The Woman in the Window

By: A. J. Finn

Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee

Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's Summary

"Astounding. Thrilling. Amazing." (Gillian Flynn)

"Unputdownable." (Stephen King)

"A dark, twisty confection." (Ruth Ware)

"Absolutely gripping." (Louise Penny)

For listeners of Gillian Flynn and Tana French comes one of the decade's most anticipated debuts, to be published in 36 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, mother, their teenaged 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.

Bonus: Includes an interview with author A. J. Finn.

©2018 A. J. Finn, Inc. (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic Reviews

"Narrator Ann Marie Lee delivers the tightly wound heroine with precision... Lee makes Anna's struggle to remain sane in an insane world moving and believable." (AudioFile)

An excruciating listen.

After about 90 of the 100 chapters and 10 hours into this book, it took all the willpower I had not to walk away. I was determined to finish it. Every chapter, scene, event, sentence and thought is belabored and drawn out WAY past what is bearable to the listener. Even increasing the narration speed didn’t help. The protagonist. who I believe was supposed to be a sympathetic character, was unlikeable and her own worst enemy. Over eleven hours and 100 chapters evolved into a ridiculous implausible ending with no pay off. Thank GOD it’s over!

219 of 234 people found this review helpful

A shining example of the “psychological thriller”

I love this genre. Between audiobooks and print novels I devour at least 10 per month, but I can’t remember the last time I read one this well crafted. The text is rife with Hitchcock references and I have no doubt that the master of suspense himself would be enthralled with this work. The story arc is solidly constructed and when the ending plays out it doesn’t feel rushed like so many of these types of novels. Instead the twist takes on an arc of its own. I can wait to see what else this author has in store for us.

238 of 259 people found this review helpful

Surprising -- not so much the book as the reviews!

When first considering this purchase I looked at the reviews posted here and noticed how heavily weighted those reviews were on both ends of the spectrum. It was either *Wow,* *Best of the Year,* or *Horrible,* *Couldn't Finish,* *Worst,* -- not much likemindedness or midsection. Jump to: I bought, I listened, then I tried to balance those incongruities with my own experience with this book.

In my opinion, this is a solid middle ground read that requires a commitment to stick with the first 1/2 of the book and pay close attention to the groundwork being put down. This book begins not at the beginning of this story, but somewhere in the middle, the literary term *in media res.* With this approach, expect that the author is going to fill in the backstory as the novel progresses. Attention! What some listeners may have thought was slow or boring is the current lattice-like foundation that is constantly being filled in, so it's important to listen and fill in behind you, as well as keep an eye forward. You could say that the story literally sneaks up on you. Another factor in this novel: the narrator's reliability... let's just say it's impaired. The listener needs to THINK about what is going on with our narrator; take her observations with her condition(s) in mind. She's not exactly giving us misinformation -- you just need to be an investigative listener. You need to see through her *condition* and not dismiss this wounded narrator as unreliable. Let's just say she's NUI...narrating under the influence or NWI, narrating while intoxicated.

Anna Fox, our narrator, is a former child psychologist that has recently suffered a severe trauma. What we know for certain is that because of the trauma she has PTSD and additionally has developed acute agoraphobia, seriously restricting her connections to the outside world. Even an open door or window sets her off. The author has used a formidable backdrop for the story, setting Anna in an affluent area of the city in a 5 story multi-million dollar home that she once shared with her ex-husband and young daughter Olivia -- both of whom she still speaks to regularly on her phone. Her psychiatrist, Dr. Fielding, and a friendly physical therapist visit Anna in her home once a week. Her meals and groceries are routinely delivered to her, as are a bushel basket of prescription medications, and a standing order from the liquor store for an impressive amount of wine. She has also recently taken in a nice looking male tenant that occupies the lower floor of her sprawling home.

