#1 New York Times Bestseller – Soon to be a Major Motion Picture starring Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, and Gary Oldman – Available on Netflix on May 14, 2021
“Astounding. Thrilling. Amazing.” —Gillian Flynn
“Unputdownable.” —Stephen King
“A dark, twisty confection.” —Ruth Ware
“Absolutely gripping.” —Louise Penny
For readers of Gillian Flynn and Tana French comes one of the decade’s most … Ware
“Absolutely gripping.” —Louise Penny
For readers of Gillian Flynn and Tana French comes one of the decade’s most anticipated debuts, to be published in thirty-six languages around the world and already in development as a major film from Fox: a twisty, powerful Hitchcockian thriller about an agoraphobic woman who believes she witnessed a crime in a neighboring house.
It isn’t paranoia if it’s really happening . . .
Anna Fox lives alone—a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors.
Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother, their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble—and its shocking secrets are laid bare.
What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one—and nothing—is what it seems.
Twisty and powerful, ingenious and moving, The Woman in the Window is a smart, sophisticated novel of psychological suspense that recalls the best of Hitchcock.
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Another book with an unreliable narrator, but in this case, I really felt for Anna, the recluse who, due to a traumatic event, is now separated from her husband and daughter, and suffers from agoraphobia. Anna has suffered in her home for months, speaking with her husband and daughter, and taking lots of pills and drinking a LOT of wine.
She passes her days playing chess, counseling people on a website, and watching her neighbors. The Russell family moves in across the street, and Anna’s life changes. As she watches them, she meets Ethan the teenage son, Jane the mother, and Alistair the father. When she witnesses a tragedy in the Russell home, no one believes her. The pills and the wine don’t help her credibility.
About 2/3 of the way through the book, there is a bombshell which I didn’t see coming, although others might. The last 30 pages of the book are pretty exciting, I felt my heart racing as I was finishing the book. Fun way to end reading a thriller.
This book was recommended to me by the librarians at BCPL and I am glad that I read it. I really enjoyed it, and I also loved reading about all the films that Anna watched, as I also enjoy film noir.
This was a great mystery. Reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock.
I loved this book! Original and captivating. This is one of those books that you can’t put down.
Surprises all through the book
This was an interesting twist on a woman’s efforts to piece her life together after trauma. The reader is kept guessing with each page.
I first heard of The Woman in the Window through all the hype it was getting. I would say the hype is worth it, in certain areas. I loved the book but i had just a few problems with it. I loved the way agoraphobia was such a huge part of the book, it was like you were Anna in certain parts. You could feel her fear of the outside. The writing and overall mystery was great, there was also a greatly written eary aspect to it. Now there are 2 twists in the book. The 1st I never saw coming and was great, the 2nd I didn’t see coming either, but to me it seemed so much like a lifetime movie. It was a little too dramatic. Unrealistically dramatic at points. Maybe it was just a me thing. But that was really my only minor complaint. I thought The Woman in the Window was great. 4/5
A great “thriller” from begining to end; while there are clues, they are subtle but not devious. The ending is a great surprise. I am not a fan of thrillers, but I could not put this book down until I finished reading it. Well paced, and well written.
Bautifully written! Very compelling, could not put it down!
A little bit predictable (in many aspects), but still a great read, taken from a very different perspective than the usual thriller. Truly enjoyed it.
I was surprised that this has been a runaway bestseller. To me, it was just OK. The poignancy of the heroine’s life could have stood alone if it were fleshed out. The thriller aspect of it seemed very much a cliche, and the redundancy of her experience (we see her grappling with her circumstances in the same way for days on end) can be tedious to wade through. I’m not saying don’t read it – just be aware.
I loved this book. Written from the perspective of an agoraphobic when circumstances forced her outside I could absolutely feel her panic. And the ending!! Totally unforeseen.
The topic of this book and the characters are tragic figures in tragic circumstances. The madness and delusion plus the confusion into which we are thrown makes us underestimate the intelligence of Anna Fox, the protagonist. The fact that she is deep into depression, agoraphobia and grief intensifies the confusion I felt about a murder that may have been real or may have been perceieved. The most enjoyable thing for me is the excellent writing offered by A J Finn. Learning that this is his first novel is a surprise. I found that the pace of the story, the energy in the writing, the empathy in the telling of the story and the arc of the story drew me in and gave life to the characters and the place. There were several instances in the story where the scenes and emotions were so intense that I had to take a deep breath before moving on.
One of the best books I’ve read in a while. Could not put it down, and was
surprised where it lead, and ultimately how it ended. Very impressive.
Anna Fox, a child psychologist, is a PTSD sufferer with agoraphobia, meaning that, in her case, she is terrified of going outside. She spends her time watching Hitchcock movies, drinking heavily, counseling fellow agoraphobia victims online, and watching her Harlem neighbors through the telephoto lens of her Nikon. At first, her inventorying of her various neighbors is a little tedious, but then she becomes embroiled in the lives of the Russell family—Alistair, Jane, and their teenage son Ethan. Jane Russell, in particular, is difficult for Anna to get a handle on, because googling her name just presents a lot of info about the 1950s-era movie actress. When Anna believes she has witnessed a murder, things start to get really murky. Did it really happen, or was Anna so wasted that she hallucinated the whole thing? The trauma that has rendered her a shut-in is revealed little by little, adding even more suspense to the story. I figured out one aspect of the story, but mostly I was caught off guard by the revelations at the end. Is the book totally believable? Absolutely not, but sometimes a little escapism is just the ticket. I certainly hoped for Anna’s recovery, but the novel is full of people who are kind to her, even as she pursues a neighbor into a coffee shop in the rain, clad in her bath robe. This woman is so unbalanced that I think I would have avoided her at all costs.
It was the best book I’ve read this year!!!
This is one that you don’t see the twists coming, which they do, right up to the very end!
I sometimes read while holding my breath! Great writing!!!
Reveting, I couldn’t put it down!
Clues to cause of woman’s crippling agoraphobia blend with “Rear Window”-type puzzle that unfolds for the reader. Prepare for surprise ending!
Great novel by a great writer. When an entire novel takes place in one location, and you still hold my interest, you can spin a good yarn.