5 Stars + + A.J. Finn’s most talked about (highly anticipated) psychological thriller THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, most definitely lives up to the hype! A B S O R B I N G.
Just when you think you have attained your answers and you have reached the top of the mountain— think again. The climb has only begun. It is just gaining speed. From here on out, it is non-stop action, suspense —unputdownable. There are many more twists to follow before reaching the explosive ending— making this an "engrossing" 5 stars “must read” and Top Thrillers of 2018.
Audiobook Not sure I have ever been this immersed in an audiobook previously. Cannot stress enough, Ann Marie Lee (narrator) rocks! Her performance is award-winning. I was hanging on every word. Generally, with audio, I am distracted by other work and continuously rewinding. Not the case with THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW. BTW, I purchased the Kindle format, hardcover (which has not arrived from Amazon), and the audiobook.
Anna, age 38 agoraphobic, cat owner, fond of wine drinking wine and pill popping to ease her fears. She likes old classic black-and-white movie classics — and she spies on her neighbors.
“Everything goes down better with a glass of smooth merlot.”
When Anna views the woman in the window: "I noticed she liked a drink in the morning, as do I."
The narrator: again, off-the-charts bloody-good. The author: So many delicious witty one-liners.
Anna is a child psychologist and often advises a few patients by email. “The doctor is in.”
She does not venture into the outside world; however, she does have phone conversations with her husband (ex) and her eight-year-old daughter.
Readers are unsure what happened to her family and why she is in this state. However, she is in constant contact with her husband and daughter even though they live apart. We suspect something dreadful, painful, and tragic occurred.
She resides in a beautiful large home in Manhattan and has a handsome tenant, who is a carpenter. He lives in her basement. Her latest highlight a new form of entertainment happens to be her new neighbors. They do not seem to have any window dressing, and she enjoys observing. (spying). Trying to figure out their life from her eyes.
Ethan Russell, the son (age sixteen) lives across the street. He is a pleasant enough young man, and Anna seems to connect with him. She also meets the parents: Paul and Jane (from the window). Then one night, after watching her usual noir films, she witnesses a crime. She is frantic! She sees a woman murdered. She immediately calls the police.
However, she is not a credible witness. After all, she comes across as crazy, paranoid, unstable. Pretty much an alcoholic buzzed out on pills, and an agoraphobic. She is beyond puzzled and begins her own investigation. The wife is OK and alive, says the cops. However, the wife is not the one she saw that night. Therefore, Anna thinks she is an imposter. However, what is the motive? What happened to the woman in the window?
She immediately begins suspecting everyone. She becomes obsessed. Picking up clues any way she can. The also has a feeling Ethan is scared of his parents and offers him friendship. Cleverly, the author unravels the reasoning behind Anna becoming an alcoholic and an agoraphobic. However, again, this is NOT the end. Do not let your guard down. Keep your spy hat in place.
Anna continues to watch her Hitchcockian movies (the titles relate to parts of her investigation) and speaks to her family. Slowly she begins suspecting she is not crazy like everyone thinks she is. However, she needs to seek solid answers before she gets the police involved again. She must find clues and confront the problem. It is not paranoia or is it?
The cops think with the constant viewing of late night crime movies, in combination with her alcohol and medication she sees things that are not there. However, Anna is more than determined to find answers to prove to herself and everyone there is something more sinister at play. In doing so, then she may be able to face her demons to begin to live a somewhat healthy life.
What a fantastic book! Brilliantly written and plotted, psychologically rich, characters well-drawn, highly emotional —From love, loss, to complete madness. Anna is a woman you can sympathize with, no matter your gender or age. I listened/read in one sitting.
Once you reach the 50-75% mark, you will understand why the movie rights. As mentioned in my review of The Wives Between Us (coming Jan 9, 2018) , another huge hit 5 Stars ++ with film rights; why these two books will be on the bestseller list for some time to come: Readers are getting the “best” of the literary world (expertise) with the two author's background in journalism, and the publishing world, plus Pekkannen is a well established best-selling author. These guys know what they are doing and do it well. What a way to kick off 2018!
Back to TWITW: I enjoyed the second half of the book, more than the first part. The first part is a slow-burning set up for the fast-paced, intense second half. If you have read,
The Ghostwriter
by Alessandra Torre Top Books of 2017 you will note some similarities when reading between the lines of the main character. (both of course with different outcomes). Fans of each- will enjoy the other.
