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The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn (debut)
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: January 2, 2018
Length: 448 pages
Buy on Amazon
{A Bit of Backstory}
Single Sentence Summary
A nosy, merlot-loving, agoraphobic witnesses a stabbing from her window, so why doesn’t anyone seem concerned?
From the Publisher
“For readers of Gillian Flynn and Tana French comes one of the decade’s most anticipated debuts, to be published in thirty-six languages around the world and already in development as a major film from Fox: a twisty, powerful Hitchcockian thriller about an agoraphobic woman who believes she witnessed a crime in a neighboring house. It isn’t paranoia if it’s really happening….”
The Draw
- It felt like a good time to read a psychological thriller.
- Liked the Hitchcockian description.
- Very strong ratings on Goodreads.
{My Thoughts}
What Worked For Me
Anna – I loved the voice of the woman in the window, Anna. Professionally, Anna was a psychotherapist, so she knew better than most that she was a hot mess. She was up front about her many flaws: agoraphobia, her family gone missing, a serious merlot addiction, spying on her neighbors, and her popping of pills like they’re a bag of M & M’s. What’s not to love about such a self-aware train wreck?
Mystery – The “whodunit” of the neighbor’s stabbing in The Woman in the Window held up very well. Finn kept changing things up for Anna just enough to have me constantly second guessing my own theories. That aspect worked very well.
What Didn’t
Old Movies – A.J. Finn used references to old movies to give The Woman in the Window a sort of noir feeling. Unfortunately, he relied too heavily on this device, making something of a tiresome gimmick. In the last quarter of the book, these references ramped up even more to the point where it became annoying to this reader who is decidedly not an old-movie buff.
“I know what I saw that night. I saw a movie. I saw an old thriller resurected, brought to bloody Technicolor life. I saw Rear Window; I saw Body Double; I saw Blow-Up. I saw a show reel, archive footage from a hundred peeping-Tom thrillers.”
Ending – For me this story had two lethal flaws. First, an action taken by Anna near the end was just too far out there to be in any way realistic. Second, the ending was entirely expected, reminding me what too often leaves me unsatisfied about psychological thrillers.
{The Final Assessment}
I enjoyed the opening scenes in The Woman in the Window as debut author Finn introduced Anna and her neighbors and laid the groundwork for his thriller. From there, the story leveled out, keeping me going, but less interested. (A little like that feeling of wanting to nap during a movie.) In the end (much like a B movie), The Woman in the Window just didn’t deliver the thrill I was hoping for. Grade: C+
If you liked this book you might also enjoy:
- All is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker – Another thriller involving a psychologist trying to uncover a brutal crime. (my review)
- I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid – A psychological thriller that lives up to being both mind-bending and thrilling! (my review)
- Based on a True Story by Delphine de Vigan – A writer and her new friend. Who is real? Who is imagined? This book will have you wondering long after you’ve finished it. (my review)
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher (via Edelweiss) in exchange for my honest review.
Disclosure: There are Amazon Associate links included within this post.
This worked much better for you than me! I stopped reading somewhere in the midst of all the old movie talk and the emails back and forth with her group. I found it boring. I did skip to the very end to read the whodunit and I wasn’t surprised. I’ve decided to take an extended hiatus from very hyped psychological thrillers! Great review Susie!
I think the hiatus is a good call, Renee. What I don’t get is why so many people love this book?
Yay – check this one off my list! Will add your review into my BOTM post since there are 2 more days until selections close.
Sorry you didn’t like this one. I absolutely loved it, and loved the Hitchcock feel and the references to old movies, making me wonder if she was blurring the line between fact & fantasy. But not every book is for every reader – I loved your balanced review!
So true, Jan. I’m glad The Woman in the Window worked well for you. I think I’m in the minority on this one!
I’ll leave it on library hold but will make a mental note to abandon early if necessary.
Interestingly enough there are a couple of other books with this title and I mistakenly held one of them before realizing my mistake. That hold just came up so perhaps it will be better! As it was originally published in 2012 but had a wait list, I’m thinking I wasn’t the only one who made this mistake. 🙂
That’s interesting. Maybe the older book will gain a whole new following.
Whew, okay; dodged a bullet! I’ve been waiting to hear your final thoughts, Susie; thank you for such a thoughtful review! I’ve just begun The Girls in the Picture and I think I’m really going to like it! 🙂
Looking forward to your thoughts on The Girls in the Picture.
I guess maybe there’s a reason I haven’t reached for this one yet… Thanks for helping me prioritize. 😉
You and Renee have convinced me not to try this one… I hate endings like this!!
Happy to help!
I’m glad I didn’t choose this for BOTM selection. Thank you for an excellent review!
MONICA
Sorry to hear this one didn’t quite work for you; based off the blurb it sounds like it has potential. I’m still intrigued by this one, but perhaps a library borrow for me I think.
Thanks for sharing!
Oh my, I’m glad you told me. This book had so much hype! I think I’m like #200 at the library for it. Too bad it didn’t do more for you.
Others have liked it, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Thanks for stopping by.
I couldn’t agree more with your review. I don’t usually like suspense but I seem to reach for the ones that are “hyped” up and maybe that’s my problem. I’m not sure what the hype was all about with this one, it didn’t have any stand out qualities for me.
I am at a total loss why this book got such great reviews. It was painfully slow, with annoying, drunk, pill-popping Anna so delusional I myself wanted to stab her instead of the far more entertaining, short-lived? “Jane”. I cannot even complete this book, I am about 75% through and just can’t stand the tedium, it is like a bad record playing over and over, with Anna making the same stupid choices scene after painfully slow scene. Pass this one up, it is not even a close whisper to Girl on the Train or Gone Girl, etc. Not even in the same zip code.