By understanding why they did what they did, I found I was able to overlook the basic unsavoriness of these 3 women and connect with them all.

Hollowness: that I understand. I’m starting to believe that there isn’t anything you can do to fix it. That’s what I’ve taken from the therapy sessions: the holes in your life are permanent. You have to grow around them, like tree roots around concrete; you mold yourself through the gaps.

Another thing I really liked was the edginess of the read. From early on the atmosphere was eerily foreboding. You just knew something bad was going to happen, but you didn’t know what and you didn’t know when. The author took her time with the story, slowly building up the tension, giving the reader bits and pieces of info along the way. Some readers may feel impatient with this, but I loved the mood and the slower pace.

The protagonist was on the train A LOT. This could be off putting to some, but to me, the train was simply another character and I liked the “flavor” it brought to the story.

There are familiar faces on these trains, people I see every week, going to and fro. I recognize them and they probably recognize me. I don’t know whether they see me, though, for what I really am.

One feature I wasn’t terribly fond of was the switching back and forth of time frames. Initially, this was confusing to me, but once I started to really pay attention to the chapter headings, I could better follow it.

If you’re a fan of dark books with flawed characters, I suggest giving this a go. But don’t bring your high expectations with you, because high expectations might ruin this book for you.

If you want someone from an expert service to write an original summary of The Girl on the Train for you, let a book review writer with professional skills help you online.

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The girl on the train by paula hawkins - review, summary, analysis & facts.

Table of Contents

1. book details, 2. synopsis, 4. analysis (symbols, themes etc), 6. about the author, 7. book club questions, 8. reading plan, 9. facts & curiosities, 11. books related, full title:.

The Girl on the Train

Number of Pages:

Author - who wrote.

Paula Hawkins

Publication Date:

January 13, 2015

Country & Original Language:

Country:  United Kingdom

Original Language:  English

The story is primarily set in and around London, England. Much of the action takes place on a train commuting between the suburbs and the city, providing a unique perspective on the lives of the characters.

Point of View:

The narrative is presented from multiple perspectives, primarily through the eyes of three women: Rachel, Megan, and Anna. Each chapter alternates between their viewpoints, providing different insights into the unfolding events and creating a sense of suspense and mystery.

Characters: 

Rachel Watson:  The protagonist, an alcoholic woman struggling with the breakdown of her marriage and grappling with personal issues.

Megan Hipwell:  A woman whose life Rachel becomes fixated on. Megan's mysterious disappearance is a central plot point.

Anna Watson:  Rachel's ex-husband's new wife, who becomes entangled in the events surrounding Rachel and Megan.

Tom Watson:  Rachel's ex-husband, who is now married to Anna.

Scott Hipwell:  Megan's husband, who becomes a key figure in the investigation into Megan's disappearance.

Detective Sergeant Riley:  A police officer involved in the investigation.

"The Girl on the Train" is a psychological thriller that follows the lives of three women whose fates become intertwined in unexpected ways. The story is primarily narrated through the perspectives of Rachel Watson, an alcoholic woman struggling with the aftermath of her failed marriage; Megan Hipwell, a woman whose seemingly perfect life hides dark secrets; and Anna Watson, Rachel's ex-husband's new wife.

The narrative unfolds as Rachel takes the same commuter train daily, passing by the houses in her former neighborhood. She becomes particularly fixated on the lives of Megan and Scott Hipwell, a couple whose house is visible from the train. One day, Rachel witnesses something shocking during her train journey, and this event sets off a series of events that entwine the lives of the three women.

As the story progresses, the lines between truth and illusion blur, and the mystery surrounding Megan's disappearance deepens. Rachel's alcohol-induced blackouts and unreliable memory add complexity to the plot, keeping readers guessing about what really happened.

The novel is a gripping exploration of the consequences of deception, obsession, and the impact of one's past on the present. With its multiple perspectives and suspenseful narrative, "The Girl on the Train" keeps readers on the edge of their seats as they try to unravel the truth behind the interconnected lives of the characters.

"The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins is a psychological thriller that weaves a complex narrative around the lives of three women and the mysterious events that connect them. The story is set in and around London, with the train serving as a central element that links the characters and drives the plot forward.

The protagonist, Rachel Watson, is a troubled woman who rides the same commuter train daily, passing by the houses of her former neighborhood. Her life has spiraled into alcoholism and despair following the collapse of her marriage to Tom Watson. Despite her own struggles, Rachel becomes fixated on a seemingly perfect couple, Megan and Scott Hipwell, whose house she observes from the train.

The novel unfolds through the alternating perspectives of three women: Rachel, Megan, and Anna. Each chapter provides a glimpse into their lives, revealing their perspectives on the events that transpire. Rachel's narrative is particularly unreliable due to her alcohol-induced blackouts and her emotional turmoil. This narrative technique adds a layer of suspense and uncertainty, keeping readers on edge as they attempt to piece together the truth.

The catalyst for the story occurs when Rachel witnesses something shocking during her train journey. Megan, the woman Rachel has been observing, goes missing, and Rachel becomes entangled in the investigation. As the search for Megan intensifies, secrets and lies come to the surface, exposing the dark undercurrents beneath the seemingly ordinary lives of the characters.

Rachel's obsession with Megan stems from her desire to escape the pain of her own reality and immerse herself in the imagined perfection of the couple she observes. Megan, on the other hand, grapples with her own internal conflicts and a troubled past that haunts her. Anna, Tom's new wife, is drawn into the turmoil as Rachel's presence and actions disrupt the fragile stability of her life.

The narrative explores themes of deception, betrayal, and the impact of trauma on individual lives. It delves into the complexities of memory and perception, challenging the reader to distinguish between reality and illusion. The characters' flaws and vulnerabilities are laid bare, and the novel skillfully navigates the intricacies of their relationships.

Throughout the investigation into Megan's disappearance, the story takes unexpected twists and turns. Red herrings and false leads add to the suspense, keeping the reader guessing about the true nature of the events. As Rachel becomes more determined to uncover the truth, she finds herself confronting her own demons and facing the consequences of her actions.

The climax of the novel brings the various narrative threads together, revealing the shocking truth behind Megan's disappearance and the web of lies that have ensnared the characters. The resolution is both satisfying and unsettling, as the characters come to terms with the consequences of their choices.

"The Girl on the Train" is a masterfully crafted psychological thriller that explores the dark corners of human nature. Paula Hawkins skillfully uses the shifting perspectives and unreliable narration to create a sense of tension and mystery. The novel is a gripping exploration of obsession, betrayal, and the blurred lines between reality and perception, making it a compelling and memorable read for fans of the genre.

Unreliable Narration and Perspective:

One of the notable features of the novel is the use of unreliable narration, particularly through the character of Rachel Watson. Rachel's alcohol-induced blackouts and her emotional turmoil create a narrative that is both compelling and uncertain. The author skillfully manipulates perspective, allowing readers to experience the story from multiple viewpoints. This technique adds layers of suspense and keeps the audience questioning the reliability of the characters' accounts.

Multiple Perspectives:

The novel employs a multiple-perspective narrative structure, alternating between the viewpoints of three main female characters: Rachel, Megan, and Anna. This choice allows readers to gain insight into each character's thoughts, feelings, and experiences, creating a more comprehensive understanding of the unfolding events.

The shifting perspectives also contribute to the novel's unreliable narration, as each character perceives events through their own subjective lens. This adds an element of suspense, as readers must navigate the varying degrees of truth and deception in the characters' accounts.

Unreliable Narrator - Rachel:

Rachel Watson, the primary narrator, is intentionally portrayed as an unreliable narrator due to her struggles with alcoholism and memory lapses. Her unreliability adds a layer of complexity to the storytelling, keeping readers on edge and prompting them to question the accuracy of her observations.

Rachel's emotional turmoil and the consequences of her addiction make her a sympathetic yet flawed protagonist. Her internal struggles with self-doubt and guilt contribute to the novel's exploration of psychological depth.

Voyeuristic Narrative:

The narrative style embraces a voyeuristic element, mirroring Rachel's habit of observing the lives of others from the train. This voyeurism becomes a narrative device, allowing readers to witness the characters' intimate moments and secrets.

The voyeuristic perspective contributes to the overall atmosphere of suspense and intrigue, as readers become privy to the characters' private lives while also questioning the reliability of the narrator's interpretations.

Fragmented Timeline:

The novel employs a non-linear narrative structure, with the timeline jumping back and forth between the past and present. This fragmentation adds to the mystery, gradually revealing crucial information about the characters and the events leading to Megan's disappearance.

The fragmented timeline keeps readers engaged and encourages them to piece together the puzzle, aligning with the investigative nature of the story.

Symbolic Use of the Train Journey:

The repetitive train journey symbolizes Rachel's stagnant life and her inability to move forward. The rhythmic nature of the commute creates a backdrop against which the narrative unfolds, highlighting the monotony of Rachel's existence.

The train journey also serves as a metaphor for the characters' life trajectories, moving through tunnels and dark stretches that symbolize the hidden aspects of their lives.

Building Suspense through Tension:

The narrative skillfully builds suspense through tension, particularly as the perspectives of the three women converge and the mystery deepens. The strategic use of cliffhangers and revelations at key points keeps readers invested and eager to uncover the truth.

The tension is heightened by the contrast between the characters' public personas and their private struggles, creating a sense of unpredictability.

Psychological Exploration:

The narrative goes beyond a conventional thriller by delving into the psychological depths of the characters. The introspective nature of the narration allows readers to empathize with the characters' internal conflicts and emotional vulnerabilities.

