Review of The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
By: Luna Lupine
Welcome back, my apologies to my readers who were concerned about my well being, since I missed last month's review. I am fine, and decided to take the month off to enjoy six full days of the phasing of the full moon! Also, I would like to thank Stephanie Bardy for writing a lovely review for the issue! You made it possible to take a breather and enjoy time with my speci… Er…, I mean friends and family.
So this month, I was talked into reading this book. I'm utterly into the serial here on The World of Myth being written by our fearless leader, David K. Montoya titled, Through the Eyes of Madness. I was wanting more from the Action/Thriller genre, and a friend from PETA said that there was a novel circulating around that is being considered at the breakout novel of this year. She said that it was penned by a guy who is known as an editor for thriller books with a mainstream publishing house, and wanted to publish it under a gender–neutral pen name which was A. J. Finn.
I did a little Google search and read different reviews, on said that is was a novelized version of Film Noir, that it was well written and perfectly paced for a 448 paged book. There were others that said stuff like it was a love letter to Alfred Hitchcock's films and that it has already been picked up to be turned into a major motion picture. But it was a simple quote, from Stephen King that convinced me to purchase the book, he simply said, "Unputdownable."
The Woman in the Window begins in mid–action with psychologist, Dr. Anna Fox, being a peeping tom (or peeping Jane, as the case maybe) watching her neighbors. The good doctor is trapped in her confines of her personal multi–million dollar hell known as her home because of suffering Agoraphobia.
The reader learns that it is a fairly new onset, as Anna on the phone with her you daughter, Olivia and her husband (kinda), Ed, which told me that at one point or another she lived a normal life. She also passes the time playing online chess and is also an active member of a agoraphobia forum.
It's also worth mentioning that Anna, who is only in her late thirties, is said to appear looking fairly haggard from drinking entirely too much and is highly medicated as well (this has to be taking a toll on her liver, just saying). But, she is regularly reviewed by her own psychiatrist, physical therapist and, of course, her friends.
So the stage is set and we learn Anna's normal life, that is until the Russels move in to a house just across from her. At first glance, it appears as the perfect little family with the mom, dad and teenage son. But, then things are set into motion as the good doctor, while looking out her window one night, witnesses something that she shouldn't have, her simple and boring life collapses and hidden secrets hidden therein are reviled!
As you are reading, you wondering: Is this even happening, or is it just imagined by a borderline alcoholic with agoraphobia? And if so, who's really in danger here, and who's really in control?
I will confess that at first, I was thinking it was a ripoff of a 1995 movie staring Sigourney Weaver called, Copycat. Which involves an agoraphobic alcoholic who happens to be a psychologist—no kidding! And, while I do still that the character was indeed lifted from that film, there was so much more added that became its own story altogether.
At the end of the day, I enjoyed it and was able to read it fairly quickly under the luminescence of the full moons. For The Woman in the Window I decided to give it a heart pounding four starts That's it for me this time, again, I would like to thank Stephanie Bardy for covering for me! Okay, it's time for me to run, as I hear the howls, I mean the calls of my friends which is a good indicator that there must be another full moon on the horizon!
, and believe man and woman alive will love this read.