Author: A. J. Finn
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publishing date: 30 January 2018
Pages: 447
Language: English
Country: USA
Rating: 4.5/5
“Who knows what goes on in a family?”
What will you get if you mix film noir and an agoraphobic woman? The answer is The Woman in the Window. A. J. Finn’s brilliant debut is a page-turning, riveting thriller, the stuff good psychological thrillers are made of.
Dr. Anna Fox is an agoraphobic. She lives alone—a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine, 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.
The Woman in the Window has the best unreliable narrator you’ll ever come across. Add to that faulty memories, alcoholism, dysfunctional family and adultery. A. J. Finn creates a riveting plot which plays around our perception of what the truth is and what we have imagined it to be. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? Trust me, you’d want to read The Woman in the Window in one sitting. I did.
The chapters are short but hard-hitting. The plot is fast-paced and the author does a great job capturing Anna’s fuzzy-headed confusion and her reclusive life at home. There are a lot of references to old films and since Anna loves to drink, a lot of references to wine. I liked how Anna likes to watch classic films and how the author draws interesting parallels with her reality. It makes you question whether something really did happen, or if Anna just saw it in a movie. Plus there’s something a bit creepy about all these black and white flicks playing out in the background.
The Woman in the Window is an astounding debut by A.J. Finn. Told with a lot of heart, this thriller is a gripping story of a woman who is fighting to uncover the truth and her sanity. Highly recommend.