The exploration of trauma, addiction, and the consequences of choices adds psychological complexity to the narrative, elevating it beyond a mere whodunit.

Deception and Betrayal:

The novel revolves around the theme of deception, as each major character harbors secrets and hidden aspects of their lives.

Betrayals occur at various levels, be it within marriages, friendships, or the characters' relationships with themselves.

Rachel's fixation on the seemingly perfect couple, Megan and Scott, reflects a theme of obsession. Her desire for escapism and her longing for a better life drive her obsession with their lives.

Megan, too, grapples with her own obsessions and desires, adding layers to the exploration of this theme.

Trauma and Mental Health:

The characters in the novel, particularly Rachel, carry emotional scars from past traumas. The impact of trauma on mental health is a recurring theme, emphasizing the long-lasting effects on individuals.

The novel explores how characters cope with trauma, sometimes using unhealthy mechanisms such as alcohol to numb the pain.

Isolation and Loneliness:

Despite the characters' physical proximity to others, there is a pervasive sense of isolation and loneliness throughout the novel.

Rachel's solitude on the train, Megan's internal struggles, and Anna's isolation within her marriage all contribute to this theme.

Dissatisfaction in Relationships:

The novel offers a critique of modern relationships, exploring themes of dissatisfaction, unmet expectations, and the breakdown of marriages.

Each character grapples with their own relationship challenges, contributing to the overall exploration of the complexities of contemporary romantic partnerships.

Voyeurism and Perception:

The act of observing, both on the train and in the characters' lives, is a significant theme. Rachel's voyeuristic tendencies and the constant observation of others contribute to the novel's suspense.

The theme of perception is explored as characters question what is real and struggle to differentiate between truth and illusion.

Female Agency and Empowerment:

The novel features strong female characters who, despite their flaws and vulnerabilities, exhibit resilience and agency.

Rachel, Megan, and Anna each navigate their own paths and make choices that impact the trajectory of the story, challenging traditional gender roles.

The Impact of Addiction:

Rachel's alcoholism is a central theme, highlighting the destructive impact of addiction on her life and relationships.

The novel explores the cycle of addiction, the struggle for recovery, and the consequences of substance abuse.

The Fragility of Memory:

Memory plays a crucial role in the novel, and the theme of the fragility of memory is evident in Rachel's struggles to recall events accurately.

The narrative challenges the reliability of memory, underscoring the difficulty of discerning truth from fiction.

Social Commentary on Relationships:

Through the characters of Rachel, Megan, and Anna, the novel offers a commentary on contemporary relationships. It explores themes of dissatisfaction, societal expectations, and the complexities of modern marriages. The characters' lives intersect in unexpected ways, highlighting the interconnectedness of human experiences and the consequences of their choices.

Atmospheric Setting and Symbolism:

The setting, particularly the train and the suburban landscape, plays a significant role in the novel. The train becomes a symbol of routine, escape, and voyeurism, reflecting the characters' desires and struggles. The author skillfully uses the train journey to create a sense of suspense and to mirror the characters' emotional states.

The train serves as a central and multifaceted symbol in the story. It represents routine, monotony, and the feeling of being stuck in one's life.

The train also becomes a vehicle for escapism and voyeurism for Rachel. Her observations from the train window become a lens through which she views the lives of others, projecting her desires and fantasies onto strangers.

The Tracks and Tunnels:

The train tracks and tunnels symbolize the inevitable and often dark journey of life. They reflect the characters' progression through challenges and uncertainties.

Tunnels, in particular, serve as a metaphor for the hidden aspects of the characters' lives and the mysteries that lie beneath the surface.

The Red Light/Green Light:

The red light and green light at the train station are symbolic of stop and go, mirroring the characters' lives and relationships. The alternating lights coincide with the characters' emotional states and the narrative's twists and turns.

The Watering Hole:

The pub, where Rachel frequently seeks solace in alcohol, is a symbol of her inner turmoil and the consequences of her addiction. It becomes a place of both comfort and despair.

Megan's Tattoos:

Megan's tattoos serve as physical markers of her past and the emotional scars she carries. They symbolize her attempts to reclaim agency over her body and define her identity.

The Baby Bump:

Megan's pregnancy and her ambiguous feelings toward motherhood symbolize the complexities of female identity and societal expectations. The unborn child becomes a metaphor for potential and the uncertain future.

The Dollhouse:

Megan's dollhouse, a miniature representation of her home, symbolizes the constructed and controlled image she presents to the outside world. It reflects the theme of appearances versus reality.

The Wine Bottle:

Rachel's reliance on alcohol, often carried in a concealed water bottle, symbolizes her attempt to numb the pain of her past and escape from reality. The bottle becomes a visible representation of her struggle with addiction.

The Missing Woman:

Megan's disappearance is a powerful symbol that drives the narrative. It represents the unknown, the hidden, and the consequences of choices. The search for Megan becomes a metaphor for the characters' quest for truth and understanding.

The Wedding Ring:

The wedding ring, a recurring motif in the novel, symbolizes the complexities of marriage and the promises made within those bonds. It becomes a source of tension and conflict for several characters.

Plot Structure and Pacing:

The novel is structured in a way that keeps readers engaged and invested in the unfolding mystery. The alternating perspectives and the gradual revelation of information contribute to a well-paced narrative. The author strategically introduces red herrings and twists, maintaining a sense of unpredictability that sustains the suspense until the final revelation.

Plot Structure:

Nonlinear Timeline:

The novel employs a nonlinear timeline, revealing events through flashbacks and alternating perspectives. This structure adds complexity to the narrative and allows for the gradual unfolding of the mystery surrounding Megan's disappearance.

The nonlinear timeline keeps readers on their toes, prompting them to piece together the puzzle of the characters' lives and the events leading up to the central mystery.

Parallel Narratives:

The use of three parallel narratives, each from the perspective of Rachel, Megan, and Anna, allows the story to explore different facets of the characters' lives simultaneously.

The parallel narratives contribute to the overall complexity of the plot, as readers gain insights into the characters' thoughts, motivations, and secrets.

Cliffhangers and Revelations:

The novel employs strategic cliffhangers and revelations at key points in the narrative to maintain tension and keep the reader hooked.

Each chapter ends with a sense of anticipation, encouraging readers to continue in order to resolve the mysteries presented in the storyline.

Building Suspense:

The plot is constructed to gradually build suspense as the characters' lives become increasingly entangled, and the true nature of the events surrounding Megan's disappearance is revealed.

The suspense is heightened by the drip-feed of information, creating a sense of urgency and curiosity.

Rhythmic Train Journeys:

The repetitive and rhythmic nature of Rachel's train journeys sets a deliberate pace for the novel. The train becomes a symbol of monotony and routine, reflecting the stagnation in Rachel's life.

The contrast between the slow, rhythmic train journeys and the accelerating pace of the unfolding mystery creates a dynamic rhythm that keeps the narrative engaging.

Alternating Perspectives:

The alternating perspectives of the three main characters contribute to a dynamic pace, preventing the narrative from becoming stagnant or one-dimensional.

Each shift in perspective introduces new information and propels the story forward, maintaining a sense of momentum.

Investigative Momentum:

The novel takes on the characteristics of an investigation, with Rachel, and later other characters, actively trying to uncover the truth behind Megan's disappearance.

The investigative momentum propels the narrative forward, creating a sense of purpose and direction that contributes to the overall pacing.

Cinematic Adaptation:

The pacing of the novel aligns with the demands of a psychological thriller, making it well-suited for a cinematic adaptation. The pacing allows for a visually engaging and suspenseful storytelling experience.

Climax and Resolution:

The climax of the novel is strategically placed to deliver maximum impact, revealing the truth behind the central mystery. The resolution ties up loose ends and provides a satisfying conclusion to the various storylines.

The pacing ensures that the climax and resolution are well-earned, providing a sense of closure for the reader.

Paula Hawkins' "The Girl on the Train" is a spellbinding psychological thriller that grips readers from the very first page and doesn't let go until the final revelation. The novel's compelling narrative, intricate plot structure, and well-crafted characters make it a must-read for fans of the genre.

Why it's Recommended:

Masterful Plot Structure:

The non-linear timeline and alternating perspectives contribute to a multi-layered and suspenseful plot. Hawkins skillfully weaves together the lives of three complex women, creating a web of mystery that keeps readers guessing until the end.

Engaging Characters:

The characters, particularly the unreliable narrator Rachel Watson, are expertly developed with depth and nuance. Their flaws, vulnerabilities, and the intricacies of their relationships contribute to the novel's psychological richness.

Unpredictable Twists:

"The Girl on the Train" is a rollercoaster of twists and turns that defy expectations. Strategic cliffhangers and unexpected revelations add an element of unpredictability, ensuring that the reader remains on the edge of their seat throughout.

Psychological Depth:

The novel delves into the psychological complexities of its characters, exploring themes of trauma, obsession, and the consequences of choices. This psychological depth elevates the narrative beyond a conventional thriller, providing substance and resonance.

Suspenseful Atmosphere:

Hawkins creates a tense and atmospheric setting, using the repetitive train journeys and voyeuristic observations to build a palpable sense of suspense. The novel's pacing is expertly calibrated, sustaining the tension until the very end.

For Whom It's Recommended:

Fans of Psychological Thrillers:

If you enjoy psychological thrillers that delve into the minds of complex characters and keep you guessing until the final pages, "The Girl on the Train" is a perfect choice.

Readers who Enjoy Unreliable Narrators:

The novel's primary narrator, Rachel Watson, is unreliable due to her struggles with alcoholism and memory lapses. If you appreciate narratives with unreliable perspectives that challenge your perceptions, this book is a compelling choice.

