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Book club questions for The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn will have spoilers so if you haven’t read the novel yet, check out my preview first.
This was a fast-paced read for me. Compared to other similar stories (The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl), I like this protagonist, Anna Fox, the best. She felt a little more real than the other ones, especially with her bits of humor. I also felt for her as she’s experienced the unimaginable.
Spoilers: Still, I personally saw the twists coming. I could tell right away that her husband and daughter were actually dead. I had my suspicions that the neighbor Ethan was somehow involved with his mom’s murder. But I still thought it was a compelling read and it kept my interest to the end. I think this story might even work better in the film version.
The 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.
Book club questions for The Woman in the Window
- What was your initial impression of Anna? Did it change as the book went on?
- Why do you think Anna was so obsessed with observing her neighbors? How did it make her feel more connected to the outside world?
- Do you know anyone who has experienced agoraphobia?
- Did you believe her husband and daughter were still alive or were you surprised when it was revealed they passed away?
- Anna serves as an unreliable narrator. Did you believe that she did see a murder or did you wonder if it was in her head/she made it up?
- Did you suspect Ethan at any point?
- There have a been a number of thrillers/suspense stories with an unreliable narrator suffering from a drinking problem. Why do you think the authors make that choice? How does drinking impact the story they’re telling?
- What did you think about the many film references Finn included in the story? Several times, what’s happening on screen is almost happening in Anna’s world as well. Have you seen any of those films?
- The film version released a trailer. What changes do you think they’ll make in the movie version of this book? Will you go see it?
- What did you think of the ending? Were you satisfied or did it leave you wanting more?
- The story focused on grief, addiction, anxiety disorder and trusting one’s instinct. What are some other themes you picked up on?
What to Read Next
Hope you enjoyed book club questions for The Woman in the Window! Here are some more recommendations along with links to book club questions.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
If you haven’t read The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides – go out and get a copy now! I think it’s way better than The Woman in the Window.
Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.
Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.
Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him….
You can order the book on Amazon here. Check out my book club questions here.
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves.
The trip begins innocently enough: admiring the stunning if foreboding scenery, champagne in front of a crackling fire, and reminiscences about the past. But after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group’s tenuous nostalgia to bear. Amid the boisterous revelry of New Year’s Eve, the cord holding them together snaps, just as a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world.
Two days later, on New Year’s Day, one of them is dead. . . and another of them did it.
Keep your friends close, the old adage says. But how close is too close?
DON’T BE LEFT OUT. JOIN THE PARTY NOW.
You can order the book on Amazon here. Check out my book club questions here.
