Paula Hawkins The Girl on the Train: A Novel Summary

The Girl on the Train: Paula Hawkins - A Complete Summary

Rachel Watson rides the train to and from London every day for work. While on the train, Rachel engages in watching people and imagining their lives. She herself has a history of a failed marriage and drinking issues. She regularly observes one couple, Megan and Scott. One day she sees Megan kissing another man, and a few days later, Megan disappears. Rachel decides to tell Scott of his wife’s affair.

Rachel and Scott find out the man is Dr. Kamal Abdic, Megan's therapist. The police call him in for questioning but he denies having any affair. They still suspect him and Rachel decides to visit him as a patient, only to find out that he is indeed a good therapist who could help her with her drinking problems. She remembers being in the neighborhood the night Megan went missing, but she does not remember anything beyond that because she had a blackout. Her roommate Cathy is upset about her drinking habits and advises her to find a job soon.

Rachel eventually recalls seeing her ex-husband, Tom, and his new wife, Anna, on that night. She often bothers them and Anna hates her. Megan, who lived in the same neighborhood, had briefly babysat Anna’s kid. Rachel teams up with Scott to find the killer after Megan’s body was found, and they have a one-night stand. The police warn Scott not to take Rachel seriously, because she is a habitual liar. Scott manhandles her and shoves her out of his home. Rachel has her doubts about him after this.

Rachel meets a red haired man on the train who remembers her from that night. She figures out that Tom was with Megan the night she was killed. Anna soon finds Megan’s phone in Tom’s gym bag and Rachel shows up to tell her about Tom’s affair with Megan. Anna’s dislike for Rachel prevails and she refuses to believe the evidence.

The night Megan was killed, she met her therapist, who advised her to tell Scott about her affair. When she did so, Scott hit her and she ran to Tom. Tom later confessed that he was cheating on Anna with Megan, and Megan got pregnant with his baby. When he asked her to abort the child she was furious. Megan had accidently killed a child in the bathtub as a teenager. Tom fears her exposing him and so he kills her.

Rachel tries to escape Tom but he overpowers her. In a surprise attack, she manages to plunge a corkscrew into his neck and Anna joins in the act and kills Tom. The police expose Tom’s lies and let the women go free. Rachel continues her journeys on the train.

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