Those Who Appreciate Character-driven Stories:

The strength of "The Girl on the Train" lies in its well-developed characters. If you enjoy stories where character dynamics and internal struggles are as central as the plot, you'll find this book thoroughly satisfying.

Mystery Enthusiasts:

If you're a fan of mysteries that keep you actively engaged in solving the puzzle, this novel's intricate plot structure and tantalizing clues make it an ideal choice for a riveting reading experience.

Why It's Worth Reading:

Unique Narrative Style:

The alternating perspectives and the use of an unreliable narrator set "The Girl on the Train" apart. The unique narrative style adds layers to the storytelling and creates an immersive reading experience.

Page-turning Suspense:

From the first mysterious sighting on the train to the final revelation, the novel maintains an unrelenting pace. The page-turning suspense and unexpected twists make it difficult to put down, ensuring an enthralling reading session.

Emotional Resonance:

Beyond its thriller elements, the novel explores themes of trauma, addiction, and the complexity of human relationships. The emotional resonance of the characters' struggles adds depth to the narrative and makes it a fulfilling read.

For those who appreciate books with cinematic potential, "The Girl on the Train" has been successfully adapted into a film. The novel's visual and atmospheric qualities are testament to its suitability for both page and screen.

Paula Hawkins is a British author renowned for her captivating storytelling and mastery of the psychological thriller genre. Born on August 26, 1972, in Harare, Zimbabwe, Hawkins spent much of her childhood in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) before moving to London as a teenager. Her diverse background and experiences have undoubtedly influenced the rich and multifaceted narratives that characterize her work.

Hawkins' literary journey began in the realm of financial journalism, where she built a successful career as a journalist and worked for renowned publications, including The Times and The Independent. However, it was her transition to fiction that marked a turning point in her career.

In 2009, Hawkins made her fiction debut with the romantic comedy "Confessions of a Reluctant Recessionista" under the pen name Amy Silver. While this marked her entry into the world of fiction, it was her shift to psychological thrillers that truly showcased her narrative prowess.

"The Girl on the Train," published in 2015, catapulted Paula Hawkins to international acclaim. The novel, with its gripping plot, unreliable narrator, and atmospheric tension, became an instant bestseller. Translated into numerous languages, the book's success reached new heights when it was adapted into a major motion picture in 2016.

Following the massive success of her debut thriller, Hawkins continued to solidify her position as a prominent figure in the thriller genre. Her subsequent works, including "Into the Water" (2017) and "A Slow Fire Burning" (2021), further demonstrated her ability to craft intricately layered narratives that captivate readers.

Paula Hawkins' storytelling is characterized by its exploration of complex characters, psychological depth, and the skillful interplay of suspenseful elements. Her ability to create atmospheric settings and narratives that challenge perceptions has earned her a dedicated readership around the world.

Beyond her literary achievements, Paula Hawkins maintains a private and enigmatic persona, allowing her work to speak for itself. Her contributions to the thriller genre have left an indelible mark, and readers eagerly anticipate each new release from this talented and influential author. As Paula Hawkins continues to shape the landscape of contemporary fiction, her legacy as a master storyteller is firmly established.

Here are some thought-provoking book club questions for discussions on "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins:

Character Exploration:

Which character did you find most compelling, and why? Did your perception of any character change as the story unfolded?

Unreliable Narration:

How did the use of unreliable narration, particularly through Rachel's perspective, impact your reading experience? Were there moments when you doubted the accuracy of the narrative?

Themes of Deception:

Deception is a central theme in the novel. Discuss instances of deception among the characters and how it influenced the unfolding events.

Obsession and Voyeurism:

Rachel's obsession with the lives of Megan and Anna is a significant aspect of the story. How does the theme of voyeurism contribute to the novel's atmosphere and plot?

Mystery and Suspense:

What aspects of the mystery kept you most engaged? Were there specific twists or revelations that surprised you, or did you see them coming?

Setting and Atmosphere:

How does the setting, particularly the train journeys and suburban landscape, contribute to the overall atmosphere of the novel? In what ways does the setting enhance the storytelling?

Female Characters and Relationships:

Explore the portrayal of female characters in the novel, including Rachel, Megan, and Anna. How do their relationships with each other and the male characters contribute to the story?

Discuss the portrayal of addiction in the novel, particularly through Rachel's struggles with alcoholism. How does it influence her character and the events of the story?

Identify and discuss the symbolism in the novel, such as the train, tunnels, and other motifs. How do these symbols contribute to the overall themes and messages of the story?

Book-to-Film Adaptation:

If members have seen the film adaptation, how does it compare to the book? What elements from the book do you think translated well to the screen, and were there any significant differences?

Moral Ambiguity:

Several characters in the novel grapple with moral ambiguity and make questionable choices. Discuss the ethical dilemmas faced by characters like Rachel and Megan. How do their decisions contribute to the complexity of the narrative?

Resolution and Endings:

What are your thoughts on the resolution of the story and the fates of the characters? Did the ending leave you satisfied, or were there aspects you would have liked to see resolved differently?

Option 1: Daily Reading Plan (Two Weeks):

Read approximately 24 pages per day.

This allows you to complete the book in two weeks, giving you time to absorb the details and discuss the story as you progress.

Option 2: Weekend Reading Plan (Four Weekends):

Read 84 pages on Saturday.

Read 84 pages on Sunday.

Finish the remaining 80 pages on Saturday or Sunday.

Option 3: Weekly Reading Plan (One Month):

Read 48 pages on Monday.

Read 48 pages on Wednesday.

Read 48 pages on Friday.

Read the remaining 48 pages on Monday or Wednesday.

Option 4: Intensive Reading Plan (One Week):

Read 84 pages each day.

Read the remaining 36 pages.

Inspiration from Commuting:

Paula Hawkins got the idea for the book while commuting on a train. She used to travel from her home in London to her job as a financial journalist and observed the houses along the train route, which served as inspiration for the novel's setting.

Record-Breaking Sales:

"The Girl on the Train" became a publishing phenomenon, achieving record-breaking sales and topping bestseller lists worldwide. It sold over 18 million copies within a year of its release.

Fast Writing Process:

Paula Hawkins wrote the novel relatively quickly, completing the first draft in just six months. The swift writing process is notable given the intricate plot and multiple perspectives in the book.

Film Adaptation Success:

The novel was adapted into a successful film in 2016, starring Emily Blunt as Rachel Watson. The movie also received positive reviews and further contributed to the popularity of the story.

Global Recognition:

"The Girl on the Train" was published in more than 40 countries, attaining global recognition and becoming a bestseller in various languages. Its universal themes and suspenseful narrative resonated with readers worldwide.

Unreliable Narrator Technique:

The novel employs the technique of an unreliable narrator through Rachel Watson, who struggles with alcohol-induced blackouts. This narrative choice adds layers of suspense and complexity to the storytelling.

Comparisons to "Gone Girl":

"The Girl on the Train" drew comparisons to Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl" due to its psychological thriller elements, unreliable narrators, and unexpected twists. Both books contributed to the popularity of the psychological thriller genre.

The novel is told from the perspectives of three women: Rachel, Megan, and Anna. Each character's viewpoint adds depth to the story and allows readers to see the events from different angles.

Acknowledgment of Alcoholism:

The novel addresses the theme of alcoholism through Rachel's character. Her struggles with drinking and the consequences of her addiction are portrayed with sensitivity, contributing to the overall exploration of trauma and coping mechanisms.

Symbolism of the Train:

The train serves as a symbolic element in the novel, representing both routine and escape. It also mirrors the characters' journeys through life and the unexpected twists and turns they encounter.

Critical Acclaim:

Despite its commercial success, the novel received mixed critical reviews. Some praised its suspenseful plot and character development, while others noted similarities to other psychological thrillers.

Impact on Subsequent Works:

The success of "The Girl on the Train" influenced the publishing industry and led to a surge in the popularity of psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators and unexpected twists.

1. What is "The Girl on the Train" about?

"The Girl on the Train" is a psychological thriller that follows the intertwined lives of three women—Rachel, Megan, and Anna. The narrative unfolds through their perspectives, and the story revolves around a mysterious disappearance that draws the characters into a web of deception and suspense.

2. Who is the author, Paula Hawkins?

Paula Hawkins is a British author known for her contributions to the psychological thriller genre. Born on August 26, 1972, in Zimbabwe, she gained international acclaim with her bestselling novel "The Girl on the Train." Hawkins has also written other works, including "Into the Water" and "A Slow Fire Burning."

3. What inspired Paula Hawkins to write this book?

Hawkins was inspired by her daily train commute from her home in London. Observing houses along the route sparked her imagination, leading to the creation of the novel's setting. The routine nature of the train journey and the glimpses into people's lives served as a foundation for the story.

4. How is the narrative structured in the book?

The narrative is structured with alternating perspectives from the three main female characters: Rachel, Megan, and Anna. The use of multiple viewpoints adds complexity to the storytelling and contributes to the suspenseful atmosphere.

5. Is "The Girl on the Train" similar to "Gone Girl"?

Both "The Girl on the Train" and Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl" fall within the psychological thriller genre and share elements such as unreliable narrators and unexpected twists. While they have similarities, each novel has its unique story, characters, and narrative style.

6. What themes are explored in the book?

The novel delves into themes such as deception, obsession, trauma, and the impact of addiction. It also explores the complexities of relationships, both romantic and platonic, and the consequences of choices made by the characters.

