The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Book Analysis)

This practical and insightful reading guide offers a complete summary and analysis of The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. It provides a thorough exploration of the novel’s plot, characters and main themes, including alcoholism, murder and psychology. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.

This clear and detailed 52-page reading guide is structured as follows:

• Biography of Paula Hawkins
• Presentation of The Girl on the Train
• Summary of The Girl on the Train
• Character study
  • Rachel Watson
  • Tom Watson
  • Scott Hipwell
  • Megan Hipwell
  • Anna Watson
• Analysis of The Girl on the Train
  • A three-part narrative
  • The thriller
  • The train metaphor

About The Girl on the Train

The Girl on the Train was first published in 2015, and met with an enthusiastic critical and popular reception. Rachel, the “girl” to whom the title refers, is reeling from the collapse of her marriage to Tom, and has lost her job because of her descent into alcoholism. She becomes fixated on Tom and his new wife, and on the apparently perfect couple she sees from the window of her train each morning. However, although these two couples appear to be blissfully happy from the outside, it does not take Rachel long to glimpse the dark secrets behind the idyllic facade.

The Girl on the Train has also been adapted into a film starring Emily Blunt.

About Paula Hawkins

Paula Hawkins is a Zimbabwean-born British writer. She began her career as an economic journalist for The Times, and published a number of financial guides. Her first foray into fiction writing came with a series of romance novels written under the pseudonym Amy Silver. She then turned her hand to psychological thrillers with The Girl on the Train, which catapulted her to international success. Her second novel, Into the Water, was released in 2017.