# What makes a setting feel so vivid it becomes a character? With Paula Hawkins

An episode of [Ask Penguin](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/89411073), 4 Dec 2025, 51 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/acast/s/thepenguinpodcast/e/692f05727e5e771058ac40a1/media.mp3

Which novels are truly unputdownable and what should you read on a dark winter's night? We’re joined by best-selling author, Paula Hawkins, who discusses art, love and remote islands in her latest thriller, The Blue Hour. She also helps us tackle your listener questions with a stack of gripping recommendations to guide you to your next great read. Explore all the books mentioned on this episode: Click here Paula Hawkins worked as a journalist for fifteen years before writing her first novel. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, she moved to London in 1989. Her first thriller The Girl on the Train became a global phenomenon, selling over 23 million copies. Published in over fifty languages, it was a No.1 bestseller around the world and a box-office-hit film starring Emily Blunt. Paula's subsequent thrillers have all been instant Sunday Times bestsellers. In 2021 A Slow Fire Burning was nominated for Thriller of the Year at the British Book Awards, and in 2025 The Blue Hour was voted the Good Housekeeping Good Books winner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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