★★★★
A. J. Finn’s psychological thriller, The Woman in the Window, follows the mundane life of severely agoraphobic Anna, who fills her days confined at home by tracking the lives of her neighbors, playing chess, counseling other agoraphobes online, watching old black and white movies, and drinking wine – lots of wine. Life restricted within her home is dreadfully boring. That is, until new neighbors move in across the park and she meets Jane. Or is she really Jane? Or is Jane even real?
Anna takes several strong medications to control her agoraphobia, none of which she should drink with. This doesn’t stop her, and sometimes she’ll forget what happened the night before after drinking so much and doubling up on her dosage. When she meets Jane, she feels hopeful that the mundane may be broken up by this woman’s vibrance and friendship.
Anna sees something terrible happen to Jane, but then Jane’s husband convinces her that it didn’t happen. The police don’t believe her – say she’s seeking thrills and attention. Does she even believe herself? She has been drinking a lot, and her medication can cause hallucinations, after all.
Anna must decipher what is real and what is a dream. Can she accept her own reality – and if she can accept her reality, can she survive it? Finn tells a compelling and deceiving story that will leave you shocked.
Bonus!The Woman in the Window is being turned into a movie and is slated to come out in October of 2019 and star Amy Adams. This novel will make for a fantastic movie!
Content Warnings
Please take caution when reading The Woman in the Window if any of the following topics may trigger you:
- Death
- Murder
- Blood
- Mental illness
My Thoughts
The Woman in the Window is a quality psychological thriller. The story is very interesting and peppered with several totally unexpected plot twists. That the main character is a heavily medicated alcoholic makes her completely untrustworthy and adds a layer of mystery to the story.
Anna’s agoraphobia, her secluded indoor world, and the practical challenges that she faces by not being able to go outside are fascinating. She hasn’t been out of her house in almost a year, but we don’t know what traumatic event caused the mental illness – one of the many mysteries in the story.
Anna has interesting relationships with her husband and daughter – who live elsewhere together, Anna and her husband are separated – and with her new teenage neighbor, Ethan. Her family provides her comfort from afar as she attempts to live a relatively normal life, while Ethan is a source of excitement and purpose. Anna was a child psychologist before she became confined to her home, so she feels obligated and eager to help Ethan through his troubled teenage years.
The twists and turns that Finn takes you through in this novel are fantastic and, although I did call one, I was very surprised by almost all of the plot twists. The writing is at a very manageable level, which makes for an exciting and undemanding read. You’ll be shocked as you learn more about Anna’s past and the new neighbors across the park. If you like psychological thrillers, you’ll undoubtedly enjoy The Woman in the Window.
Thanks a bunch for taking the time to read my thoughts on The Woman in the Window. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the novel in the comments or at my Instagram @bookmarkedbya.
Bookmarked by A 