Tara is one of Megan’s acquaintances. Megan often uses hanging out with Tara—which she actually does very rarely—as an excuse to get out of the house. This allows her to get away from Scott so that she can rendezvous with her lover, Tom. Tara is indifferent to Megan and happy to lie for her.
Get the entire The Girl on the Train LitChart as a printable PDF.
Tara Epstein Character Timeline in The Girl on the Train
The timeline below shows where the character Tara Epstein appears in The Girl on the Train. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Megan: Two
...something risky the night before. After Pilates last week, Megan asked a friend from class, Tara, if she wanted to go to a movie one night—then asked if Tara would cover...
(full context)
That evening, Scott asks Megan if she had fun with Tara the night before. Megan replies that she had a great time and tells Scott that...
(full context)
Megan: Three
...tonight. Before he left, Megan told him that she was headed to the cinema with Tara again. In a recent therapy session, Megan told Kamal about Scott’s need to keep tabs...
(full context)
Rachel: Four
...and Scott has told reporters that he believed she went to stay with a friend, Tara Epstein—but Megan never arrived at Tara’s house. Megan was last seen walking toward Witney station...
(full context)
Rachel: Six
...Megan wasn’t home, he didn’t panic—it was only when he went over to Megan’s friend Tara’s and realized she wasn’t there that he got worried. Rachel wonders how much of what...
(full context)
Megan: Six
That evening, while Scott thinks that Megan is at the movies with Tara, Megan goes to Kamal’s house and knocks on the door. He is surprised but not...
(full context)
...arms. She realizes that she is safe with Kamal. Megan’s phone begins ringing: it is Tara, reporting that Scott has called her four times looking for Megan. Megan thanks Tara for...
(full context)
