A Book A Week

I'm very late to the party with this one. A.J. Finn's debut novel, The Woman in the Window, took the book world by storm when it was released in 2018. Naturally, it became one of those "must-read" books I procrastinated on until all the hype died down. The author later faced controversy for exaggerating and misstating details of his personal past and credentials. Now that the dust has settled and Finn has released a new novel this year, albeit without the same fanfare as his debut, I decided it was time to finally dive into The Woman in the Window and see what all the fuss was about.

As an agoraphobic, Anna Fox has lived a life of isolation, unable to venture outside her New York City home. She spends her days drinking wine—sometimes a lot of wine—watching classic movies, and reminiscing about the days before her anxiety confined her to her house. And, of course, Anna watches. She watches out the window with intensity, observing the comings and goings of her neighborhood. Some might call it spying, but Anna wouldn't go that far. She's just being observant, as she believes all neighbors should look out for each other. As the days blur together, Anna creates little stories about the people in her neighborhood, drawing inspiration from the classic noir films she consumes daily.

When a new family, the Russells, moves into the house across the street, Anna watches them keenly. She sees the mother, father, and son slowly unpack their belongings and make the home their own. Who are these people? What is their life like? Something terrible happens as she starts to weave fiction about their lives. Anna witnesses something horrific—or does she? The combination of Merlot and prescription pills for her ever-increasing anxiety makes her question everything. What is real, and what is imagined? The truth may be more dangerous than any fiction she could conjure.

The Woman in the Window unfolds just as I expected. A.J. Finn's protagonist perfectly embodies the unreliable narrator, blurring the line between fiction and reality and offering thriller enthusiasts plenty of enigmas to unravel. It reminded me of other thrillers with "Girl/Woman" in the title, such as The Girl on the Train or The Woman in Cabin 10. In those novels, the narrators grapple with personal demons while navigating potentially perilous situations, much like in this book. It is a trope that clearly works for many thriller authors and works just fine here, too. 

While I was intrigued by what Anna may or may not have witnessed, I couldn't help but feel that much of her misfortune was self-inflicted. This is my ongoing issue with unreliable narrator thrillers, and The Woman in the Window falls into many of the same traps. The book is undeniably a page-turner, serving as both a thrilling mystery and an homage to the classic noir films that clearly inspired it. Still, as I reflect on it, I can't say it left a lasting impact on me. It's a twisty, compulsively readable story, but it won't rank among the best thrillers I've ever read.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2024, 55)