Title: The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 448 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss
Summary:
For readers of Gillian Flynn and Tana French comes one of the decade’s most anticipated debuts, to be published in thirty-six languages around the world and already in development as a major film from Fox: a twisty, powerful Hitchcockian thriller about an agoraphobic woman who believes she witnessed a crime in a neighboring house.
It isn’t paranoia if it’s really happening . . .
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.
Twisty and powerful, ingenious and moving, The Woman in the Window is a smart, sophisticated novel of psychological suspense that recalls the best of Hitchcock.
Review:
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn is a compulsively readable novel that is reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s brilliant classic, Rear Window.
Dr. Anna Fox is a child psychologist who has been unable to leave her house due to severe agoraphobia. She whiles away her days drinking copious amounts of wine, popping a cocktail of prescription drugs and spying on her neighbors in between watching old movies and indulging in a variety of activities on the web. When a new family moves in across from her, she is quite intrigued by the Russell family, whom she gleans as much info about as possible from on line research. With little in person interaction with the outside world other than her physical therapist Bina, clinical therapist Dr. Fielding and her tenant David, Anna is surprised but delighted when sixteen year old Ethan Russell pays her a visit. She is even more thrilled when his mom, Jane, spends a fun afternoon with her. However, Anna is a bit alarmed when Alistair Russell stops by and asks a few vaguely threatening and rather demanding questions about her recent visitors. Anna continues spying on her neighbors and after she witnesses something incredibly shocking, will anyone believe her rather outlandish story?
Anna has not always suffered from agoraphobia. At one time, she was happily married and raising daughter Olivia with her beloved husband Ed while also working in a thriving practice with another psychologist. Despite her intense interest in what is happening inside her neighbors’ homes, Anna leads a solitary existence where she self-medicates with alcohol and escapes real life by immersing herself in black and white movies.
After her encounters with the Russell family, Anna is even more fascinated by her new neighbors. She is somewhat concerned about Ethan who reveals a few details about himself that are vaguely worrisome. Her afternoon with Jane is the most fun Anna has experienced in a long time and Jane confides just enough information about Alistair that raises a few concerns about the state of her marriage. She continues to watch the Russells from the security of her home and once she is convinced something horrible has occurred, Anna contacts the police with an alarming tale. However, once they know the truth about Anna’s past, will they believe her?
The Woman in the Window is an engrossing mystery that will initially keep readers’ glued to the pages as they try to find out why Anna’s life has completely unraveled. A.J. Finn’s clever twists and turns keep the tension high as Anna tries to figure out whether or not she can trust herself. A series of misdirects and clever red herrings throw readers off track as the novel thunders to an exciting, twist-filled conclusion.