7. How successful was the book commercially?

"The Girl on the Train" achieved massive commercial success, becoming an international bestseller with over 18 million copies sold within a year of its release. Its popularity also led to a successful film adaptation.

8. Was the book adapted into a movie?

Yes, "The Girl on the Train" was adapted into a film released in 2016. The movie starred Emily Blunt as Rachel Watson and received positive reviews for its faithful adaptation and compelling performances.

9. What role does the train play in the novel?

The train serves as a symbolic element in the novel, representing routine, voyeurism, and escape. The protagonist, Rachel, takes the train daily, and her observations from the train window play a significant role in the unfolding mystery.

10. Is the book suitable for a book club discussion?

Yes, the novel's complex characters, unreliable narration, and suspenseful plot make it an excellent choice for a book club discussion. Themes such as deception, obsession, and the impact of trauma provide ample material for thoughtful conversations.

11. Are there content warnings for the book?

Yes, potential readers should be aware that the book addresses themes of alcoholism, trauma, and psychological distress. It explores the consequences of addiction and contains elements of suspense and psychological tension.

12. Can the book be enjoyed by those who haven't typically read thrillers?

Absolutely. While "The Girl on the Train" falls within the thriller genre, its exploration of complex characters and psychological depth makes it accessible and engaging for readers who may not typically gravitate toward thrillers.

If you enjoyed "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins and are looking for books with similar themes, twists, or psychological suspense, here are some recommendations:

"Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn:

Another psychological thriller with unreliable narrators and unexpected twists. It explores the complexities of a marriage and the media's influence on public perception.

"Into the Water" by Paula Hawkins:

If you enjoyed Hawkins' writing style, her second novel, "Into the Water," might be of interest. It's a psychological mystery involving a small town, family secrets, and a mysterious pool of water.

"The Woman in the Window" by A.J. Finn:

A psychological thriller featuring an unreliable narrator who believes she witnessed a crime in a neighbor's house. It explores themes of isolation and mental health.

"Sharp Objects" by Gillian Flynn:

This psychological thriller revolves around a journalist returning to her hometown to cover the murder of two young girls. It delves into family dynamics, dark secrets, and the impact of the past.

"Before I Go to Sleep" by S.J. Watson:

A psychological thriller about a woman with amnesia who wakes up every day with no memory of her life. As she pieces together her past, she discovers unsettling truths.

"In a Dark, Dark Wood" by Ruth Ware:

A psychological thriller set during a bachelorette weekend that takes a sinister turn. It explores the complexities of female friendships and hidden secrets.

"The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides:

A gripping psychological thriller about a woman who shoots her husband and then stops speaking. The story unfolds through the perspectives of the therapist trying to uncover the truth.

"Behind Closed Doors" by B.A. Paris:

A psychological thriller that explores the dark secrets behind what seems like the perfect marriage. It's a tense and chilling exploration of control and manipulation.

"The Good Girl" by Mary Kubica:

This psychological thriller revolves around the kidnapping of a young woman and the events that follow. It explores family dynamics, love, and the consequences of choices.

"The Couple Next Door" by Shari Lapena:

A suspenseful thriller about a couple whose baby goes missing during a dinner party. The novel explores themes of trust, deception, and the consequences of seemingly small decisions.

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Book review: ‘The Girl on the Train,’ by Paula Hawkins

News News | Apr 5, 2015

The book world was rocked in early January when the thriller “The Girl on the Train” hit the shelves and raced to the top of the best-seller lists. A real runaway train ride of adrenaline, this debut novel by British author Paula Hawkins has taken the world by storm. Set in modern-day London, the suspense is oddly intense and immediate, from the cryptic first pages to an ending that satisfies and has one eager for more from this clever writer.

The very idea of a commuter train zipping along a busy route immediately evokes two worlds — worlds that rarely bump up against each other except at the bustling stations where the passengers exchange themselves for new ones.

With the train providing a momentary link before the streams of humanity part once more, Hawkins deftly captures the thrill and romance of riding the rails, and after the first few pages, the reader can feel the hypnotic rhythm and the inexplicable allure of the screeching wheels and the clattering of the train cars.

As the story — written in a loose journal style and presented from multiple perspectives — develops, the reader excitedly gathers clues, knowing they will help solve the puzzle that seems to be developing. Hawkins reveals the drama in syncopated snippets, drawing the reader into the suburban world along the banks of the commuter railway line.

Rachel rides the train every morning and evening, yearning for a shake-up, the predictable journey serving as a metaphor for the often-smothering routine of life. .sd-donation { background: #037BC1; max-width: 100%; margin: 0 auto; } .sd-donation .logo { width: 50%; margin: 1rem 0 1rem; } .sd-donation h1 { font-size: 2rem; text-transform: none; color: #fff; } .sd-donation p { color: #fff; font-weight: 300; } .sd-donation hr { width: 20%; border-top: 4px solid #000; } .sd-donation .btn { padding: .5rem 2rem; background-color: #fff !important; border-radius: 0; } .sd-donation .btn { color: #037BC1; } .sd-donation .btn:hover { background-color: #005789 !important; } .sd-donation .btn:hover a { color: #fff !important; } .sd-donation .col-xl-5.p-0 { background-image: url('https://swiftmedia.s3.amazonaws.com/mountain.swiftcom.com/images/sites/2/2023/09/11170549/SDN-donate-cta-bg.jpg'); background-size: cover; min-height:330px; } @media ( min-width: 768px ) { .sd-donation .logo { width: 35%; } } @media ( min-width: 1440px ) { .sd-donation { text-align: left; } .sd-donation-mobile { display: none; } .sd-donation hr { margin-left: 0; } } Support Local Journalism Donate -->

Who hasn’t stared from a train, musing over the scraps of people’s lives glimpsed as the blurred colors coalesce into structured scenes? Imaginings blossom — pictures of the possible dramas unfolding in the houses and offices that unfurl as a train speeds and slows its way toward the station.

Rachel, the “girl on the train,” is at the center of the unraveling mystery, and Hawkins cleverly maintains the perplexing veil that seems to surround her. The story is, at its core, about perception and reality, and the appeal of the book is that it is unclear which is which.

Rachel rides the train every morning and evening, yearning for a shake-up, the predictable journey serving as a metaphor for the often-smothering routine of life. With her own life adrift, she longs for more, and she spends the twice-daily journey dreaming, making up names for the people in the houses along the tracks, imagining their lives. A pile of clothes spotted near the rails as the train lurches past sends Rachel’s imagination spinning, and the reader follows, heightening the doubt and mystery as the puzzle comes together.

The intersections of the lives she sees and her own convoluted entanglements are at the heart of what makes Hawkins’ book so compelling. This is where the beauty — and the ugliness — dwells. Its like “Rear Window” from a moving train. The reader catches glimpses of characters’ personalities and stories unfolding — both inside and outside the train.

No one is whom they seem, and the obscurity of that reality drives the narrative, building a sinister sheen over the shadows that loom in everyone’s lives. Rachel becomes so absorbed in her imaginings, she is not fully aware of where the line is between fact and fiction, even regarding her own actions.

Her life is in tatters, unraveling into skeins she can no longer recognize. She cannot tell what changes her from whom she once was. Edges become soft, convictions become deficiencies and strengths become weaknesses. Hawkins astutely blurs all the lines, and the result is a rush, a fast-paced and helter-skelter thriller that is well deserving of its spot at the top. “The Girl on the Train” is the perfect summer book, a fun read whether pool-side or while traveling … maybe by train. Just take care; you never know what you might see when you look out the window.

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REVIEW: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

It’s never been my habit to read New York Times bestseller books. I will resist The Da Vinci Code until my last breath. But as romance has lost some of its appeal for me, I have found myself giving some of those buzzed-about books a try, here and there. I really liked Kate Atkinson’s Life after Life and I found Gone Girl hugely entertaining. More recently, I loved The Goldfinch and Station Eleven .

In the first reviews I read of The Girl on the Train , many comparisons were made to Gone Girl . Indeed, the two books both deal with how difficult it can be to really know a person, even (especially?) one you’re married to. But while I found Gone Girl darkly amusing, The Girl on the Train was just plain dark.

The novel has three first-person narrators: Rachel, Megan and Anna. Rachel is the main narrator and the story begins, after a brief prologue, with her. She’s in her early thirties, divorced, and living with a friend in a suburb of London as she tries to get back on her feet. Rachel is also a raging alcoholic, and she takes the train into London every day so that her friend and roommate, Cathy, won’t know that she was fired months before after drunkenly insulting a client.

The train Rachel takes often slows down near a row of houses where she likes to observe an attractive young couple, Jason and Jess, on their terrace. At first it seems as if Rachel knows them, since she soon reveals that she used to live four doors down with her ex-husband,Tom. Tom now lives in the same house with his second wife, Anna, whom he left Rachel for, and their new baby. Rachel focuses on Jason and Jess as a way to avoid the pain of observing her own lost house, her own lost life.

It soon emerges though, that Jason and Jess and the elaborate backstory Rachel initially relates regarding them (Jess is artist; Jason a doctor) is a fiction; it’s all in Rachel’s head. They are actually Scott and Megan Hipwell, and when the story switches to Megan’s point of view, we realize quickly they aren’t the blissfully happy marrieds Rachel imagines them to be. Rachel discovers this for herself, when she sees Megan kissing a man who is not Scott in her backyard one day as the train passes Megan’s house.

Soon after, Megan goes missing. Rachel becomes obsessed with the mystery of what happened to Megan and what information she, Rachel, might have about her disappearance. Not only does she believe she alone may know of Megan’s secret lover, but Rachel was herself near the Hipwells’ house on Blenheim Road the night Megan is believed to have disappeared. She was drunk and blacked out, coming to back at Cathy’s house with mysterious injuries and the troubling sense that something bad happened in the underpass between the train station and Blenheim Road.

