Well this was an impressive read. An engaging premise, a strong protagonist with which the reader empathises with from the start and a story that is intense, full of suspense, confusion, terror and fear. The book has a midway twist that rivals "I Let You Go", scenes that could be straight out of a Hitchcock film and echoes of "The Girl on the Train". It takes unreliable narrator to a completely new level and the main character's emotional journey is one of such psychological depth it's impossible not become immersed in her plight.
The protagonist, Anna Fox, hasn't left her home in ten months. Suffering from acute agoraphobia, she has become trapped inside her New York house, wandering amongst the dark rooms like some kind of ghost or unfocused blur in a camera frame. She watches the world from her window - or more importantly, she watches her neighbours. She has a camera and she takes pictures to help her remember what she's seeing. When a new family, the Russells, move in opposite Anna becomes fascinated by them. She watches the mother, the father and the son. A perfect family. It's a painful reminder of how broken her own family has become and the husband and daughter from whom she is separated while she 'fixes' herself.
But while she watches the Russells, Anna begins to see that things aren't as perfect as they seem. One night there is a scream. And then she witnesses something terrifying.
What follows is a gripping tale of fear, intimidation, suspense and tension.
The writing in The Woman in the Window is very captivating. The atmosphere is oppressive and the sense of confinement and Anna's powerlessness to leave the house are vividly conveyed. This cleverly mirrors the prison Anna has built for herself emotionally and as the story continues, this more psychological entrapment is explored more fully and with accomplished prose. A J Finn has such a sound understanding of pace, maintaining tension throughout the novel. He balances flashbacks, scenes from the present day, dialogue and moments of intense drama perfectly. The writing is fluent, flawless and effortless. The key scene depicting what Anna sees from her window is delivered with such acute attention to detail and with such an impeccable sense of pace, its effect is breathtaking.
Anna Fox is a very engaging and well constructed character. Her voice is strong and the reader becomes very attached to her from the outset. We see that she's flawed and complicated but this makes her more fascinating and more appealing. We see that she is broken but her fear of leaving the house is so palpable and so vividly captured it is impossible not to become caught up in her plight. We also see her interaction with her husband and daughter on the phone, revealing her vulnerable side which helps create understanding and empathy. The reader wants Anna to find her own family again and to overcome her debilitating illness. The reader wants to see her overcome her fears, confront her issues and most importantly, solve the mystery she saw through the window. The reader wants people to believe Anna and to help her see justice served to the anonymous perpetrator.
Anna drinks too much. She takes too many prescription pills. But we still stay with her and even though we might begin to question her reliability, ultimately we still want to believe her. It's an interesting position to put the reader in and one that is very well executed.
The most powerful moment in this novel is when suddenly, with one short revelation, everything changes. Nothing is what it seems anymore. When a writer creates this huge 'twist' successfully, there is no beating the excitement that generates for the reader. With this new information, the novel shifts from being a thriller - or a murder mystery - into something much more psychological. We know Anna drinks too much. We know she messes around with her medication. But had we considered just how unreliable or deluded she was as a narrator? I loved how the novel then plunged into something more intense, internal and dark.
As Anna has to reassess everything she thought to be the truth, the reader also proceeds with more caution. There is a definite change in gear and the author seeps the story in confusion and complication. The writing captures the atmosphere of muddled thoughts, drunken daydreams, the blur between reality and the imagined, what Anna knows she has seen and done and what she's told herself she has seen and done. But never is the reader lost, nor are the main issues and threads of the storyline. The blend of thriller, domestic noir and psychological madness are blended with perfection and the result is gripping.
I've probably said too much already and I am verging on revealing something that will spoil the book for others, but I have to say that this book is unforgettable and a real roller coaster of a read. It's sophisticated and yet very readable. It's so absorbing that it's as impossible to put the book down as it is for Anna to leave the house. The author takes a simple 'what if' moment and then tackles a range of challenging and emotive issues such as mental health, families, love and grief; all the while maintaining a high level of thrills and chills at every possible moment.
There are influences of the gothic and the ghostly in this novel. There are influences from the classics and the contemporary. If you like Holly Seddon, Sarah Waters and Clare MacIntosh you will love this book. I am not surprised film rights have been sold as it is so visual and so vivid, so ominous, so chilling and so captivating. I will be first in the queue to watch it at the cinema and first in the queue for this author's next book!
Fantastic premise, captivating characters and a plot line that will twirl you up in knots and wring you out. I loved it.
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Popular highlights in this book
“My dear girl, you cannot keep bumping your head against reality and saying it is not there.”Highlighted by 3,068 Kindle readers- As Shaw also said, alcohol is the anesthesia by which we endure the operation of life. Good old Shaw.Highlighted by 2,882 Kindle readers
- Watching is like nature photography: You don’t interfere with the wildlife.Highlighted by 2,573 Kindle readers
- As a doctor, I say that the sufferer seeks an environment she can control. Such is the clinical take. As a sufferer (and that is the word), I say that agoraphobia hasn’t ravaged my life so much as become it.Highlighted by 2,524 Kindle readers
About the author
Full of twists! Absolutely gripping and suspenseful!
Right so I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did, from reading the blurb I thought it was gunna be sort of supernatural but it wasn't that, it was gripping, creepy, heart wrenching & beauttttttifully written!! There were so many twists that I just did not expect!! And the ending just WOW 🤯🤯🤯 I also really felt sorry for Anna throughout the whole book, she struggles with a few different things that I think most people have struggled with to and it plays on your heart! I'm simple rating this a 4* because for the first 60 pages or so I just wasn't feeling it and I thought I would hate the book but my god I'm so glad I kept reading, it was so worth it!!
Top reviews from United Kingdom
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 January 2018
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 January 2021
Top reviews from other countries
- Janet BReviewed in Canada on 5 August 2018
A GRIPPING, MESMERIZING AND ORIGINAL STORY THAT TAKES YOU ON A ROLLER COASTER RIDE!
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