Book Review: The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

Title: The Woman in the Window

Author: A.J. Finn

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Publishing Date: January 2, 2018

Pages: 448

My rating: 4/5

Review:

A.J. Finn's The Woman in the Window is a riveting psychological thriller-a true modern take on the classic suspense fiction. Finn's debut work elbows its way to perfectly express claustrophobic tension and psychological weight, evoking Hitchcock's thrillers in the way it unfolds into a rich tapestry of suspense, mystery, and complex character study.

The story focuses on Anna Fox, a child psychologist who withdraws into her New York brownstone after a terrible event that has left her agoraphobic. Now, Anna's life has diminished into an endless circle: spying on her neighbors from behind the window is a practice that gives her a taste of the outside world and at the same time helps her forget unwanted and painful memories.

Anna's tranquil state of the voyaging habit is disrupted when she believes she witnessed a violent crime in the house opposite. The new family that moves in, a seemingly perfect couple with a teenage son, piques Anna's curiosity, and suspicion becomes an obsession when she sees what she believes to be a murder. However, as she tries to win the police's attention and figure it out herself, the state of her mind and traumatic experience gradually start to bury her credibility.

Finn tells a story that is atmospheric and gripping; Anna's agoraphobia is an excellent tool he uses to heighten the suspense within the novel. The setting of Anna indoors gives off the typical claustrophobic feel-a feeling equated to her psychological imprisonment. Such a setting not only heightens tension but also metaphorically shows the boundaries of Anna's emotional and mental territories.

One of the strengths of this novel is within its thoughtfully contrived plot. Finn juggles a multitude of smart plot twists and red herrings, building suspense just about perfectly. The pacing in the narrative is very deliberate; it fully enmeshes the readers into Anna's perspective while the mystery is developing piece by piece. The result is that through gradual unraveling, the reader can continue to guess up until the very surprising and satisfying revelation.

Anna Fox is an interestingly peculiar protagonist, and her vulnerability and psychological depth are sensitively and subtly portrayed. Her agoraphobia and mental health issues form part of the action throughout the novel and affect not just her actions but also the reader's perception of her reliability. This sets up a wonderfully interesting dynamic wherein the line between reality and delusion is constantly blurred. Finn's portrayal of Anna's psychological struggles adds depth to her character and amplifies the suspenseful atmosphere of the novel.

But The Woman in the Window is by no means perfect. Some thriller tropes that are used throughout the book, such as the unreliable narrator or the final twist, might feel a bit too familiar to certain readers. Although well done, their usage can tend to feel overused, almost to the point of predictability, for seasoned thriller enthusiasts. All the other characters have relatively surface-level development; most of the attention is put toward Anna's experience and perspective. While the minor characters have roles that are indispensable in driving the plot forward, their development is not full, and therefore, their motivations and actions seem less climaxing.

While the novel does have these minor issues, Finn has prevailed in giving the reader an exciting, intriguing read. Finn's debut becomes an endorsement for his skills in crafting a thrilling, engrossing story with a web of psychological depth woven into an intriguing mystery. The ability of the novel to keep its readers on tenterhooks and the detailed plot twists ensure that it will remain in the already overstuffed field of psychological thrillers.

In summary, The Woman in the Window is a standout thriller that doles out suspense with a depth of psychology and layer-upon-layer plotting. This modern take on classic suspense tropes features one taut read with a complex protagonist at its center. Granted, Finn treads some awfully familiar ground in the thriller, but his execution and telling make it worth any thriller aficionado's time.