Rachel tries to takes her concerns to the police, but they dismiss her as unreliable, a drunk and an attention-seeker who is pathetically trying to make herself part of what’s become a big news story. Frustrated, Rachel decides to contact Scott Hipwell directly. Though he’s a suspect in his wife’s disappearance, Rachel’s empathy is with him, the cuckolded spouse; she’s sure he’s innocent and that the police should be focusing on the mystery man she saw kissing Megan.

As I noted previously, Rachel is the main narrator of The Girl on the Train , and she’s the main liability of the story as well. She’s not just a drunk: she’s delusional and child-like in her thinking, and I found her very hard to empathize with for much of the book. Megan, the second narrator, isn’t much better. She actually has a better-developed backstory, one that unfolds slowly and gives some context, at least, to her choices. But she’s also hard, ego-driven and self-destructive. Anna is the least sympathetic of all; her narration reveals her to be shallow, selfish and mean.

The men don’t fare much better – Tom is an adulterer at the very least, and seems at times to be playing mind games with Rachel, giving her just enough attention to keep her hopeful. Scott shows his ugly side when cornered, and it was never quite clear to me how controlling he was towards Megan – how much of it was her (or others’) perception of him vs. reality? Megan’s therapist, Kamal, also a suspect in her disappearance, actually emerges as one of the more sympathetic characters in the story.

So one of the themes of The Girl on the Train seems to be how ugly and pathetic people really are underneath their facades; not exactly a cheery message, nor one I want to read about much. Again, one could argue that Gone Girl had a similar message, but Gone Girl felt…campier? less real?….and thus less dreary. It had a scabrous humor to it; about the only moment of humor I noted in The Girl on the Train was Rachel’s disappointment at finding out that Scott is not a medical professional with Doctors without Borders as she’d dreamed but a plain old computer tech (“I can’t bloody believe Scott is an IT consultant”).

Which is not to say that The Girl on the Train is brutally realistic; there are definitely improbable twists and turns, and one of the main points on which the plot turns, Rachel’s tendency to black out while drinking and not remember anything afterwards, seemed convenient and perhaps unrealistically presented.

All that said, the book has its strengths. It’s smoothly written. It worked for me as a suspense novel – as the story went on, I did become quite invested in the resolution of the mystery. I wanted to know what happened to Megan and why. I also wanted to see if Rachel would ever grow a backbone and get herself together. One of the negative reviews I read on Amazon stated that the reader had figured out the villain very early in the story, but I didn’t. I mean, with a limited number of potential suspects, I’d definitely considered the person, but the larger resolution to the story unfolded pretty naturally and I definitely didn’t figure it out way ahead of time.

One last quibble – it may seem petty, but the title rings false to me. The Girl on the Train ? Rachel isn’t a girl. She’s about 33. She’s not at all girlish; if anything she has the air of middle-age regret and disappointment of someone older than her actual age. I could see calling mid-20s Megan a girl, but not Rachel. Anyway, my final grade for The Girl on the Train is a straight B.

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has been an avid if often frustrated romance reader for the past 15 years. In that time she's read a lot of good romances, a few great ones, and, unfortunately, a whole lot of dreck. Many of her favorite authors (Ivory, Kinsale, Gaffney, Williamson, Ibbotson) have moved onto other genres or produce new books only rarely, so she's had to expand her horizons a bit. Newer authors she enjoys include Julie Ann Long, Megan Hart and J.R. Ward, and she eagerly anticipates each new Sookie Stackhouse novel. Strong prose and characterization go a long way with her, though if they are combined with an unusual plot or setting, all the better. When she's not reading romance she can usually be found reading historical non-fiction.

I’m with you on this book. All the characters are so un-likeable that I had trouble getting into it. I just didn’t want to read about any of those people. I kept almost putting it away to not finish for the first couple chapters. I stuck with it though and became really captivated by the mystery and the ending was satisfying.

Thanks for this review, Jennie! I’ve been curious about the book but I didn’t read Gone Girl and wasn’t even sure what this one was about. I’m OK with unlikeable characters, and the mystery sounds interesting.

My book club had a robust discussion with this book. As a romance reader, where you tend to identify with the characters, you have to throw that concept away because none of these women are likable. But, if you read it with the understanding that there are no reliable narrators, and that there are clues to the mystery within that narrative it becomes a twisty nifty mystery story.

@ Kim W : Yes, for a lot of the book it didn’t have that compulsive readability that I was looking for and expecting in what was after all billed as a “page turner.” When the people you’re reading about are such a drag, it doesn’t make you want to pick up the book. It definitely got going in the last third or so though. I was always interested in the mystery. I just mostly didn’t want to deal with Rachel’s bullshit.

@ Sunita : Oh, good. You may really like it if you’re not bothered by unlikable characters! Let me know what you think if you do read it.

@ Kaye : I did like the slow introduction of doubt into some of the “facts” that I thought I knew early on.

I think what makes a character “unlikable” is subjective – I don’t think I necessarily need romance-type “likable” characters in order to like a book, nor do I need the characters to grow or improve (though sometimes, depending on the book, it helps). I liked the villain of “Gone Girl.” Hell, I kind of like (and kind of hate) Humbert Humbert in “Lolita.” I think being able to relate on some level helps, even with the most villainous characters.

I also was thinking about Rachel’s alcoholism in a more personal context – if you’ve dealt with that in your personal life, with someone close to you, does it make you less tolerant? Moreso? I don’t know; I remember I had a hard time with the Jeff Bridges movie “Crazy Heart” – it was a very good movie objectively but it’s just hard for me to see drunks being drunks. I’m aware as a reader and a person that I have very little patience with what I see as delusional thinking, and Rachel definitely pushed my buttons in that way.

One “for instance” – she is given the “good cop/bad cop” runaround by the two police officers she deals with, and she’s almost pathetically susceptible to it, thinking that the “bad/mean” female cop is a horrible person but the “good/nice” male cop is just nifty. It never occurs to her that she’s being played. Basically I spent a lot of the book wanting to shake Rachel, hard, and it colored my opinion of the book.

I didn’t care for this book at all. The title drove me nuts too, I think it was done to hype it even more with Gone Girl.

My problem with the book is not that the characters are unlikable; I have no problem with unlikable characters (and there are plenty of unlikable characters – alphahole heros, for example – in romance). I adored Gone Girl and both lead characters are immensely unlikable.

But in this book? Rachel is stupid. Anna is stupid and selfish. Megan is stupid and selfish and horribly self-absorbed. And at least Rachel and Anna are improbably blind – Rachel literally, oh so conveniently blacked out – until, gee, the plot dictates otherwise.

Meanwhile, the men make Megan look like a candidate for sainthood.

This book feels like an attempt to cash in on Gone Girl. It’s the suspense equivalent of authors churning out a MC or stepbrother book to cash in on the trend in romance. And hey, it succeeded.

But my hard line is stupid characters who act stupid until, oh so conveniently for the plot, they grab a semblance of a clue. This book crossed it and then some.

@ Coops : I think I had the biggest problem with the convenience of Rachel’s blackouts – certain characters seemed to find them too reliable for something that really can’t be predicted with ease. Of course, Gone Girl had its own plot holes that didn’t bear too much scrutiny, but it managed to weave a tighter spell so that you didn’t think about them so much.

That said, I think Rachel wasn’t so much stupid as very emotionally unintelligent and immature. She made me cringe so many times, and this was viewing her actions through her own narration.

Maybe it’s not fair to compare it to Gone GIrl, even if the comparisons seem obvious – that book was so compulsively compelling and readable. As my grade reflects, I actually did like The Girl on a Train, even if I had a fair number of issues with it.

I’m intrigued to read this book. I only saw the film for Gone Girl but I loved the power of the central character. One that I felt was stronger even than Lady Macbeth and someone who had a real journey. If this book has a similar central character I’m definitely interested in picking it up. I’m keen to read more literature that features subversive female protagonists.

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Food | health | books, the girl on the train by paula hawkins – a review.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins is one of many thrillers that I have read this year as part of my commitment to read 25 books in 2019. This book has been on my “to-read” list for several months. In fact, after I watched the film, I was set on reading the book as I am a firm believer that the book is always better than the film. My one criticism of the movie adaptation is the discrepancy between the physcial characteristics of the protagonist in the book versus the actress, Emily Blunt, who was chosen to play her in the movie. While Blunt undeniably puts on a great show, I feel that the producers could have recruited an actress that would have been a better match for the character that Hawkins creates in our minds. Therefore, I would recommend reading the book before watching the movie.

The Wikipedia review of this book is simple – a psychological thriller that gives narratives from three different women about relationship troubles and binge drinking. I would argue that Wikipedia have made a slight omission there. Beyond relationships and binge drinking, The Girl on the Train is a thrilling murder mystery with betrayal and deceit as one of the key themes.

The Girl on the Train has a modern-day, suburbian London setting. The protagonist, who is “the girl on the train” , is a troubled character who is struggling to get over her ex-husband, is in denial about her state of unemployment and who has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol.

There are plenty of other interesting characters in The Girl on the Train , all with their own voice and their own impact to make in the story. Paula Hawkins shows her skill as an author by creating these unique individuals that resonate long after the book has been read. In contrast to the first book I read by this author, Into the Water , keeping track of who the characters are is much more manageable in The Girl on the Train . My review of Into the Water explains how I felt that the author included too many characters in the storyline.

