The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn / Review by Liz Gatterer
THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW
By A.J. Finn
William & Marrow
$26.99
ISBN 978-0062678416
Publication Date: January 2, 2018
Book of the Day
Unless you have been living under a literary rock, you have heard of A.J. Finn’s debut novel The Woman in the Window (William Marrow 2018). Hailed as a “love letter to classic Hitchcock”, it certainly delivers … I read this novel in one of my obsessive/compulsive reading sessions (employing the audible version for those moments when one cannot hold a book–driving, cooking, or showering) that often leave me physically exhausted the next day, which, indeed I was, but I also found myself a bit emotionally exhausted as well.
Dr. Anna Fox is an agoraphobic/alcoholic/addict that is living alone in a refurbished 4-story townhouse in New York. Formerly a successful child psychologist. She fills her days with old movies, wine, capturing her neighbors comings and goings with her digital camera, pills, chat rooms, wine, conversations with her estranged husband and daughter, pills, ogling her tenant, wine, interrupted only by the weekly visits from her psychotherapist, her physical therapist and the deliveries of groceries, medications, and wine. She is psychologist herself, but no longer practices. Obviously, none of this is good for her–but together they are a slow form of suicide. But which one will be her demise? What will tip the balance and push her over the edge? Ah… the delight of the psychological thriller. The tension that builds as you know, just KNOW that this train is going to crash. It is racing down the tracks, the impossibly tight curve is up ahead…and… BAM! It gets hit by a meteorite falling from space. As you are trying to recover from that shock– you realize there is another train is barreling up behind you.
Red herrings, MacGuffins, unreliable narrators… Finn knows the tricks of the trade and utilizes them to their fullest. He is not new to the business. He was a successful editor for over a decade with a major publishing house and his clients are some of the giants of fiction. In one of the interviews, I read he stated that he had not tried to write a novel before because the type of novel he wanted to write was not commercially viable at the time. But, with the success of the “Girl” novels, he decided the time was right. Apparently, he was correct.
There may be moments when you think you know what is going to happen (and you might be right) but it is still a great read. Everyone is talking about this book and it’s already being developed into a movie so even if this type of book isn't your normal read, you should read it anyway so that you don’t look like an idiot when people start referencing it in conversation. And they will.
Liz Gatterer is the Special Events Coordinator for Killer Nashville. She is blessed to be employed at a job that encourages her addiction to books and allows her to actually speak to her favorite authors.