The Woman In The Window

My rating: * * * *

Goodreads Description

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, a mother, their teenage 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.

My Review

This one gets a solid 4 stars from me!

I really loved the premise of this story. The idea of having a child psychologist who develops a mental illness herself was quite a novel idea. Anna is not able to leave her house, not even to walk around her garden. She cannot open the front door and look up at the sky, as this scares her. This is because Anna is agoraphobic, a condition that she's been suffering for over a year. Because of this, Anna often sits at her bedroom window and looks out across her neighborhood, across the street, watching her neighbours come and go, watching them live their lives in a way that she cannot. And this is when she sees something terrible happening in a house across the street.

I've read some reviews where the reviewer has said that they really didn't like Anna, that they couldn't relate to her because of her house-bound circumstances, and her drinking problem. And yes, Anna has a serious drinking problem, and yes, she cannot leave the house, but I found these aspects of her character fascinating. Why does she drink like she does? And what caused her mental illness? Unlike others, I actually really liked Anna.

I cannot even begin to imagine what it must be like to have such an intense fear of open space and blue skies, a fear so strong that one is unable to leave the house. I have an intense fear of flying. I'm not even able to think about an upcoming flight, even if it's 6 months away, without wanting to be sick. My fear is so bad that sometimes I'm not even sure that I want to travel because then I have to deal with the flight. I'm happy to go on holiday if we can drive, but overseas holidays (which I do every year) cause me a great deal of anxiety and stress. My fear is terrible, but I try not to let it stop me from doing things that I really want to do. On a positive note, at least I only have to deal with my fear once or twice a year. Imagine a fear that is with you every single day, that totally changes your life, that stops you from living? No, I actually can't imagine that. And this is what makes Anna so interesting, and why I found this whole story fascinating.

Coupled with this aspect of the story is Anna's relationship with her husband and daughter. Early on in the story we learn that Anna lives on her own, and obviously this poses the question, why? It's a question that takes the majority of the story to answer, but when it's answered, it's a shock. I didn't see that twist coming, and I love it when that happens.

This is not a fast paced story. And it's not a happy, uplifting story either. At times, and when you really think about the things that are happening, the things that you learn as the story progresses, it's pretty sad and somewhat depressing. But my word, this is a good story! I really enjoyed this book and even though I did find it slow, especially the first half, I also found that the tension was building nicely. This is a debut novel by this author, and I'll definitely be reading whatever he publishes next!

My Rating: * * * *

Publication Date: February 2018 (South Africa)

Genre: Psychological Suspense Thriller

Format: Trade Paperback

Source: Review copy received from the publisher. Many thanks to author, A.J Finn and Jonathan Ball SA for my copy. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.