The Girl on the Train is a 2015 psychological thriller novel by British authorPaula Hawkins that gives narratives from three different women about relationship troubles (caused by coercive/controlling men) and, for the main protagonist, alcoholism.[1] The novel debuted in the number one spot on The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 2015 list (print and e-book) dated 1 February 2015,[2] and remained in the top position for 13 consecutive weeks, until April 2015.[3] In January 2016 it became the #1 best-seller again for two weeks. Many reviews referred to the book as "the next Gone Girl", referring to a popular 2012 psychological mystery, by author Gillian Flynn, with similar themes that used unreliable narrators.[4][5]
By early March, less than two months after its release, the novel had sold over one million copies,[6] and an additional half million by April.[7] It occupied the #1 spot of the UK hardback book chart for 20 weeks, the longest any book has ever held the top spot.[8] By early August, the book had sold more than three million copies in the U.S. alone, and, by October 2016, an estimated 20million copies worldwide;[9] by 2021, the book had sold an estimated 23 million copies worldwide.[10] The audiobook edition, released by Books on Tape, was narrated by Clare Corbett, Louise Brealey and India Fisher. It won the 2016 Audie Award for "Audiobook of the Year".[11][12]
Rachel Watson is a 33-year-old listless alcoholic, reeling from the end of her marriage to Tom, who left her for another woman. Rachel's drinking has caused her to lose her job; she frequently binges and has blackouts. While drunk, she often harasses Tom, though she has little or no memory of these acts once she sobers up. Tom is now married to Anna Boyd and has a daughter with her, Evie – a situation that fuels Rachel's self-destructive tendencies, as it was her inability to conceive a child that began her spiral into alcoholism. Rachel follows her old routine of taking the train to and from London every day, one at 8:04 in the morning and the other at 5:56 in the evening. This routine is one of her few excuses to leave her apartment, and prevents her roommate, Cathy, who is concerned with her drinking, from discovering that she is unemployed. Her train passes her old house on Blenheim Road, where Tom, Anna, and Evie now live. She also begins watching from the train a couple who live a few houses away from Tom. She idealises their life (christening them "Jason" and "Jess"), though she has no idea that their life is far from perfect. "Jess", whose real name is Megan Hipwell, has a troubled past. She finds her life boring, and escapes from her troubles by taking various lovers. Megan has sought help by seeing therapist Dr. Kamal Abdic.
Anna is in love with Tom, and happy as a stay-at-home mother to the young Evie. However, she eventually becomes furious at Rachel's harassment of her family. One day, Rachel is stunned to see Megan kissing another man. The next day, after heavy drinking, Rachel awakens to find herself bloody and injured, with no memories of the night before. She learns that Megan is missing, and is questioned by the police after Anna reports having seen her drunkenly staggering around the night of Megan's disappearance. Rachel becomes interested in the case and tells the police she thinks Megan was having an affair. She then contacts Megan's husband, Scott ("Jason") and tells him as well, lying that she and Megan were friends. Rachel learns that the man she saw kissing Megan was Kamal.
Rachel contacts Kamal, lying about her identity to get close to him and learn more about him. She makes a therapy appointment with him to see if he can help her recall the events that happened during her blackout that night. While Kamal suspects nothing, Rachel begins to gain insight into her life by speaking with him, inadvertently benefiting from the therapy. Her connections to Scott and Kamal, though built on lies, make her feel more important. She manages to not drink for days at a time, but always relapses. Meanwhile, she continues to call, visit, and harass Tom. Megan's body is found; she is revealed to have been pregnant, and her unborn child was fathered by neither Scott nor Kamal. As Scott discovers Rachel's lies and lashes out at her, her memories become clearer. Rachel remembers seeing Megan get into Tom's car. Anna discovers that Tom and Megan were having an affair.
Rachel begins trusting her own memories more, and realises that many of the crazy things Tom said she did while drunk never really happened. He had been gaslighting her for years, which made her question her sanity. Armed with this realisation, and the knowledge that he must have been the one who killed Megan, Rachel warns Anna. When Anna confronts him, Tom confesses to murdering Megan after she threatened to reveal that he had made her pregnant. Anna is cowed, fearing for her daughter's safety. Tom tries to beat and intimidate Rachel into keeping silent, but she defies him and fights back. Knowing he is about to kill her, Rachel stabs Tom with a corkscrew; Anna helps Rachel make sure that he dies from the wound. When the police arrive, former adversaries Rachel and Anna support each other by co-ordinating their stories to explain their actions as self-defense. After this, Rachel decides to quit drinking and move on with her life.
