The Woman in the Window

by A. J. Finn

THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

OVER 2 MILLION COPIES SOLD!

Soon to be a major motion picture produced by 20th Century Fox, starring Amy Adams, Gary Oldman and Julianne Moore

‘Astounding. Thrilling. Amazing’ Gillian Flynn

‘One of those rare books that really is unputdownable’ Stephen King

'Twisted to the power of max' Val McDermid

‘A dark, twisty confection’ Ruth Ware

What did she see?

It’s been ten long months since Anna Fox last left her home. Ten months during which she has haunted the rooms of her old New York house like a ghost, lost in her memories, too terrified to step outside.

Anna’s lifeline to the real world is her window, where she sits day after day, watching her neighbours. When the Russells move in, Anna is instantly drawn to them. A picture-perfect family of three, they are an echo of the life that was once hers.

But one evening, a frenzied scream rips across the silence, and Anna witnesses something no one was supposed to see. Now she must do everything she can to uncover the truth about what really happened. But even if she does, will anyone believe her? And can she even trust herself?

• ISBN13: 9780008234157
• Publish Date: 25 January 2018 (first published 1 September 2017)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 13 April 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 448
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[blackbibliophile]

3.5 ⭐️
A few of the plot twists were easily figured out (Guess Who?), but overall a great suspenseful story.

[stressedrach]

A book full of twists and turns, just when you think you are on the right path, something will change and you are back to guessing again. I really like this as you have to expect the unexpected and are usually left wide mouthed by the end. This book definitely did this.
I couldn’t put it down, it was fantastic. For a debut novel A.J. Finn did an amazing job at drawing their audience in. I can’t wait to read more from the author.

[mary]

I heard that this novel was the breakout debut novel of 2018. It was, reviewers said, steeped in film noir, well written, fast paced, original, and a love letter to classic Hitchcock films. It has, of course, already been optioned as a film this year.

I find this book to be quite an ordinary domestic thriller that doesn't quite meet the hype. Its redeeming quality is that it can be read in one sitting and is at least able to grab your attention. To sum up the story: The protagonist is unreliable, she’s a tortured soul, she’s an alcoholic downing Merlot and popping pills left and right. Basically she is a pathetic and dull basket case who can’t leave her sprawling home and spends all day on the internet and spying on her neighbors. She thinks she witnesses a crime but can’t rely upon her sad, wine-soaked brain; hence no one buys her rantings about the neighbors trying to whack one another. Yet another thriller with an unreliable female narrator. I personally am ready for something different in the thriller genre.

[emilybettridge]

With the amount of psychological thrillers coming out about women in windows, next door, etc., I was skeptical. But this book had so many twists and turns, I didn’t see the end coming until the last few chapters! Amazing read.

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

*Review to come!*

[pamela]

A.J. Finn's The Woman in the Window was neither groundbreaking, not particularly original, but it was a lot of fun to read. I flew through it over two days, reading well into the early hours just to see what happened next. There was nothing that I couldn't predict, and I must admit that some of the twists did defy logic at times, but nonetheless, it was thrilling, fast-paced and just a lot of fun.

Anna Fox is a child psychologist who suffers from agoraphobia. Housebound, she lives her life watching the comings and goings of her neighbours. She has very few visitors, and occupies her time drinking, watching old thrillers, drinking, counseling other agoraphobics online through a message board, and drinking. When she witnesses something shocking through the window while observing her neighbours one evening, it becomes clear that things may not have unfolded as she believes. With her reports questioned, Anna is forced to confront her own understanding of what she saw.

If you think the plot of The Woman in the Windowsounds remarkably similar to Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window you'd be right. Anna is an alcoholic who watches old thrillers, so both Anna and the reader are forced to question how much her excessive drinking and binge-watching affects the veracity of her claims. Anna is a great character. She's kind, but damaged, and the sense of claustrophobia she feels being trapped in her house is palpable. I didn't particularly like the plot's over-reliance on her alcoholism, as I felt like it was a crutch used to prop her character up sometimes instead of developing her more thoroughly, but despite that, she was well-realised and believable.

The pacing of The Woman in the Window is spot on. It develops at just the right speed to get the reader invested in Anna as a character and trickles new information in at just the right moments to keep the story fresh and exciting. There was action when there needed to be action and enough downtime that reader fatigue never got a chance to set in. I would have liked to see the setting of the story developed a bit more, as I didn't get a real sense of Anna's surroundings. Despite the entire plot taking place in her home, I was never able to visualise it, but this isn't something I noticed until later, and it certainly didn't detract from my reading at the time.

