The Woman in the Window

by A. J. Finn

[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.