The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn (2018)
Laura’s Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
This book stayed at number one on the New York Times best sellers list for two weeks straight after publication and was eventually made into a Netflix film of the same name in 2021 starring Amy Adams in the lead role.
The Analysis:
Anna Fox lives alone, confined to her home by severe agoraphobia. She passes the time by watching movies, playing chess online, and watching her neighbors. When a new family moves in across the park, Anna is instantly fascinated by them. After witnessing something shocking, Anna must determine what happened and what to do as the safety of her mundane life inside the house is threatened.
The novel is clearly inspired by the Hitchcock classic Rear Window, with a main character stuck inside the house who witnesses something terrible happen at a neighbor’s house. The book is influenced by other classic thrillers as well and I really loved the references to old noir films. I think that the homages do take away a sense of originality and the plot felt familiar for much of the book. Despite this, A.J. Finn does manage to add some more modern elements to set the book apart.
The Woman in the Window was well written and I was invested in the story throughout. I guessed one of the twists early on, which made a lot of the book pretty predictable, but the ending admittedly still surprised me. The story reminded me a bit of The Girl on the Train and fans of psychological thrillers would definitely enjoy this one.
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