My most significant criticism of The Woman in the Window is that some of the plot points, while dramatic, did defy belief at times. There are certain things that I think Anna's profession would have made it difficult for her to overlook that are essential to the way the plot pans out. There is also no explanation for why exactly Anna is so alone. Agoraphobia affects Anna's ability to go out, but she must have had friends and relatives from before that time who would visit her. She doesn't seem to have any social anxiety, so for me, this needed to explored and explained a bit better.

The Woman in the Window is a fast-paced, popcorn thriller. There is nothing new or original here, but it's well written, and a lot of fun to read. I haven't been this engrossed in a book for a while, so it was great to have something that was just so enjoyable. It made me excited about reading, and ready to dive into the next book.

[wcs53]

I had read and heard so much about this book that I knew I'd have to read it at some point. I actually got to it sooner than I thought I would and I'm glad that I did. It kept me guessing to the end, with plenty little twists and turns along the way. I did not see that end coming, though. It was quite surprising.

The main character in the story, Anna Fox, suffers from agoraphobia and has not left her house for about 10 months. She spends her time between watching classic black and white movies and watching the lives of the people on her street, often secretly taking pictures of them. Not long after new people move into the house across the park from her, Anna sees something happen that she shouldn't have and from there the story really starts to move. At points the book you are left questioning what is real and what is part of Anna's imagination.

This book is a page turner and if you enjoy mysteries and thrillers with plenty of twists and turns, then this one is for you.

[zooloo1983]

Wow! So I have finished the book... took me longer than I had thought, (headaches have prevented this) but what a roller-coaster of a ride! I read this on the back of The Woman in cabin 10 and the Girl on the train, where the theme of unreliable drunk women narrators seems to be the hot topic of the moment.

I personally was gripped from the opening pages, the fast pace of the book was just the right speed to keep the reader intrigued, and I was guilty of trying to skip ahead to find out what happened next....and then going back to re-read what I had missed.

I do not have much experience of agoraphobia but I can imagine how debilitating it can be and I felt that you lived the fear of leaving the house with Anna as she tries to go outside and the panic attacks that ensue. She spends her days drinking, watching black and white movies, on her forums where she "promote healing and well-being", but also she watches people from her window. This is where the problems begins. The Russell's move in and she watches them, the husband Alistair, the son Ethan and the wife Jane (to be honest I think everyone is guilty of a bit of people watching from the window).

One night she witnesses a murder from her window, but as an unreliable narrator..did she actually witness something, or was it in  cocktail of drink and drugs haze all make believe, and as can be expected no one believes.

This is a story of a woman dealing with something from her past and her denial to the past that affects her present life. You are engulfed in her feelings, sorrow and most importantly the isolated life she lives. Contact with actual people is rare, communicating mainly on the phone or online in forums. However there are times in the book where you just want to shout at Anna and make her wake up!! It took her about 85% of the book for Anna to remember a photo she took back at the beginning about 18% of the book, so I did have to shout at her  to remember, obviously getting me no where, because you know shes a character in a book.

I felt there was a personal passion of Hitchcock and Black and White films by the author, and how the quotes from the film fitted directly in with Anna's current situation and mood. One of my favourites was from Shadow of a Doubt by Hitchcock

"You live in a dream," sneers Uncle Charlie. "You're a sleepwalker, blind. How do you know what the world is like? Do you know, if you rip off the fronts of houses, you'd find swine? Use your wits. Learn something"

To me this quote resonated throughout the entire reading. Due to her denial, guilt, agoraphobia, drinking and drugs she is sleepwalking through her life, not quite existing in the real world and living life through movies. We, the reader, are trying to constantly learn something in this book, and with an unreliable narrator it is hard to learn anything. Anna lets us know when it is time to learn things, but also Anna herself knows she is unreliable so how can she even know what the truth is and what she must learn. When we got to a reveal (no spoiler here) I had to put the book down and say night for a short time, something I rarely do because I wanted to let it sink in what I had just read. I wasn't ready for it!

I would definitely recommend this book to everyone! It is a thriller that keeps you going but with the softer touches of realism to make this book believable.

