- Why does Paula Hawkins choose the three narrator characters she chooses—Rachel, Megan, and Anna? What do these three women have in common? How are they different? Do you wish she had included other perspectives?
- Rachel is the character we spend the most time with, and at least half the chapters are hers. How would the book be different if Megan or Anna were the primary character?
- Rachel initially imagines Megan and Scott as "Jess and Jason," an imaginary couple with a perfect life. What does she get wrong about their marriage? What does she get right?
- Rachel experiences a lot of "what if?" moments, like what if she had confronted Megan when she saw her kissing another man? Would this have changed anything? What other "what if?" moments haunt Rachel?
- Do you believe that The Girl on the Train accurately depicts the physical and emotional consequences of alcoholism?
- How does Paula Hawkins withhold information from the reader to build suspense? Did you feel tricked? Did you figure out "whodunit" before the end of the novel? What clues gave it away?
- Do you people watch the way Rachel does? Do you ever concoct elaborate stories about people you see everyday? Would you ever want to meet these people and truly get to know them?
- Critics have called this book "the next Gone Girl." What does The Girl on the Train have in common with Gone Girl? How are the books different?
- Who would you cast to play the major roles in a film version of the book? (Ron Weasley for the role of the red-haired man, of course.)