03 January 2018

The Woman in the Window

Psychological Thriller
A 2018 Top Rated Read


By A. J. Finn

Paperback 448 pages
Publisher HarperCollins (27th Dec 2018)
ASIN B074563H4L
ISBN-13 978-0008234164

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



📕My Review

Former child psychologist, Dr. Anna Fox, has become a recluse - shut away in her own home - a victim of agoraphobia. Too afraid to step outdoors, she watches the world pass by from the windows of her upmarket New York home. Separated from husband Ed and daughter Olivia, she fills her days with booze, pills, online chess and a chat forum for agoraphobics.

When the Russells move into an empty house opposite, Anna's interest is piqued. She secretly watches through the zoom lens of her camera. One evening a frantic scream shatters the silence and Anna sees something she wasn't meant to see in the Russell's house... something terrifying, something she's helpless to prevent.

Oh my, I really enjoyed this debut psychological thriller from A. J. Finn. It was brimming with suspense and intensity. I didn't know what was real and what was imagined. More importantly, it kept me guessing right until the end. It was one of those books you have to keep reading until you know how it finishes. It was addictive and completely absorbing.

Anna's dysfunctional lifestyle was excellently portrayed and although the book had only a handful of characters, each was developed to just the right degree with no unnecessary 'padding'. An abundance of fantastic twists and turns kept me on my toes; ok, so some the reader will figure out but others are cleverly concealed. And that ending, WOW!

Anyone reading this book will naturally associate it with Hitchcock's classic 1950's movie Rear Window. James Stewart, recovering from a broken leg, spies on a neighbour through his apartment window and suspects him of murdering his wife. But there the comparison ends. Read it and discover for yourself. Or wait until the movie - yes, apparently there's a movie currently in production. Me? I'm just pleased I had the opportunity to read such a fantastic novel.     

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Barnsey's Books Rating 

📗The Blurb

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?

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