‘The Girl On The Train’ Author Slams ‘Gone Girl’ Comparisons: They’re Not Even ‘Similar’

Image Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation/Dreamworks Corp.

Just because they both have ‘girl’ in the title, ‘The Girl on the Train’ and ‘Gone Girl’ are nothing alike. The books-turned-movies have been compared lately after the success of ‘Gone Girl’ and the upcoming release of ‘The Girl on the Train,’ but in fact, the differences are more apparent than the similarities.

Paula Hawkins‘ The Girl on the Train instantly became a best seller and is about to take over movie theaters, but just because you enjoyed Gillian Flynn‘s Gone Girl as well, don’t call them the same thing. In a new interview, Paula explained that the comparisons aren’t really even there, when you look at the bigger picture.

“Amy Dunne (Gone Girl) is a psychopath, an incredibly controlling and manipulative, smart, cunning woman,” Paula said, via THR, while her character Rachel  is “just a mess who can’t do anything right.” While Amy is “deliberately unreliable,” Rachel is “accidentally unreliable because she got so pissed drunk.”

Amy Dunne was of course played by Rosamund Pike in the film adaption, while Rachel will be played by Emily Blunt in the October release. While both books did become R-rated films, and Rosamund earning an Oscar nomination for the role, this could skyrocket Emily Blunt into that as well.

‘The Girl On The Train’ Photos

Paula also added that yes, they both have the word “girl” in the title, but one has nothing to do with the other.

“I do bristle at people saying, ‘Oh, you slap “girl” on the front cover of the book and you have a best-seller,’ and I just think, ‘No, it doesn’t really work that way, I’m afraid,'” she said. “The Girl on the Train was a working title that never got changed, and it’s a good title. I know it should be ‘The Woman on the Train,’ but it didn’t scan.” However, Paula did say she’s a big fan of of Gone Girl. “The comparisons have done me no harm. But I don’t actually think they’re very similar books.”

Do you think they’re similar, HollywoodLifers? The Girl on the Train hits theaters on Oct. 7.