Paula Hawkins
Paula Hawkins (born 26 August 1972) is a Zimbabwe-born British author, best known for her best-selling psychological thriller novel The Girl on the Train (2015), which deals with themes of domestic violence, alcohol, and drug abuse.[1][2] The novel was adapted into a film starring Emily Blunt in 2016.[3] Hawkins’ second thriller novel, Into the Water, was released in 2017.[4]
Hawkins was born and raised in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe), daughter of Anthony “Tony” Hawkins and wife Glynne … and sister of Richard Hawkins.[5] Her father was an economics professor and financial journalist.
Before moving to London in 1989 at the age of 17, Hawkins attended Arundel School, Harare, Zimbabwe then studied for her A-Levels at Collingham College, an independent college in Kensington, West London.[6] Hawkins read philosophy, politics and economics at Keble College, University of Oxford.[6][7] She worked as a journalist for The Times, reporting on business. She then worked for a number of publications on a freelance basis, and wrote a financial advice book for women, The Money Goddess.[2]
Around 2009, Hawkins began to write romantic comedy fiction under the name Amy Silver, writing four novels including Confessions of a Reluctant Recessionista. She did not achieve any commercial breakthrough until she challenged herself to write a darker, more serious story.[6]
Her best-selling novel The Girl on the Train (2015), was a complex thriller, with themes of domestic violence, alcohol, and drug abuse.[2] The novel took her six months, writing full-time, to complete, at a time when she was in a difficult financial situation and had to borrow from her father to be able to complete it. The novel was adapted into a film in 2016.[1] In November 2016, she was listed as one of BBC’s 100 Women.[8] Paula’s second thriller, Into The Water was published in May 2017 and went on to become a Sunday Times and NYT bestseller. Her upcoming novel, A Slow Fire Burning, is due to be published on 31 August 2021.
Paula now splits her time between London and Edinburgh. Since 2015, she dates the 13 years older personal injury lawyer, York attorney Simon Davis. Before him, Paula had a long time relation with a boyfriend. When they split, she let her former partner to stay with her in the apartment in Brixton, London, on Lyham Road, where they still live together.[9]