Reception
Upon release, The Girl on the Train was generally well-received. According to Book Marks, the book received "positive" reviews based on 7 critic reviews, with 2 being "rave" and 3 being "positive" and 1 being "mixed" and 1 being "pan".[16] On Bookmarks Magazine Mar/Apr 2015 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a (4.0 out of 5) based on critic reviews with a critical summary saying, "With its perfect pacing, a masterful use of alternating viewpoints, and cinematic writing, The Girl on the Train just may end up one of the best thrillers of the year".[17]
The Girl on the Train received mostly positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. In 2015 it became the fastest-selling adult hardcover novel in history, and it spent over four months on the New York Times Bestseller List following its release.[7]Kirkus Reviews praised the novel with a starred review, writing that "even the most astute readers will be in for a shock as Hawkins slowly unspools the facts, exposing the harsh realities of love and obsession's inescapable links to violence." Subsequently, the novel was honoured by Kirkus Reviews as one of the best books of 2015, in the fiction category. The book also won the 2015 Goodreads Choice Award in the category Mystery & Thriller.[18]
In a less positive review for The New York Times, Jean Hanff Korelitz questioned the novel's narrative structure and criticised the protagonist for behaving "illogically, self-destructively, and narcissistically."[19]
The Girl on the Train has been compared frequently to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, as both novels employ unreliable narrators and deal with suburban life.[1] Paula Hawkins has waved these comparisons off, however, saying in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter: "Amy Dunne is a psychopath, an incredibly controlling and manipulative, smart, cunning woman. [Rachel is] just a mess who can't do anything right."[20]
Translations
The foreign rights have been sold in 34 countries, and the book has been translated into many languages, including:
In addition, there are two translations in Iran, a country which under sanctions does not recognise other countries' copyright agreements: one by Nilufar Amnzadeh and another by Mahbubeh Musavi.[34]
The film rights for the novel were acquired in March 2014 by DreamWorks Pictures and Marc Platt Productions, with Jared Leboff (a producer at Marc Platt) set to produce.[35]Tate Taylor, who directed The Help (2011), was announced as the director of this film in May 2015, with Erin Cressida Wilson as scriptwriter.[36] In June 2015, British actress Emily Blunt was in talks to portray Rachel.[37] Author Hawkins said in July 2015 that the film's setting would be moved from the UK to the US.[38] The film began production in the New York City area in October 2015.[39] The film was released on 7 October 2016.[40] It remains mostly faithful to events in the book; the only distinct difference is that Rachel realises the truth about Tom's accusations of her behaviour except that she does it through a chance meeting with the wife of Tom's former manager (instead of her own efforts); the wife reveals that Tom was actually fired from his job because of his numerous affairs at the office, rather than Rachel's having a violent breakdown at a party. (In reality, Rachel simply drank too much and passed out in a guest room until Tom made her leave.)
On 24 April 2019 it was announced an Indian adaptation of the book was in the works, starring Parineeti Chopra.[41] The film was directed by Ribhu Dasgupta and produced under the banner of Reliance Entertainment. Principal photography began in early August 2019 in London.[42] Unlike the 2016 American adaptation, the Indian adaptation retained the book's original UK setting, but changed the majority of the character to Non-Resident Indians. The film's original release date of 8 May 2020 was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[43] The film was eventually released on 26 February 2021 on Netflix.[44]
Stage adaptation
A stage adaptation of the novel by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel made its world premiere in The Courtyard Theatre at the West Yorkshire Playhouse from 12 May to 9 June 2018. It stars Jill Halfpenny as Rachel Watson and is directed by Joe Murphy.[45]
In 2022 it is presented by the Court Theater in Christchurch, New Zealand.[46]
In 2024, the play had its Canadian premiere at Vertigo Theatre in Calgary, Alberta.[47]
Related Research Articles
Emily Olivia Laura Blunt is a British actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and four British Academy Film Awards. Forbes ranked her as one of the highest-paid actresses in the world in 2020.
Lauren Weisberger is an American writer and author of the 2003 bestseller The Devil Wears Prada, a roman à clef of her experience as an assistant to Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Weisberger worked as a writer and editor for Vogue and Departures magazines prior to authoring The Devil Wears Prada, which was adapted into a film of the same name in 2006. She has since published seven other novels.
The Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 American comedy-drama film directed by David Frankel and produced by Wendy Finerman. The screenplay, written by Aline Brosh McKenna, is based on the 2003 novel by Lauren Weisberger. The film stars Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt.
Sally Cecilia Hawkins is an English actress who began her career on stage and then moved into film. She has received several awards including a Golden Globe Award in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and two British Academy Film Awards.
Louise Brealey, also credited as Loo Brealey, is an English actress, writer and journalist. She played Molly Hooper in Sherlock, Cass in Back, Scottish professor Jude McDermid in Clique and Gillian Chamberlain in A Discovery of Witches.
