Fun but forgettable

We believe first novels hold a lot of promise but unfor­tunately a lot of first novels published each year disappear into a pool of works that never make it further than the first edition. Then there are some firsts that receive a warm welcome. A.J. Finn’s The Woman in the Window is one such work. Finn (nom de plume for Dan­iel Mallory) is a former book editor and, having worked mostly with the mystery genre, he knows the tips and tricks of the trade. That is prob­ably the reason why The Woman in the Window feels like a rehash of a few bestselling books you have read in the last few years.In the recent times, books like S J Watson’s Before I Go to Sleep and Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train have given birth to a whole new sub genre of psycho­logical thrillers where a woman whose credibility is undermined for some reason witnesses a crime. The Woman in the Window takes a similar route. Here you meet Dr. Anna Fox, a child psychologist who has become severely agora­phobic post a traumatic experience. She is terrified by “the vast skies, the endless horizon, the sheer exposure, the crushing pressure of the outdoors” and so she chooses to stay at home talking to her estranged husband and daughter on the phone, and making her tenant bring her groceries.

Taking photos of her neighbors and hence spying on their lives is her only ‘outdoor’ exposure. Then, from her window, Anna witnesses a murder at her neighbors’ home and she manages to call the police. But the thing is Anna is a drunk who is on many prescription drugs, none of which should be mixed with alcohol, and so the police don’t believe her account of what happened espe­cially since her neighbors deny the whole thing and call her a crazy per­son who has been harassing them since day one.

Even if you think the plotline feels familiar, be willing to give the book a chance because it will surprise you. Finn excels at planting misconceptions and confusing you. You can’t trust anything you read as, time and again, Anna is made to doubt her own memories. We don’t want to spoil it for you by revealing too much but we can tell you that the characters in the book are rarely who or what they appear to be. And it is this seed of doubt that takes root in your psyche early on that makes reading The Woman in the Window an entirely new experience even though the author has stuck to a tried and tested narrative.

There are no flashy twists and turns in the storyline but the carefully crafted psychological suspense driven by Anna’s secrets and fears will make you want to stay up late into the night to finish the book. Yes, you will forget all about it the minute you are done but it will feel good while it lasts. Let this be your escapist entertainment this weekend. We guarantee you won’t be disappointed.