I thoroughly enjoyed the mysterious nature of the story and I must praise and respect Paula Hawkins for her ability to intertwine modern-day issues, such as alcoholism and unemployment, into the exciting storyline. A gripping read from start to finish, this book will have you turning pages long after you should be gone to sleep.

This book was the tenth book I read in 2019 – the year in which I have committed to reading 25 books. You can keep up-to-date with my “to-read” list and book reviews here . Of the two books I have read by this author, I recommend The Girl on the Train ahead of Into the Water. That said, I believe every book is worth a read.

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[Book Review]: The Girl On the Train By Paula Hawkins

Listed as a New York Times bestseller in 2015, this thriller written by Paula Hawkins follows Rachel on her daily train rides to London. Through the commuter’s windows, the woman observes a few back gardens and begins to feel intimate with the people living in those houses. But one day, Rachel sees something she never expected to happen and now she has a chance to become part of a life she could only see from a far distance. A story about love, betrayal, secrets, lies, and loneliness, this book will make readers unable to put it down!

The Girl On The Train is the story of Rachel Watson, an alcoholic woman who just got divorced and is struggling to get her life back on track. Too embarrassed to tell her roommate and longtime friend Cathy she got fired, Rachel still daily catches the early train to London. On her way to the city, the train always stops at the same signal where the woman observes the neighborhood she used to live in when married to Tom. She checks out the people living in those houses, wondering how happy she would be if she still lived there. Avoiding to look at the pink nursery inside the house Tom now shares with Anna, an unknown couple in particular – Jess and Jason, names Rachel chose for them in her imagination – grabs the main character’s attention, as she watches their day-by-day routine. To Rachel, Jess and Jason have the most passionate and perfect life, the kind of life she wishes to be living, until the day she sees something quite shocking happening inside the envied couple’s house.

Photo Credit: Elaine Marie Blog

When Rachel finds out through the local newspaper that Jess – who is actually called Megan – had mysteriously disappeared, the woman can’t help but feel involved in that story. The missing person case strongly hits the media and Rachel beats herself trying to remember what happened on the night Megan disappeared – if only she was not that drunk… – but the only things that come to her mind are an underpass, blood, a blue dress, and a red-haired man. Convinced that Jason – actually named Scott and now the prime suspect of Megan’s disappearance – would never hurt his wife, Rachel decides to go talk to the police but gets discredited due to her alcoholism issue and drunk dialing. The young woman is determined to discover what truly happened to Megan, while still obsessing with her ex-husband and his new wife. The further Rachel digs into Megan’s life, the more it brings her into disliking the woman, finding her grieving husband suspicious, and seeing Anna as a vindictive troublemaker.

Photo Credit: The Guardian

Through the switching voices of Rachel, Megan, and Anna, three women tragically linked, this crime story develops, filled with mystery, mixed memories, and disturbing scenes of an alcoholic passing out on the stairways of her house, covered in urine and vomit. Even being turned into a movie starred by Emily Blunt, this thriller by Paula Hawkins, which endured for 13 weeks at the top of the New York Times bestseller list, is a touching, suspenseful story definitely worth reading.

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The Girl on the Train

By paula hawkins.

Paula Hawkins's 'The Girl on the Train' was released in 2015. With a distinctive descriptive style, the story gets explained from the viewpoint of three women.

Article written by Fave

B.A. in History and International Studies from University of Ilorin, Kwara State.

‘The Girl on the Train’ by British author Paula Hawkins is a psychological thriller that explains the story of Rachel Watson, a divorced and alcohol-addicted woman who takes the train daily and observes people from the window.

When the woman from her favorite couple goes missing, Rachel becomes involved in the investigation and tries to uncover what happened. However, she mixes details up and has a very unreliable account because of her drunkenness on the night of the incident.

‘The Girl on the Train’ Spoiler Free Summary

In this novel, Paula Hawkins tells the story of Rachel Watson, a woman in her early thirties struggling with alcohol, her inability to have a child, and the aftermath of a failed marriage.

Although she has lost her job, she takes the train daily to and from London. On her trip, she watches a couple she sees from the train window. She soon begins to imagine how perfect their life is.

Unfortunately, Rachel witnesses an event that changes her opinion, and when the woman of the couple goes missing, she thinks she can help solve the case with the information she has.

Unsatisfied with the efforts of the police to solve the case that turns out to be murder, she begins a personal investigation of the disappearance of Megan Hipwell.

While relentlessly probing the case, Rachel realizes her present and past life may be more linked to Megan than she initially thought. During this time, Rachel still drinks heavily and remains obsessed with her ex-husband, Tom Watson. She stalks his family on social media and calls on the phone during late hours. This eventually leads to unease between Tom and his new wife, Anna.

‘ The Girl on the Train ‘ is told from different perspectives, including Rachel’s, Megan’s, and Anna’s. The plot unfolds with Rachel eventually putting the pieces together, confronting, and killing Megan’s murderer.

‘The Girl on the Train’ Plot Summary

Warning – This article contains important details and spoilers

When the story begins, Rachel Watson is a recently divorced woman who lost her home and job while dealing with infertility, alcohol addiction, and depression. Although she does not work anymore, she occupies herself by riding the train into and out of London daily.

While on the train, Rachel watches the houses and imagines people’s lives. She particularly loves a couple she sees through the window. She names them “Jess” and “Jason.” Jess is blonde and pale, while Jason has dark hair and is good-looking.

In the first chapter, Rachel sees Jess on the terrace of her house and observes she looks sad. She also fights the urge to look at her former house but cannot help herself. She remembers sending her ex-husband a text confessing her love for him but comforts herself because she has done worse things while drunk. When her ex, Tom, calls back to tell her to seek help by attending some AA meetings, Rachel drops the call, pulls the bandage off her finger, and presses her thumbnail into the injury.

The next chapter introduces us to Megan Hipwell. She is Jess in Rachel’s narration. Megan is a nanny for Tom’s child. Megan’s husband becomes hopeful she would be interested in having a baby since she is around a child, but Megan misses working at an art gallery. She eventually quits her job as a nanny and lies she was getting sexual advances. Realizing Megan’s sleeping routine is strained, Scott suggests a therapist. Megan meets her therapist and finds herself fascinated.

When Rachel stumbles on Megan kissing another man, she is disappointed. At home, she becomes hurt when she hears Cathy cleaning the house because she remembers she usually spent the morning with Tom. Walking into Rachel’s vomit on the stairs annoys Cathy greatly, and she tells Rachel she has four weeks to find a new apartment.

Megan arrives one evening to find Scott searching through her computer for signs of infidelity. She recalls her therapist, Dr. Abdic suggested she keeps a diary of her feelings, but she doesn’t because Scott is always snooping. The following Saturday, Megan asks her friend, Tara, to cover for her while she meets with a lover at a hotel.

Rachel has an accident and needs stitching. During the process, the doctor notices a bump on her head, and she has flashes of trying to avoid a blow. She was drunk when this happened, so she is unsure of her memories. However, she remembers she had the accident after she read of Megan’s disappearance in a news article.

The novel continues to provide Megan’s perspective even when she is confirmed dead. Although she is grateful for the doctor-patient confidentiality of therapy, she is reluctant to divulge her past before she met Scott. Eventually, she opens up to Abdic. She also invites him for a drink. When he declines, she kisses him on the lips.

Rachel continues to read about Megan’s disappearance and discovers some facts. Cathy sends a voice message guiltily stating that Rachel can stay as long as she wants. Later on, she recalls how her inability to conceive a child led to her addiction to alcohol and the failure of her marriage. She sends Scott an email claiming to be an acquaintance of Megan’s with some vital information.

During an interrogation, Rachel tries to remember what happened on the night Megan got missing. Although she was present at the scene, she has a distorted account of what happened. Provided with pictures to identify who Megan was kissing the other day, she points to Megan’s therapist. Scott Hipwell replies to Rachel’s email and asks to meet.

The next chapter introduces Anne Watson, Tom’s wife. She returns from shopping to find her husband reading an email from Rachel and asks when they will be free from her stalking.

When Rachel visits Scott, she is shocked that the house has the same layout as the one she lived in with her ex-husband. She confesses that she saw Megan kissing another man. He believes her, and after identifying Megan’s lover, he asks her to leave. Afterward, he calls to appreciate her efforts and talk about the quarrel before Megan got missing.

Megan worries that her lover has not kept in touch. She goes for her therapy appointment and asks if Abdic is emotionally attracted to her. When she begins to yell, he tries to quieten her, and she kisses him hard on the mouth and returns home.

While on their way for a family hangout, they run into Rachel. Anne tries to protect her child, and Tom suggests they return home. When Tom tries to discuss the arrest of Megan’s therapist, Anne hardly engages but is more concerned Rachel is trying to break into their house. Tom reassures her, but she wants to inform the police.

After a while, Kamal Abdic is released because there is insufficient evidence that he murdered Megan. Rachel is shocked and continues to drink. When she calls Scott, he accuses her of lying and hangs up. Rachel calls Tom and tries to discuss the events leading up to Megan’s vanish. Tom warns her to stay away from Scott.

Megan returns to Kamal Abdic to confess all that happened in her past, including how she unknowingly drowned her child.

The next chapter follows Rachel going to therapy to recover her memory. She sets an appointment with Kamal Abdic and is surprised at how easy it is to open up to him.

When Anna Watson sees the headline claiming Megan was a child killer, she berates herself for employing her as a nanny. When Tom returns, she insists they leave the neighborhood, but Tom refuses.

