How are trust and betrayal depicted in 'The Girl on the Train'?

As someone who analyzes narrative structures, I see trust in 'The Girl on the Train' as a house of mirrors. Rachel’s alcoholism fractures her grip on reality, making her both an unreliable narrator and a symbol of self-betrayal. Her obsession with ‘perfect’ couple Megan and Scott exposes how idealization breeds distrust—Megan’s affair and Scott’s volatility shatter that illusion.

Tom’s gaslighting of Rachel weaponizes her insecurities, turning trust into psychological warfare. Even Anna, Tom’s wife, betrays herself by ignoring his cruelty to maintain her curated life. The novel’s shifting perspectives mimic how truth becomes collateral damage in relationships built on performance. Fans of 'Gone Girl' will appreciate how Hawkins uses flawed memory to dissect modern alienation.

What struck me is how voyeurism fuels betrayal. Rachel’s daily train rituals let her craft narratives about strangers, mistaking observation for intimacy. When she inserts herself into Megan’s disappearance, it’s less about justice and more about filling her own emptiness—betraying boundaries. Megan’s therapy sessions with Kamal reveal another layer: trusting a manipulator because he mirrors her self-destructive impulses.

The suburban setting—pristine homes hiding affairs and lies—becomes a character itself. Hawkins suggests trust is transactional here; Anna stays with Tom despite knowing he cheated, prioritizing stability over honesty. For a deeper dive into fractured trust, try 'Sharp Objects'.

Rachel’s blackouts make her doubt her own memories—that’s the heart of it. She trusts Tom’s version of events until evidence unravels his lies. Tom’s betrayal isn’t just infidelity; it’s rewriting their shared history to paint her as unstable.

Megan’s betrayal of Scott with Kamal isn’t passion—it’s escapism from motherhood pressures. Even minor characters like Cathy enable Rachel’s alcoholism out of misguided trust. The twist ending works because everyone’s guilty of deception. Reminds me of 'Big Little Lies'—facades cracking under secrets.

The novel frames trust as a series of gambles. Rachel trusts strangers on the train more than herself, while Megan trusts Kamal to fix her existential dread. Anna trusts Tom despite his history, blind to his narcissism. Betrayal isn’t just dramatic reveals—it’s the slow erosion of self-worth.

Tom weaponizes Rachel’s infertility to gaslight her, turning her trauma into a tool for control. Even the title’s metaphor matters: the train’s fleeting glimpses mirror how we reduce others to fragments, trusting incomplete stories. Fans of 'The Wife Between Us' will recognize the layered deceit.

It’s about how women betray each other through societal expectations. Rachel envies Anna’s ‘perfect’ life, not realizing Anna’s trapped by Tom’s abuse. Megan betrays her art career to fit the wife/mother mold, then rebels through affairs.

Male characters like Tom exploit these fractures—pitting women against each other to hide their own sins. The real betrayal is how the system rewards male deception while pathologizing female anger. For a raw take on similar themes, 'Luckiest Girl Alive' nails it.