Review - The Woman In The Window

The Woman in the Window
by A.J. Finn
release date 1/2/2018
427 pages
Chapter length:  medium
4 out of 5 stars

According to the publisher, "Anna Fox lives alone—a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors.

Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother, their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble—and its shocking secrets are laid bare.

What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one—and nothing—is what it seems."

I was drawn to this book because I'd seen it described as "Hitchcockian" and it definitely lives up to the comparison!  Even though it's a book and not a film, many of the scene descriptions are so dark and dreary that one could almost picture the book playing out in the same black and white film as Hitchcock's Psycho. 

In fact, the films of Hitchcock and his contemporaries is a running theme throughout the book - Anna is a huge fan.  While I am not very knowledgeable about this particular genre, or movies in general, Anna provides a great list of her favorite films throughout the book.  If you, like me, are interested in getting more educated about film, her list is a great starting point!

The Woman in The Window is a thriller, which is one of my favorite book genres to read, but I am very particular:  if I can even vaguely guess what the big plot twist will be, the book is pretty much ruined.  This book gets four stars because I was completely shocked by the ending! 

The best part of this book is the author's masterful crafting of an unreliable narrator.  It is not easy to write a mentally ill, substance abusing character; it is a whole other story to make that character your narrator.  I really applaud Finn for making the character of Anna incredibly human.  Her failures are both maddening and heartbreaking - we want to slap her and hug her at the same time.  Her mental illness is never made into a caricature, but rather one aspect of a multifaceted woman.  Finn perfectly captures the imperfectness of the human condition that we can all relate to.

If you like a well-written book that will keep you on the edge of your seat, The Woman in The Window is perfect for you!

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