Both involve an unreliable narrator, with a mystery surrounding husband and child, and agoraphobic. Ironically, A. J. Finn’s THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW also reminds me strongly of A. R. Torre (Alessandra Torre)’s Deanna Madden Series
The Girl in 6E (A Deanna Madden Novel Book 1)
(minus the erotica, UPS man, and internet sex); however, the box cutter, agoraphobic, family tragic past, and a strong pull to save someone beyond the reaches of her home, while putting herself in harm’s way.
Highly Recommend for fans of well-written strong, and intelligent psychological suspense thrillers. Heavy on the old movie classics, literary flair, and less on the blood and gore, which works for me. Enthralling, and all-consuming are words which quickly come to mind. To summarize, Finn brilliantly explores the mind of Anna. Her anxiety, fears, insanity, depression, mental illness, paranoia, panic attacks, agoraphobia; love, loss, grief, and guilt —hitting all cylinders.
The next Gone Girl? I would say "Yes," to that question. Looking forward to the small/or big screen and can imagine its cast of stars. I loved Anna! I hope we see more of her in future books. JDCMustReadBooks
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Popular Highlights in this book
“My dear girl, you cannot keep bumping your head against reality and saying it is not there.”Highlighted by 3,061 Kindle readers- As Shaw also said, alcohol is the anesthesia by which we endure the operation of life. Good old Shaw.Highlighted by 2,758 Kindle readers
- Watching is like nature photography: You don’t interfere with the wildlife.Highlighted by 2,401 Kindle readers
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Beautiful Writing, Slow Burning Suspense!
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2018
When I first started hearing about this book a few months ago, I was immediately intrigued. A book about a woman who watches her neighbors through her window and sees something horrible, but no one believes her? Rear Window, the Alfred Hitchcock film starring Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly, is one of my favorite movies of all time, and with a plot that seemed to mirror that of the film, The Woman in the Window seemed like it was written just for me.
Once I started reading The Woman in the Window, I realized quickly that it is definitely not a carbon copy of Rear Window. The influence of classic Hitchcock films is undeniable, but The Woman in the Window is definitely a powerful force of its own. The book is told from the perspective of Dr. Anna Fox, a child psychologist whose agoraphobia has confined her to her own home for ten months. She spends her days playing online chess, counseling others with agoraphobia in an online community, drinking much more wine than she should, and watching her neighbors through the window with the zoom lens on her camera. When a new family moves in to a neighboring house, she witnesses something horrible that leaves her determined to convince everyone else that what she saw was real, in spite of her heavy dosages of medication and the several bottles of wine she drank that day that lead them to believe she imagined the entire thing.
The Woman in the Window is unlike most other thrillers I have read. In fact, classifying this book as simply a thriller does a serious injustice to A.J. Finn's writing. Finn has crafted a magnificent novel with a literary fiction feel that also leaves readers anxious from start to finish. By telling the story from Anna's perspective, Finn has allowed readers to dive deeply into the complicated tangle of her mind and thoughts, and as she begins to question her own sanity, so does the reader. Her own story and the source of her agoraphobia unfold slowly through her conversations with her husband, from whom she is separated and has not seen during her period of confinement, and the details she reveals to a woman she meets in her agoraphobia community online.
In the beginning, Anna’s reliance on multiple bottles of wine each day, her irresponsible methods for taking her medication, and her disregard for personal hygiene made her difficult for me to reach. As her depression became more clearly defined, my attitude toward her turned to empathy, and I became deeply invested in her. I found myself desperately wanting to believe her and desperate for her to prove herself to those around her. The more invested I became, the more blindsided and shocked I felt by each twist in the story...and there were several.
The Woman in the Window is a perfect read for those who enjoy slow burning thrillers that focus on deep character development through compelling writing. As someone who enjoys classic films, I especially appreciated the suspense of the book that left me feeling terrified without the gore and sensational violence typical of modern works. Instead, The Woman in the Window got inside my head, made me question everything I thought I knew about what Anna saw, and held on so tightly that I couldn't put the book down until I finished.
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2018
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Top reviews from other countries
Adele Mitchell
I got there in the end
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 18, 2018
P. Hayler. of west molesey
boring book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 26, 2018