Anna/Dr. Fox moves through her dark house mindlessly, usually wandering about in her robe with uncombed hair and the soundtrack from a constant stream of old black and white movies (specifically thrillers) plugged into her TV. Seated at a window, she looks out at the surrounding neighborhood from behind her camera and zoom lens. She focuses in on a home where a ladies' book club meets, following along with the monthly reads. She is particularly interested in watching a beautiful home across the park that has had several owners lately. She watches them come and go, daily routines, a woman doing yoga, a husband approaching the front door while the wife's lover goes out the back, the cost of the home each time as the housing market rises. [Are you possibly thinking Rear Window right now?] When she's caught observing (*spying is such a harsh word) she puts down her camera and goes to her computer. She connects with a support group (her name is *thedoctorisin*), she studies French, and she plays online chess. But in her safe cocoon, it's her movies that she uses to escape her thoughts, repeatedly watching favorites in her vast collection while she guzzles bottles of red wine and gulps handfuls of the medications she keeps on the table in front of the TV. You'd think a doctor would know better, but she forgets.
The author skillfully uses the noir movies to blur the lines of reality for both Anna and the reader. Bits of dialogue slip into Anna's conversations and thoughts. When she catches herself she wonders if those are her own reflections or something from the scene in a movie. ??Isn't that what Bogie said to Bacall in To Have and Have Not? Wasn't that a line from Dial M for Murder, or Rebecca?? Then one day, an unknown teenager rings her doorbell.

Unfortunately, the author takes several hundred pages filling the listener in. But, if you can hang in there and really participate in this listen, it is enjoyable and more than averagely clever. The author has an impressive knowledge of old films and uses the references to color the story with an atmosphere that is really unique and fun. He might try a little too hard to shake you off track, and if you've figured it out, the ending might feel a little anemic, but overall I found the journey entertaining, and this an intelligent debut novel from the author.
Fans of old B & W movies will have a leg up on other listeners and might especially enjoy this.

You just might find yourself asking, *Which woman, and from what window,* instead of relying on what you assumed was a given from the title of this novel. Nothing here should be assumed, nor is anything exactly *reliable.*

434 of 474 people found this review helpful

Forced, Purple, Slow, and Old Fashioned

I can't fathom how this book garnered so many positive pull quotes. At best, it's a passable read. I didn't hate it, but I didn't look forward to entering the story. It was so very over-written. More adjectives than necessary, so very many metaphors. Despite being trapped in the narrator's head, she doesn't feel like a real person. She feels like a vehicle for noir references and vague statements meant to pass for suspense. It's just not very good.

In short, I can't recommend. This is one of those books that over-promises with its marketing and under-delivers with its content.

128 of 140 people found this review helpful

How did this get rave reviews??

I downloaded this book after reading rave reviews from authors I love. How? This story is incredibly slow, the lead is very hard to like, the plot is less than believable, and the endless old movie quotes are distracting and hard to follow. Some people are clearly loving this story, and maybe you’ll be one of them? I wish I had read some of the negative reviews. Total waste of a credit for me.

Also, a note about the narrator... although I enjoyed her the character she is supposed to be portraying is 38, but the narrator has a very mature voice (60’s?) and I couldn’t ignore that.

146 of 160 people found this review helpful

Over the top narration

The storyline is decent
I enjoyed the many references to noir films
Being an old movie buff myself
There were a few surprises, unfortunately, I had them figured out.
I did, however, have a real issue with the narration
Would have much preferred just a reading of the story not such an over the top dramatization
Almost stopped listening a few times, I found it so irritating.

90 of 99 people found this review helpful

Best credit I've spent in awhile!

My favorite genre is mystery. I particularly enjoy those with an "unreliable narrator". I find debut authors especially appealing. Kids, this book was winner in all these. The performer was perfect. I take reviews that over-rave or under-rave about a book with a grain of salt and rarely give 5 stars. This is definitely worth that credit!

144 of 161 people found this review helpful

Wow

Finally a book that I need to write a review of! It is very reminiscent of Hitchcock, slow to start but hold on there are twist and turns you don’t see coming. Highly recommend this book!!!!!!!!

22 of 24 people found this review helpful

The Woman in the Window: Helpful hints

At times predictable, at times I was kept guessing. I enjoyed the work more after I sped the narration up to 1.25.

50 of 56 people found this review helpful

Disappointing!

The first 4 hrs were painfully slow & boring. The main character Ann is also totally weak & obnoxious. She’s completely unlikable & I had to force myself to finish the book b/c I couldn’t stand her whining & stupidity anymore. She spends the entire story stoned out of her mind on meds & /or getting wasted on wine. But then can’t understand why no one believes her. . . It got to the point I was going to throw my phone out of irritation if I had to listen about her taking another drink of wine every other sentence. Sooo annoying!!!!

113 of 128 people found this review helpful