Rebecca Louisa Ferguson Sundström is a Swedish actress. She began her acting career with the Swedish soap opera Nya tider (1999–2000) and went on to star in the slasher film Drowning Ghost (2004). She came to international prominence with her portrayal of Elizabeth Woodville in the British drama The White Queen (2013), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film.
Holliday Clark Grainger, also credited as Holly Grainger, is an English screen and stage actress. Some of her prominent roles are Kate Beckett in the BAFTA award-winning children's series Roger and the Rottentrolls, Lucrezia Borgia in the Showtime series The Borgias, Robin Ellacott in the Strike series, DI Rachel Carey in the Peacock/BBC One crime drama The Capture and Estella in Mike Newell's adaptation of Great Expectations.
Parineeti Chopra is an Indian actress and singer who primarily works in Hindi films. Chopra is a recipient of several accolades, including a Filmfare and a National Film Award. Chopra has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2013.
Veronica Anne Roth is an American novelist and short story writer, known for her bestselling Divergent trilogy which has sold more than 35 million copies worldwide.
Emily St. John Mandel is a Canadian novelist and essayist. She has written six novels, including Station Eleven (2014), The Glass Hotel (2020), and Sea of Tranquility (2022). Station Eleven, which has been translated into 33 languages, has been adapted into a limited series on HBO Max. The Glass Hotel was translated into twenty languages and was selected by Barack Obama as one of his favorite books of 2020. Sea of Tranquility was published in April 2022 and debuted at number three on The New York Times Best Seller list.
Victoria Elizabeth Schwab is an American writer. She is known for the 2013 novel Vicious, the Shades of Magic series, and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which was nominated for the 2020 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. She publishes children's and young adult fiction books under the name Victoria Schwab. She is the creator of the supernatural teen drama series First Kill, based on her short story of the same name originally published in the 2020 anthology Vampires Never Get Old: Tales With Fresh Bite.
The Girl on the Train is a 2016 American mystery psychological thriller film directed by Tate Taylor and written by Erin Cressida Wilson, based on the popular 2015 debut novel of the same name by British author Paula Hawkins. The film stars Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Allison Janney, Édgar Ramírez, and Lisa Kudrow. The film follows an alcoholic divorcée who becomes involved in a missing person investigation.
Paula Hawkins is a British author best known for her top-selling psychological thriller novel The Girl on the Train (2015), which deals with themes of domestic violence, alcohol, and drug abuse. The novel was adapted into a film starring Emily Blunt in 2016. Hawkins' second thriller novel, Into the Water, was released in 2017.
Mona Awad is a Canadian novelist and short story writer known for works of darkly comic fiction.
Brit Bennett is an American writer based in Los Angeles. Her debut novel The Mothers (2016) was a New York Times best-seller. Her second novel, The Vanishing Half (2020), was also a New York Times best-seller and it was chosen as a Good Morning America Book Club selection. The Vanishing Half was selected as one of The New York Times ten best books of 2020 and shortlisted for the 2021 Women's Prize for Fiction.
Into the Water (2017) is a thriller novel by British author Paula Hawkins. It is Hawkins' second full-length thriller following the success of The Girl on the Train.
The Girl on the Train is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language mystery thriller film directed by Ribhu Dasgupta and produced by Reliance Entertainment, based on British author Paula Hawkins's 2015 debut novel of the same name. The film stars Parineeti Chopra, Avinash Tiwary, Aditi Rao Hydari and Kirti Kulhari and was released worldwide on 26 February 2021 on Netflix. The film revolves around Mira Kapoor, an alcoholic and troubled divorcee who gets embroiled in a big murder investigation.
Before Mars is a 2018 science fiction novel by British writer Emma Newman. It was first published in the United States as a paperback original in April 2018 by Ace Books, and in the United Kingdom by Gollancz. An audiobook was published in April 2018 in the United States by Tantor Audio, and in the United Kingdom by Orion Publishing.
Emily Henry is an American author who is best known for her New York Times bestselling romance novels Beach Read, People We Meet on Vacation, Book Lovers, Happy Place, and Funny Story.
↑ Feldman, Lucy (10 October 2016). "What Paula Hawkins Thinks of 'The Girl on the Train' Movie". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. 'Of course I was nervous,' says Paula Hawkins, author of 'The Girl on the Train', which has sold more than 20 million copies around the world.'
↑ "เล่าหลังอ่าน: ปมหลอน รางมรณะ"[Tales after reading: The Girl on The Train]. workpointtoday.com (in Thai). 22 September 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
↑ "列車上的女孩". Booklife.com.tw (in Chinese). Retrieved 16 April 2018.
↑ "Dekle na vlaku". Mladinska knjiga (in Slovenian). Retrieved 18 September 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