Spotting Rachel coming out of Scott’s house again, Anna talks to Tom about it. He calls Rachel and begs her to stay away from Scott. Anna starts to miss the days she worked as a real estate agent. Later, she sees Rachel across the street looking at the house and confronts Tom because he promised to make her stop.

Meanwhile, Scott invites Rachel to the house and holds her hostage for a while because he feels betrayed by her actions. Rachel reports to the police about his molestation, but they don’t believe her.

Unhappy because she foolishly thought Scott and even Tom cared for her, Rachel experiences a flashback where she sees Tom nearing her in the underpass.

After another fight about Rachel, Anne stumbles on Tom’s gym bag. She searches and finds Megan’s phone. After reading some texts, she throws the phone over the fence and follows Tom to bed.

Rachel is finally able to organize her thoughts, and she realizes Tom gaslighted her a lot even while they were married. This was easy because she mostly drank into a stupor and lost her memory. Afraid because he murdered Megan, she goes to his house to save Anna.

Anna opens the door and barely acknowledges her. Rachel says they should leave, but she refuses. As they converse, Rachel exposes the deceitful and lying Tom Watson. Although Anna says she does not believe Rachel, she feels uncomfortable. They begin to revisit Tom’s lies.

Tom returns home to find them together. Rachel confronts him, and he tells Anna to disregard all she says. Anna states that she found Megan’s phone in his gym bag and knows everything.

To this, Tom gives a hurtful explanation of why he cheated on Rachel and Anna. He also confesses to killing Megan. She was pregnant, but he did not want to take responsibility for the child.

Rachel tries to run for the door, but Tom hits her on the head, drags her back into the house, and starts to beat her. When she runs out again, he runs after her, and she drives a corkscrew into his neck.

Although Anna calls the ambulance, Tom dies. Leaving out how she drove the corkscrew deep enough to kill Tom, Anna tells the police Rachel killed him in self-defense. Soon, Rachel is set free.

The novel ends with Rachel sobering up after sharing one last drink with Cathy and taking a nice vacation.

What does the ending of ‘The Girl on the Train’ mean?

The ending of ‘The Girl on the Train’ reveals Megan’s murderer. Rachel finally recalls what happened on the night Megan got killed. The conclusion wraps up the story and solves the mystery of the book. Justice gets served as the manipulative and murderous Tom does not get away with his crime.

What is the main conflict in this book?

The main conflict in ‘The Girl on the Train’ is the murder of Megan Hipwell. At the start, Megan’s disappearance is linked to a lover Rachel thinks she eloped with. However, as she becomes intensely obsessed with the case, she realizes unpleasant secrets from Megan’s life and her own.

What is the significance of the train in ‘The Girl on the Train’ ?

The train is significant in ‘The Girl on the Train.’ While on the train, Rachel studies people and houses along the tracks. The train runs from the suburbs of London to the center of the city. Rachel’s involvement in Megan’s investigation was possible because of her cultivated obsession while watching her from the train.

What are the major plot twists in ‘The Girl on the Train’ ?

Megan’s death is the first major plot twist in ‘The Girl on the Train.’ This rules out the perception that she was with her lover. Also, the revelation that Rachel was at the crime scene quickly made her a suspect because of her mental illness. Finally, Tom’s manipulations and involvement with Megan took a surprising and unexpected turn.

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Review: In ‘The Girl on the Train,’ a Boozy Emily Blunt Never Winks

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By Manohla Dargis

• Oct. 5, 2016

“The Girl on the Train” is a preposterous movie but not an unenjoyable one. If that sounds like faint praise, well, it is and it isn’t. There’s always something to be said for an entertainment that sustains its nuttiness all the way to its twisty finish. This one may not make much sense, but — like a demented old film noir or a Shonda Rhimes show at its crazed best — “Girl” doesn’t falter in its absurdity or commitment to its own seriousness. It never winks. You may laugh (as the audience I saw it with did, on and off), but there’s genuine pleasure in that mirth.

Anatomy | ‘The Girl on the Train’

Tate taylor narrates a sequence from his film "the girl on the train" featuring emily blunt and justin theroux..

It’s based on the 2015 book by the British author Paula Hawkins that vaulted to the top of the best-seller list with a mix of unreliable narration, suspicious characters, ugly emotions, freewheeling gender stereotypes and a slowly kinking mystery that becomes as perilous as the labyrinth at the Overlook Hotel. With a troika of dubious female narrators, the book isn’t an obvious choice for the big screen, partly because of its rotating first-person voices. One problem is how to get into those separate heads, which the director Tate Taylor has tried to solve with voice-overs and by piling on close-ups, creating a proximity approaching the dermatological.

Its loomingest head belongs to the hard-working Emily Blunt, who plays Rachel, the story’s hub. She was once married to Tom (Justin Theroux, trying out his smile), who’s now married to Anna (Rebecca Ferguson), with whom he has a baby. A hard drinker, Rachel chugs booze like water and weeps like a broken faucet. She’s a sloshy mess, or so we’re meant to believe from her alternating lightly or heavily smeared eyeliner, which functions as a kind of mood ring-Breathalyzer. She’s a masochist: She stares out of a commuter-train window at the house where she lived with Tom, and where he now lives with Anna and their child. Rachel is also a fantasist: She ogles another couple, dreaming about their lives.

The Times critic Manohla Dargis reviews “The Girl on the Train.”

“The Girl on the Train” is the film adaption if the best-selling mystery by Paula Hawkins about the disappearance of a woman. In her review Manohla Dargis writes: Much like the 2015 book of the same title, “The Girl on a Train’s” troika of dubious female narrators didn’t make it an obvious choice for the big screen, partly because of its rotating first-person voices. The director, Tate Taylor, partly tries to solve this problem by piling on close-ups, creating a proximity that approaches the dermatological. The film doesn’t falter in its absurdity or commitment to its own seriousness. It never winks. But there’s genuine pleasure in that mirth. There’s always something to be said for an entertainment that sustains its nuttiness all the way to its twisty finish.

Movie Review: ‘The Girl on the Train’

Put another way, Rachel is a stand-in for us, the viewer, the voyeur who peers into other lives. Specifically, she’s a proxy for the consumer of a certain kind of glorious romantic fiction, in which beautiful women suffer magnificently. Hollywood used to excel at these kinds of stories, movies in which, say, Bette Davis or Ingrid Bergman suffered, endured and suffered some more before their teary, square-jawed, set-shouldered triumph. Those types of movies aren’t all that common in American cinema these days, partly because women and their stories aren’t. The sobs and drama nonetheless did keep flowing, first in daytime soap operas and later in nighttime soaps.

10 Movies to Put on Your List This Month

An accountant, a girl on a train and Tom Cruise come to theaters this month.

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• Updated on March 23, 2024

The Girl On The Train Book Review (2024)

Table of Contents

Bringing you yet another bestseller which has succeeded in winning the hearts of readers globally. Here’s The Girl On The Train book review:

The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins , a British author, struck the market by storm in 2015. It instantly became successful and was titled The New York Times fiction bestseller of 2015 . It again became The #1 best seller for two weeks in 2016 .

It sold over 23 million copies by 2021. It has managed to secure the #1 spot of the UK hardback books chart for 20 weeks. The girl on the train was adapted as a successful film in 2016.

The Girl On The Train book, has been released as an audiobook by Books On Tape . Not only was it successful but it also won The 2016 audio books award .

About The Author

Born on August 26, 1972 in Zimbabwe, Paula Hawkins , a #1 international bestselling author, now divides her time between London and Edinburgh.

Beginning her career as a journalist, she later transitioned to become a successful full-time fiction writer.

She has been awarded:

• The Glamour Award for Writer 2015
• Audie Audiobook of the Year 2016
• Goodreads Choice Awards Best Mystery & Thriller 2017, 2015 .

You can connect with her on her socials:

Book Ratings

• Goodreads : 4/5
• BookGeeks : 4/5
• Barnes & Noble : 3.9/5
• Amazon: 4.1/5

The Girl On The Train is a psychological thriller that crevices around drug abuse, alcohol addiction , domestic violence, trauma, deception, societal expectations, relationship complexities , guilt and redemption, power dynamics and fantasy based escape Psychology .

The book is not only a thrilling narrative but a captivating exploration of psychological chaos permeating society, intricately weaves thought narratives of those grappling with alcoholism. Within its pages, it masterfully portrays society’s demeaning attitudes towards these individuals, offering a poignant reflection on the human condition.

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Book Characters

• Rachel Watson : The protagonist
• Megan Hipwell : (also called JESS) a woman rachel observes from her train journeys.
• Anna Watson : Rachel’s ex-husband Tom’s new wife
• Tom Watson : Rachel’s ex-husband
• Scott Hipwell : Megan’s husband
• Dr. Kamal Abdic : Megan’s therapist
• Cathy : Rachel’s roommate and friend
• Detective Riley: investigation detective
• Detective Gaskill: investigation detective

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The Girl on the Train starts with Rachel Watson , a 33-year-old woman who shares a house with her friend and landlord, Cathy . There was a time when Rachel was the epitome of happiness – a woman with a fulfilling job, a loving husband named Tom , and a dream house nestled beside the calming hum of railway tracks.

However, life had other plans for her. Her content life was rustled when Tom chose a different path, divorcing Rachel and walking into marriage with another woman, Anna Boyd . The divorce became the catalyst for a downward spiral. What was once a joyful existence became a tale of struggle, despair and addiction.

Now, Rachel fights with the eerie shadows of her past, living a life fogged by alcoholism, devoid of any career, and without a place to call home.

