I am quite tired and not chatty enough today, so why not review a book I read in December 2019, especially since we already talked about the film adaptation yesterday.
There is a bit of controversy regarding the author - I did not dig too deep, he lied about personal/family problems and even about his education, then he went on to blame his bipolar disease for his lies. Personally, and this might sound bad, I tend not to care too much about authors, unless it's someone I really enjoy and I read all of their books. But I don't expect authors to be morally perfect and I think we can all make mistakes and learn from them. I am not that big on cancel culture - because it does not seem to work on the very awful celebrities, and because it holds everyone to a very high standard - including us, those who throw the blame and try to cancel others. Life is not black and white, but I do agree that some things are unforgivable (like sexual assault). But I also believe people should own up to their mistakes and learn from them. (That being said, I am not supporting J.K. Rowling because she had plenty of opportunities to learn... Just wanted to make that clear.)
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| ★★★☆☆ |
"Watching is like nature photography: You don’t interfere with the wildlife."
But let's talk about the book! Welcome to yet another drunk unreliable female narrator. This time around, our protagonist cannot leave her house, so she spend her days drinking, watching old films, and spying on her neighbours - as one does (actually, my husband was busy spying our new neighbours moving in and he told me they really care about their Monopoly game).
I will not discuss the film in this blog post - it's not worth your time.
Yet Another Unreliable Drunk Woman
What is it with thrillers these days? The Girl on the Train, now The Woman in the Window, and I am pretty sure there are loads more. But, yes, as we are expecting from modern thrillers, we have an unreliable narrator, a mysterious family/couple/character, and a lot of film-noir referances, plus the main inspiration, Rear Window.
I actually enjoyed Anna,our protagonist, and I think the author did a great job making the reader feel confused and suffocating just as Anna feels because of her alcoholism and agoraphobia. I felt frustrated when Anna was frustrated because she couldn't trust her own mind and memories, but I never felt frustrated with Anna. So great point for that!
"As I surface, the dream drains away like water. The memory, really. I try to scoop it up in my palms, but it’s gone."
Suspenseful and Fun
"As a doctor, I say that the sufferer seeks an environment she can control. Such is the clinical take. As a sufferer (and that is the word), I say that agoraphobia hasn’t ravaged my life so much as become it."
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn was first published in January 2018
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