Summary
Meet Anna Fox, a recluse who lives in her New York City home, drinking far too much wine to pass the time because she is agoraphobic, or fearful to leave her house. Her hobbies include watching old movies, recalling happier times when her family was still together, and spying on her neighbors. When the Russells move in across the street, a father, a mother, and their teenage son, she begins to spy on them as well. But when she sees something at the Russells’ that she wasn’t supposed to one night from her window, she knows she must find out what really happened. But who’s telling the truth? Who’s really in control? And what’s actually just a part of her imagination?
Review
If you enjoyed The Girl on the Train or The Woman in Cabin 10, then this might just be your next favorite mystery novel. But I don’t think it lived up to the hype. Honestly, I’m kind of annoyed with the character who has a tragic history and turns to alcohol to solve her problems. The character then becomes completely unreliable, and a little frustrating. Because a mystery is probably easier to solve when you’re not drunk, right?
The movie adaptation was released in May 2020, but I haven’t seen it. So I’m not sure how it holds up to the book. Hopefully, it’s better because I really like Amy Adams. But that was my main problem, the main characters. And having a problem with the main character doesn’t exactly do wonders for your reading. Not only is she unreliable because of her drinking problem, but she often sees people who aren’t there, making her completely disregardable. It just seemed like another trashy mystery novel that got way more attention than it deserved. And a movie!
Anyway, I always love a good mystery, and it was interesting to watch it unfold without the main character rarely having left her own house. I think everyone can relate to spying on their neighbors. Maybe not using binoculars to spy into their windows, but just observing their day-to-day lives and routines. We live so close to our neighbors; we don’t know them very well, but we can usually tell when something’s up or something doesn’t feel quite right.
I think that’s how I was able to relate to the main character. Of course, she saw something way different than just a car missing from the driveway at a different time of day, but she still kept quiet tabs on her neighbors. Just like almost everyone else does. Overall, I don’t think I would recommend this book. Unless you really enjoyed The Girl on the Train or The Woman in Cabin 10, then it might be your kind of read. But I did not enjoy it overall, and I wouldn’t recommend it.
Rating
Three out of five stars
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If you enjoyed my review of The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn, you might also like Lock Every Door by Riley Sager. Check out my review!
If you’re interested in purchasing The Woman in the Window, here are some quick links to buy the book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. And, if you’re interested to see what others think, here’s the link to the book on Goodreads.