The home she and Tom bought together, fueled by their money and her love for trains, shattered after their divorce. Tom insisted Rachel, the half owner, to move out and accommodate his new wife, Anna.

“I don’t have words to describe what I felt that day, but now, sitting on the train, I am furious, nails digging into my palms, tears stinging my eyes. I feel a flash of intense anger. I feel as though something has been taken away from me. How could she?”

According to Tom, Rachel’s alleged alcoholism and erratic behavior led to their divorce, with claims of harassment on his side. But Rachel believed deep down in her soul that Tom wanted to start a family and her inability to conceive even after a round of IVF, was one among many reasons for their marriage to breakdown.

Rachel lost her job, but she doesn’t want Cathy, her landlord and the only person who shows some care, to know about it. To keep this secret, she takes a morning train, spends time in a park or cafe, and returns without arousing Cathy’s suspicion. These train rides involve drinking alcohol and observing the neighborhoods the train passes through. Rachel has chosen a house where a loving couple, named Jason and Jess , reside. Their life feels like an ideal dream to Rachel where Jason loves Jess unconditionally.

They often drink their evening tea together on the balcony and Rachel loves to observe the sweetness of love between them.

One day, as Rachel was on her evening train journey, coming back to her apartment, intoxicated from morning drinks, she gazed out of the train to catch a glimpse of Jason and Jess. To her horror, she observed a man beside Jess who wasn’t Jason, witnessing them sharing a kiss. In astonishment, Rachel realized her euphoric fantasy couple had someone else intruding into their relationship just like her own.

When she gets home, she turns on the TV and is surprised to find Jess in the news. The report states that Meghan (Jess’s actual name) is missing, and her husband Scott (Jason) is searching for her. The investigation begins, and days later, Meghan’s body is discovered in the woods.

In the meantime, Rachel is in turmoil. She repeatedly calls Tom, even in the middle of the night, bombarding him with messages. Anna becomes irritated and urges Tom to help Rachel gain some sense. Despite Tom’s clear warning, Rachel persists. One day, she shows up at his home in the middle of the day, intoxicated, causing scenes of distress forcing Anna to report her to the police. Another time she sees Tom on her way back and screams out to him and blacks out. Later finding herself, in the station bleeding from her head and all bruised over thinking she must have tripped.

After coming to her senses, seeing Meghan continuously on the news, Rachel wants to find out the truth. She decides to confess to Scott that she has seen Jess cheating on him, understanding the pain Scott will go through from her personal experience.

She goes to the police, reporting what she witnessed from the train. However, they dismiss her account, labeling her as an unreliable source due to past incidents involving being drunk and intruding into Anna’s house.

After receiving a denial from the police, Rachel decides to take matters into her own hands. She approaches Scott, convincing him that she knows Rachel from her job and is a friend of hers. She proceeds to share her account of witnessing Meghan kissing someone on the balcony. Following a back-and-forth conversation, they come to the realization that the man is, in fact, Meghan’s therapist Dr. Kamal.

Now, the police have two suspects: Scott and Dr. Kamal. The investigation progresses, revealing that Meghan was pregnant at the time of the murder, and the child is not related to either Scott or Dr. Kamal. Everyone is uncertain about the situation, except for Rachel. She was present there when Meghan was kidnapped, but due to being drunken and blacked out, she cannot recall the exact events. However, she has a lingering feeling that, on a subconscious level, she might know or have seen something during that time. So, she decides to go to Dr. Kamal as his patient and tries to dig for more clues because Meghan definitely was close to him.

“Everything about him was warm: his hand, when I shook it; his eyes; the tone of his voice. I searched his face for clues, for the signs of the vicious brute who smashed mMeghans head open, for a glimpse of the traumatized refugee who had lost his family. I couldn’t see any. And for a while I forgot myself. I forgot to be afraid of him.”

In a sequence of events, Rachel begins to recollect. She remembers seeing a woman, initially thinking it was Anna. However, her confusion arises because Tom insisted Anna was at home during that time. As the fog in her mind clears gradually, Rachel realizes she knows the details of Meghan’s death and the person responsible for her disappearance.

Determined to unravel the mystery, Rachel takes matters into her own hands when the police dismiss her claims. Without a concrete plan, she sets out to apprehend the murderer but is astonished at the unexpected turn of events. Upon reaching her destination, the killer forces her into a house arrest.

In a dramatic twist, her assailant approaches her and lands some severe kicks and punches from which Rachel gets severely injured. With the intent to kill, he approaches her but suddenly collapses to the ground, blood gushing from his neck.

The police arrive to a gruesome scene, discovering a deceased man on the ground. Beside him is Rachel, bearing numerous injuries. Astonished, Rachel can’t believe she received help from someone who otherwise would not blink an eye on seeing her drop dead.

The investigation comes to a close with her providing a witness statement but she has to live with those gruesome sights engraved in her mind for the rest of her life because till now, her life was a lie.

The books ends with:

I get into bed and turn the lights out. I won’t be able to sleep, but I have to try. Eventually, I suppose, the nightmares will stop, and I will stop replaying it over and over and over in my head, but right now I know that there is a long night ahead and I have to get up early tomorrow morning, to catch the train .

The Girl On The Train is a global bestseller, a testament to its compelling narrative. It intricately explores how individuals interpret the same situations differently, delving into their thoughts. Beyond that, it skillfully draws a distinction in societal behavior towards ordinary individuals versus those grappling with mental health challenges. The narrative sheds light on the overlooked mental health struggles of alcoholics, portraying their insights as valid even when society tends to dismiss them.

More Books by Paula Hawkins

• Into The Water (2017)
• A Slow Fire Burning (2021)
• Blind Spot (2022)

Book Reviews

• Shatter Me Series in Order
• Outlander Books in Order
• The Silent Patient Book Review
• Percy Jackson Books in Order

Similar Books

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• The Woman in Cabin by Ruth Ware
• Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson
• Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
• Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

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The Girl on the Train – A True Rollercoaster Ride!

• ⏳ [read_meter]

You know how it is with the thrillers, don’t you? They just don’t let you sit on a chair in a composed manner, savoring the pages. But instead, a true thriller astonishes, startles, and even makes you jump out of the seat when you least expect it.

Paula Hawkins ‘s The Girl on the Train is such a book that slowly drags you into the story. When the magic happens, you just can’t leave the book behind. All you can do is ride on the train, knowing the author is the loco pilot. Before we delve into the review section, you should know it was sold about 20 million copies worldwide and paved the way for a motion picture as well. So yeah, we are dealing with a pretty popular psychological thriller here.

The Girl on the Train (Review)

Paula Hawkins is a Zimbabwe-born English author based in London. Before trying her luck in fiction writing, she was a journalist. Maybe that’s what made her so eloquent in the art of storytelling. Despite being her first thriller, The Girl on the Train never ceases to stagger the reader with its unexpected twists and turns. The story advances through first-person narratives of three women; Rachel, Megan, and Anna. Of the three, Rachel is the protagonist. Having been dumped by her husband, she can’t just stand the fact that she is alone. Without accepting the truth, she drunk-dials Tom, the husband every now and then.

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Not being able to conceive a baby (she considers it the prime reason behind her failed marriage) has made Rachel a chronic alcoholic. And, she experiences blackouts often to remember nothing after going sober. The broken marriage accelerates her alcoholism. Rubbing salt to the wound, she loses her job and forces herself to board the same train every single day to conceal the reality from her landlady. During her daily commute, Rachel comes across a couple at their house beside the railway track, whom she names Jason and Jess. She fantasizes about them being an epitome of a copybook couple. To make life exciting, Jess (real name, Megan), in fact, finds abode in many lovers. One day, Rachel sees Megan (or Jess) kissing another man. She agonizes on the thought of finding her fantasies shattering to pieces.

The next day, the news comes out that Megan is missing. While everybody begins to doubt her husband Scott (Jason), Rachel breaks out the news of the extramarital affair; she happened to witness from the train. Wallowed in alcohol with little consciousness, the police never take her seriously. On the other side of the spectrum lies Anna, the woman Tom is now married to, who doesn’t like the frequent calls from her husband’s ex. Having seen Rachel on the premises on the day of Megan’s disappearance, Anna reports the same to the police. 

Where did Megan go? Did Rachel do something? Is she not able to recall everything because she was drunk at the time? What if the husband (Scott) is the real monster? But wait, she had a lover! He ought to have something to do with the disappearance, right? These were the questions I tossed up in my mind during my time with this book. Yeah, I already read the novel and am aware of everything now. What’s the fun if I reveal the nail-biting climax in a snap of a finger here? I am sparing the excitement! You need to experience the adrenaline rush by yourself.

Paula Hawkins leads the story away from predictions. I am saying this because many of my prophecies went wrong. When you finally discover what happened to Megan and who the culprit was, you begin to realize the significance of intricate delicacies the author, with the precision of a cardiac surgeon, has put into the story earlier. As you read in the beginning, the story advances through the first-person narratives of three women, presented in the format of diary entries, but in jumbled order. Guess what? The format complements the thriller in keeping the reader hooked to the plot.

I have to admit one thing though, the first few pages, where Hawkins was building the premise through the thoughts of Rachel, were slow-moving, at least that’s what I felt. Then again, the majority of thrillers go about the same way, to deposit bombshells later. You can get the book here! 📖

The Girl on the Train

You know how it is with the thrillers, don't you? They just don't let you sit on a chair in a composed manner, savoring the pages. But instead, a true thriller astonishes, startles, and even makes you jump out of the seat when you least expect it.

URL: https://bookwritten.com/the-girl-on-the-train-by-paula-hawkins-review/1471/

Author: Paula Hawkins

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