The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

The Woman in the Window earned rare anonymous approval from the Rogue (aka FLICKS Book and Movie Club) Book Club with all members in attendance actually reading the book.  I was amazed!  Should we be switching to suspense?  The one-member missing is not a suspense fan so that is probably not a long-term solution.

Anna Fox lives along in New York City drinking wine and trying to recover from an accident that has rendered her agoraphobic.  She spends her time watching old suspense movies and watching her neighbors out the window.   A new family moves next door and she befriends the wife/mother, Jane, and her son Ethan.  When she thinks she sees Jane murdered by her husband next door, no one will believe her.  What is real?

Book club felt the way I did when I first picked up this novel, was it a rip off of the classic Hitchcock movie, Rear Window?  Was it using the unreliable narrator technique from The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl (both also read in the past by this book club)?  The answer is a mix, the unreliable narrator is there, but the book is a unique story that pays homage to Hitchcock films, but has a completely different story line.  I did use this as an opportunity to watch Rear Window with my kids and introduce them to the masterpiece.  I still love the movie.

I did guess one of the main twists at the start of the novel, but it appeared no one else had (this knocks my rating down to a 4.5).  I was still surprised by the ending, which I always like.  I read this book quickly and really enjoyed it.  I’ve seen items online questioning the author, A.J. Finn, but I enjoyed this novel. 

Favorite Quotes:

“Who knows what goes on in a family?  I learned this as a grad student.”

“You can hear someone’s secrets and their fears and their wants, but remember that these exist alongside other people’s secrets and fears, people living in the same rooms.  You’ve heard the line about all happy families being the same?”

Overall, The Woman in the Window is a thrilling suspense novel that will keep you up all night.

Book Source:  Kewaunee Public Library