The Woman in the Window

A.J. Finn has had a stroke of genius with his debut novel "The Woman in the Window." Finn received a seven figure advance for the novel, and the film rights were sold before the book was even published. With comparisons to "The Girl on the Train" and "Gone Girl" I was hoping that this book would live up to the hype and for the most part, it did.

This book tells the story of Anna Fox, a formerly prominent child psychologist turned recluse. Suffering from agoraphobia, Anna spends her days spying on her neighbors through the lens of her Nikon and watching old movies. Estranged from her husband and missing her daughter Anna mixes her medications with her merlot. One day she sees something from her window that cannot be explained. But who would trust the word of a drug infused drunk peeping tom? Anna begins a fight to be seen and heard as readers struggle to decide what is fact and what is fiction.

One thing I loved about this book was the pacing. Don't get me wrong, I can devour a good thriller in a few days no matter how the chapters are laid out, but Finn's short chapter structure makes it feel as though pages are flying by and make it very easy to say "oh just one more chapter." I don't know if it's just me, but it motivates me to keep reading if I see that I'm really making a dent in the book, and these pages flew by.

While I loved the writing and structure of this novel, I did feel that the protagonist, Anna, was very similar to that of Rachel in "The Girl on the Train." Both characters damaged to the point of not being trustworthy witnesses, both characters determined to have their voices heard through said damage. However, I found Anna's struggles infinitely easier to empathize with and as a result found her a much more likable character overall. Pairing that with the fact that we only see things from Anna's point of view and I think Finn creates stronger characterization than that of Hawkins in "The Girl on the Train."

As a voracious thriller enthusiast, I did see a few of the plot twists coming long before they were revealed but there were some things that I did not see coming. I also felt myself getting scared toward the end of it which I haven't experienced with most of the thrillers I've read recently! Overall I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a thriller to curl up with and not let go of until they decide just what Anna Fox sees through her window that day.