“Watching is like nature photography: You don’t interfere with the wildlife.”
Thrillers have always been one of my favoured genres to read. And when the psychological element creeps in there craftily, it makes it a complete page-turner for me. Though "The Woman in the Window" took some time to pick up the pace, yet before I knew it, I was pulled in deep enough by Finn’s writing that I couldn’t put it down and finished most of the novel in a day!
The story is narrated through Anna Fox. A former child psychologist, who is now suffering from Agoraphobia and hasn’t left her townhouse in 10 months. Living alone in a 4-story house with limited natural light doesn’t leave her much to do. Anna spends her time watching old black and white thrillers with a bottle or two of Merlot to wash down her many prescribed pills. And when she’s not indulging in thrillers, Anna likes to sit by the window with her camera and watch her neighbours in their daily routine.
One day while prying through the window she observes something perhaps she shouldn’t have. Something that made her open the door, in almost a year. With the cold breeze swiftly enveloping her, whirring in her ears. Standing there in the open door, Anna’s anxiety kicks in and she counts – one, two, three, four and… she takes a step.
Finn’s writing is crisp. He has a way with words, the way he narrates this thriller keeps you captivated through out. Other than the riveting account of a lonely woman locked in her house, what makes this book more readable is that this novel is compiled with short chapters. That every time you think of putting it down you find yourself reading ten more chapters than you intended on.
Finn’s portrayal of Anna keeps you intrigued and bouncing off the idea, if some of the incidents were actually happening or were they hallucinations. That same deception is kept when the characters are initially introduced to us, who only gradually unravel through the pages.
The narration does not immediately hit you. It slowly takes you in through its many nuances’ as it reveals the layers of Anna and the other characters along with its plot. “The Woman in the Window” is a good old popcorn thriller that slowly creeps into your mind. Anyone who enjoys getting comfy with some psychological drama would absolutely be engrossed in the book.