The Girl on the Train

Author - Paula Hawkins

Rachel, the unreliable and troubled narrator, sees something shocking from a train window—then struggles to reconstruct what happened during her alcoholism-induced memory lapses. The fragmented perspectives and deep psychological tension make this a standout thriller.

Genre - Thriller

Notes: The Girl on the Train

• • Rachel Watson, the main character, is an alcoholic who takes the same commuter train every day.
• • From the train, she observes a seemingly perfect couple, Jason and Megan Hipwell, living in a house she passes.
• • Rachel often drinks heavily on the train, sometimes blacking out.
• • She's recently divorced from Tom, who is now remarried to Anna and has a baby.
• • Rachel is obsessed with Tom's new life and often calls him when drunk.
• • One day, Rachel sees Megan with another man in her garden, which deeply disturbs her.
• • The next day, Rachel reads in the news that Megan Hipwell is missing.
• • Rachel, feeling a connection to Megan and disturbed by what she saw, decides to go to the police.
• • The police are skeptical of Rachel's story because of her drinking and unreliability.
• • Rachel becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Megan.
• • She starts trying to piece together what she saw on the train, despite her memory gaps.
• • Rachel visits the neighborhood where Megan lived, trying to find clues.
• • She encounters Megan's husband, Tom, and pretends to be an old acquaintance.
• • Rachel also meets Anna, Tom's new wife, who is suspicious of Rachel.
• • Rachel starts having disturbing flashbacks and nightmares related to the events.
• • She believes she might have seen something important on the day Megan disappeared.
• • Rachel discovers Megan was seeing a therapist, Dr. Kamal Abdic.
• • She contrives a way to get an appointment with Dr. Abdic, posing as Megan.
• • Dr. Abdic reveals Megan was struggling with her identity and felt trapped.
• • Rachel learns Megan had a history of mental health issues and had a past affair.
• • Rachel finds a scarf belonging to Megan near the train tracks.
• • She suspects Tom might be involved in Megan's disappearance.
• • Rachel starts investigating Tom and Anna's lives more closely.
• • She realizes Tom has a controlling and manipulative personality.
• • Rachel learns that Tom had a previous wife, Cathy, who also disappeared.
• • Rachel finds evidence that Tom was having an affair with Megan.
• • Rachel confronts Tom about his affair with Megan.
• • Tom becomes aggressive and dismissive of Rachel's accusations.
• • Anna becomes increasingly worried about Rachel's behavior and her interactions with Tom.
• • Rachel's memory of the night Megan disappeared starts to become clearer.
• • She remembers seeing Megan arguing with a man near the train tracks.
• • Rachel realizes the man she saw arguing with Megan was Tom.
• • In a drunken state, Rachel confronts Tom again, leading to a physical struggle.
• • Rachel remembers hitting Tom with something during the struggle.
• • Anna overhears Rachel and Tom arguing and intervenes.
• • Rachel realizes Tom is not only abusive but also a murderer.
• • Tom had been manipulating everyone, including Rachel and Anna.
• • Megan had discovered Tom's controlling nature and his previous wife's disappearance.
• • Megan was planning to leave Tom and had confided in her therapist.
• • Tom killed Megan because she threatened to expose him.
• • Tom also tried to kill Rachel to silence her.
• • The police find Megan's body.
• • Anna, realizing Tom's true nature, helps the police.
• • Tom is arrested for Megan's murder.
• • Rachel begins to recover from her alcoholism and finds a new sense of purpose.
• • She starts to rebuild her life, free from her obsession with Tom.
• • The train journey becomes a symbol of her past and her eventual escape.
• • Rachel learns to trust her own instincts and memories.
• • The story ends with Rachel looking towards a brighter future.