REVIEW: The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
Audiobook Narrated by Ann Marie Lee
My rating: 2 out of 5 Stars

Synopsis

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, 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. (Via Goodreads)

Review

The Woman in the Window is perfectly passable, it will certainly satisfy your psychological thriller craving but you might well be hungry again in a few hours. The first time I listened to The Woman in the Window it was a very different experience than this second go around. On the first listen this was an absorbing, if predictable, listen. I knew where it was going from the get-go but headphones stayed glued to my ears because I needed to find out if I was right. Do I prefer thrillers that surprise me at every turn? Absolutely, but there is a certain satisfaction of reading a predictable thriller with an interesting story.

The story itself is an interesting one. Again, it is not something you could call original but I thought casting Anna as a Psychiatrist was a good hook and a small innovation in the concept. Listening for the second time the story was still interesting to me but without that satisfaction of having my guesses verified along the way, I was far less enthralled. I am a person that loves spoilers and listens to the same books many, many times but this one was just dull on the second go around. The most frustrating part of this second listen was that without the draw of the turns I was forced to focus more of my attention on AJ Finn's writing.

Many wonderful authors frequent the Mystery/Thriller genre but I wouldn't call many (if any) of them great writers. This is a genre that tends to attract the authors that are fantastic storytellers rather than those who are lauded for their pure writing ability and that is fine. I would take a fantastic story with less than perfect writing than a wonderful work of literature with a monotonous plot any day. However, I am not immune to annoyance when encountering a poorly written book. AJ Finn's writing in The Woman in the Window is just not good. It is monotonously verbose and just trying so hard to be a work of "literature" it is painful. I am not sure if I will be returning this one or not but it is unlikely that I will be listening again anytime soon.

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