The world is a beautiful place, she said. Don't forget that, and don't miss it, she said

 
See my blog zooloobookblog.wordpress.com for more reviews and musings
 

[Quirky Cat]

The Woman in the Window is a new thriller out, which subscribers of Book of the Month club already know, as it was one of January’s picks. I know the whole “the woman in [blank]” it starting to feel a bit tired, trust me, I get it. There are plenty of creative naming conventions out there, so why do they keep leaning on this one in particular? (because it sells).
I was originally debating about whether or not I wanted to read this novel, and it was the description that actually sold me on it. I absolutely adore the concept of having an entire thriller exist in a small space - in this instance its Anna Fox’s house and its immediate surroundings. It’s not something I’ve really seen implemented before, so it piqued my curiosity.



Have you ever read a book that’s being highly praised, and just been completely baffled by why it’s so popular? That was how I felt after having read The Woman in the Window. I keep seeing people call it ‘the book of 2018’ (which is silly to me, as it’s only February), and I just don’t get it. Sure, it was a decent read, but there were some pretty big plot-holes as well. Not to mention it wasn’t terribly kind to those with mental health issues.
Anna Fox is an agoraphobic child psychologist - try saying that ten times fast. After an incident (which slowly unveils itself during the course of the novel) Anna finds herself to terrified to leave the safety of her home. One would think a psychologist of her level would have the tools required to help her, but of course the mind isn’t that simple. On the bright side, Anna is actually seeking professional help, but she also breaks a lot of big rules in the world of psychology, and it ended up grating on my nerves.
Rule number one; don’t mix medications (anti-anxiety, anti-depressants, sleep aids, etc) with alcohol. Alcohol combined with any one of the medications she’s on would be a recipe for trouble, but drinking (in excess) while on a plethora of medications is just stupid and dangerous. Anna of all people should know better, considering her background. But without the drugs and alcohol combination we don’t get the obscuring of the truth (is Anna hallucinating, or did she really see that?) or the doubt from other characters (whom had reason to be concerned about what she saw, even if they shouldn’t have allowed this concern to affect their judgment or demeanor).
Rule number two; don’t practice medicine online, through unofficial means. I know there are doctors (both medical and psychological) that practice online, but guess what; they have to be licensed to do that. From what I can tell, Anna does not. I understand that her heart is in the right place, but she’s opening herself up to some pretty major lawsuits by admitting that she’s a psychologist and giving advice the way she is (including suggesting which medications to be taking). It’s a shame we have to think about it like that, but it’s the world we live in I guess.
These two rules are broken constantly throughout the novel, which of course meant it was always bugging me (and breaking my immersion, if I’m being honest). I think I might have been willing to overlook either one of them on their own (it is just a book, after all), but for me the combination signaled that the author was doing it intentionally, which resulted in me suspecting at least part of the impending twist.
There are several points from the start of the novel that leave the reader curious, begging for any scrap of detail possible. Throughout the novel these stories are slowly revealed, bit by bit. While some of them were really fascinating and well done, others I felt were not worth the time it took to built them up. One in particular (being vague for the sake of those that haven’t read it, but those that have likely know exactly which one I mean) was particularly frustrating for me, as I felt it broke the promise. It made me feel lied to, as there was really no way for us to see this point forming (other than gut instinct, I suppose). I don’t resent the twist itself, just the way it was handled.
As for the major and final reveal, I call bull. There’s no way that particular character (again, being vague on purpose) could have gotten to that point without giving away any signals; especially not to a trained and talented psychologist. Yes, yes I know, lots of drinking and drugs, but come on. The suspension of disbelief that’s being asked is just too much for me. I was just so disappointed in the ending, and ultimately that’s the reason I can’t rate it higher than I have.
I would like to point out that while I didn’t love this novel, the writing style itself was actually wonderful. While all of the revelations didn’t pan out (in my opinion), I did greatly enjoy the buildup. I still love the concept of having the whole story take place in one setting; I would love to see more of that. Hopefully the author explores this concept further.


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Amber]

As psychological thrillers go, The Woman in the Window is an intriguing one, but it’s not all that original. I feel like I’ve read most of these plot points before in various other books, and nothing really stood out here.

There was a twist in the middle of the book that I didn’t see coming. I must admit, this particular plot point was done really well in that it was surprising and came out of nowhere, and yet it still made perfect sense.

As is the norm for these popular psychological thrillers at the moment, I didn’t really feel anything for the main character. I didn’t connect to her in any way, and I was only really reading for the fast paced plot.

Overall, I thought this was a good book, although it was nothing unique. It’s on par with the other thrillers featuring women with mental health issues that are currently on the shelves.