Megan Hipwell Analysis

Rachel Watson boards the 8:04 train on a morning just like any other. Little does she know that what she is about to witness will question everything she thought she knew. The girl on the train finds herself fantasizing about the lives of an ordinary, suburban couple (Jess and Jason) that she sees everyday while riding the train. She soon finds herself entangled in the disappearance of Megan “Jess” Hipwell. By offering what little information she knows, Rachel is determined to aid in clearing Scott “Jason” Hipwell’s name. In the end, Rachel discovers that she may be causing more harm than good by putting herself as well as others in jeopardy. In this journal, I will be evaluating, questioning, and predicting.

I will be evaluating the characterization of Megan Hipwell. When I think of Megan, I think of

loneliness.

She seems as lonely as a single cloud, alone in a vast sky of blue. ☺ The fact that she lost her job could contribute to her loneliness because she now spends her days doing almost nothing until Scott comes home. The first time Megan’s point of view is seen she says, “My days feel empty now that I don’t have the gallery to go to any longer. I really miss it. I miss talking to the artists. I even miss dealing with all those tedious yummy mummies who used to drop by…” (Hawkins 18). She also doesn’t have very many friends, and she doesn’t seem to have any close friends at all. This means that she lacks someone to talk to when Scott is away at work. It’s difficult for her to let people in, even Scott most times. This contributes to her loneliness most definitely. Another aspect of Megan’s character is that she is very unstable. Sometimes she loves Scott and sometimes she hates him. She has these odd mood swings. A reason I believe Megan is unstable is largely due to the death of her brother, Ben. On page 22 she says, “I miss him every day. More than anyone, I think. He’s the big hole in my life,

in the middle of my soul… All I know is, one minute I’m ticking along fine and life is sweet and I want for nothing, and the next I cant wait to get away, I’m all over the pace, slipping and sliding again.” (Hawkins 22). I can’t imagine losing my brother, and I honestly don’t blame her for the state that she is in. Not only did her brother die, but also later in the novel we discover that she had a baby that died. It died in a terrible way, in a way that makes Megan blame herself. I believe this definitely contributes to her unstableness. It can clearly be seen that Megan Hipwell is a lonely and unstable woman due to the fact that she lost her job, doesn’t have any close friends, and has suffered immense tragedy.

I am questioning why Rachel felt it necessary to get involved with the investigation. Rachel witnessed something no one else had, and that was Megan involved with another man the day before she went missing. One reason I believe Rachel got involved was because she wanted to help Scott. As she was planning to forget about the situation, Rachel thinks, “What if they never found her? I was going to wonder forever—and I understand that this is not very likely, but even so—whether my saying something might have helped her. What if Scott was accused of harming her just because they didn’t know about B? What if she’s at B’s house right now, tied up in the basement, hurt and bleeding, or buried in the garden?” (Hawkins 77). Rachel partly wanted to get involved because she knew that if the police knew about B (which we now know is Kamal, Megan’s therapist) then they wouldn’t blame Scott. She also felt bad for Scott because Megan was cheating on him. She thought he deserved to know that there was more to the story, which I can understand. I also think that Rachel got involved partly because she yearned for a purpose. She lacks a place of work, an abundance of friends, and she is a relentless alcoholic. ☺I think Rachel felt that she was part of their life, and that she was obligated to get involved. This also distracted her from drinking, which is a good thing in itself. These are all feasible reasons as to why Rachel felt the urge to insert herself into the investigation.

I predict that Rachel will stay sober now that the mystery has been solved. In the last few pages of the book she claims that she is three weeks sober. While driving to her hotel she thinks to herself, “I can imagine exactly how good I would feel halfway through my first drink. To push away the feeling, I count the days since I last had a drink: twenty. Twenty-one if you include today. Three weeks exactly: my longest dry spell in years.” (Hawkins 321). Okay, okay I get it! ☺ Rachel being an alcoholic is important to the story when she forgets what happened the night Megan went missing. However, I feel that the novel is a bit too focused on that aspect of Rachel and it becomes quite annoying and repetitive. I also think she’ll continue to stop drinking because I believe Tom played a big role into why she was a drunk. Now that she knows who we really is (or was), she can let him go and become better for it. I also think that Rachel truly wants a fresh start. She has moved to a new place and wants to start over. To do this, she knows she needs to be meticulous and stay sober. These are all possible reasons why I predict that Rachel will stop drinking.

This book is easily one of the best books I have read in the past year or so. The plot twist was truly shocking. I felt that no matter what I predicted everything twisted and turned, making the ending insanely thrilling. With the characterization of Megan, along with the questioning of Rachel’s motives and sobriety, it’s safe to say this novel is one I will definitely be recommending. Rachel Watson boarded the 8:04 train on a morning just like any other. Little did she know that what she witnessed that day would question everything she thought she knew. ☺

Self Score- 9.5