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A review by amandasbookreview
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
3.0
It is a new year and a new year of book club reads. My book club’s January selection was The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn. This psychological thriller is about Anna Fox who has a severe case of agoraphobia. This means she had a severe fear of leaving her home. She “copes” by self-medicating her pills and heavy amounts of wine. Anna Fox and former psychologist spends her days playing chess online, talking with other sufferers, watching old movies and mostly, watching her neighbors. One family in particular…the Russells. She seems to know so much about her neighbors and hasn’t actually talked to them, until one day she meets Jane Russell. They drink and talk. Everything seems fine until one night she sees Jane get stabbed. However, no one believes her. Was it just a hallucination from the drug and alcohol abuse or are the Russell’s hiding something?
I think I have read too many psychological thrillers. Unfortunately, I did not have that moment where I gasped in shock. I am the type of reader where if I am reading a psychological thriller or mystery I am trying to figure it out as I am reading. This book has the feel of The Girl on the Train. I suspected a couple of the twists right off the bat. Don’t get me wrong, this book is very engaging. I never wanted to put it down, but there is nothing shocking about the plot or the plot twists. Another thing that bothered me is nothing really happened until about 150 pages in. I know there has to be a setup and clues put into place but I felt a lot of it became repetitive. Once Jane was stabbed, that is when the momentum of the story picked up.
I do appreciate the discussions of mental health, especially as a result of unimaginable grief. I must say, there are parts of this story that absolutely broke my heart. I could relate to the main character. I imagine I wouldn’t be much different if I were in her shoes. Not only does this book talk about mental health, but it also discusses the addiction and danger of self-medication and alcoholism.
Overall, I rate this book 3 out 5 stars. It is a great book, but I need something I little bit more unpredictable when it comes to psychological thrillers. However, I am really looking forward to the movie adaptation.
I think I have read too many psychological thrillers. Unfortunately, I did not have that moment where I gasped in shock. I am the type of reader where if I am reading a psychological thriller or mystery I am trying to figure it out as I am reading. This book has the feel of The Girl on the Train. I suspected a couple of the twists right off the bat. Don’t get me wrong, this book is very engaging. I never wanted to put it down, but there is nothing shocking about the plot or the plot twists. Another thing that bothered me is nothing really happened until about 150 pages in. I know there has to be a setup and clues put into place but I felt a lot of it became repetitive. Once Jane was stabbed, that is when the momentum of the story picked up.
I do appreciate the discussions of mental health, especially as a result of unimaginable grief. I must say, there are parts of this story that absolutely broke my heart. I could relate to the main character. I imagine I wouldn’t be much different if I were in her shoes. Not only does this book talk about mental health, but it also discusses the addiction and danger of self-medication and alcoholism.
Overall, I rate this book 3 out 5 stars. It is a great book, but I need something I little bit more unpredictable when it comes to psychological thrillers. However, I am really looking forward to the movie adaptation.