Restored my faith in psychological thrillers I loved it! This book has restored my faith in psychological thrillers and was a solid 5 star reading experience. It’s well-written, perfectly plotted, and riveting. I had trouble putting it down and became annoyed when life interrupted my reading – it didn't feel like >400 pages and I could have happily read it cover to cover in one sitting.
Anna is a 38 year-old child psychologist with agoraphobia, who hasn’t left her home for over a year. Her husband left her some time ago, and took their 8 year old daughter with him, but Anna talks to them nightly. She spends the rest of her days and nights watching old black-and-white movies on TV, chatting and dispensing advice in an online forum, and spying on her neighbors, all while downing large amounts of Merlot with a concoction of prescription pills.
I loved the psychological aspect of the novel and being privy to Anna’s thoughts and actions as she struggled with depression and agoraphobia. I had enormous sympathy for her. One day, while spying on the neighbors across the street, Anna witnesses a crime, but, because of her alcohol and pill addiction, she has trouble getting the police to believe her – that and the fact that there is zero evidence of a crime, but compelling evidence that Anna is unstable and imagining things. In fact, Anna begins to doubt herself.
One of my favorite parts of the story was Anna’s love for old black and white classic movies, such as Rear Window, Gaslight, and Stranger on a Train, etc. Did Anna really see what she claimed happened, or is she blurring the lines between reality and what she was watching on her tv screen every night? The author does a marvelous job keeping the reader guessing. And this reader had an urge to pour a glass of Merlot and watch a Hitchcock movie ;-)
There are twists along the way, all revealed at just the right time. I appreciated that the author didn’t insult the reader's intelligence by using one particular revelation (that I had already figured out) as a 'shocking twist'. I thought it was brilliant to plant the necessary clues along the way but not until the end do we see how they all fit together. And what a surprising ending it was!
This is an amazing debut, and I’m not surprised that the movie rights have already been sold, as well as foreign publication rights. It deserves all the accolades it's receiving. I'm only sorry Hitchcock isn't around to produce and direct :-)
The Woman In The Window I really enjoyed this book! It was hard to put down. Highly recommend!
The woman in the Window This is my first book by this author and it won't be the last!
Great read- suspense filled right up to the end- I would have given it 5 stars except some aspects of the climactic ending didn't quite work for me......I don't want to give anything away- if you like suspense and unusual twists you will enjoy this book!
It made me want to watch the memorable Hitchcock's "Rear Window" with Jimmy Stewart again.
The woman in the window A great read highly recommend it
The woman in the window I really enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful and hard to put down. I could see why there is a such a long waiting list for this one. I read it in two big sittings (so that I could pass it back to anyone else waiting.).
I will definitely be recommending this in my reading circle.