The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn Audiobook Review
In this immersive full-cast audiobook production, A.J. Finn’s popular psychological thriller, The Woman in the Window, pertains to vibrant life. Ann Marie Lee’s engaging performance as agoraphobic psychologist Anna Fox, trapped inside her New York City brownstone, sets the tone for the over 14-hour listening experience.
From establishing Anna’s alcohol-fuelled isolation and growing delusions, Lee imbues the enigmatic lead character with nuanced vulnerability resonant with Alfred Hitchcock’s renowned doomed heroines. Sticking around fears and the inner devil’s surface through subtle catchings of breath or shifts in wood. Lee leaves space for listeners to doubt Anna’s slipping grip, heightening their obsession to unravel the novel’s bewildering central mystery together with her.
Elevating the audiobook experience is Lee’s mastery of occupying an ensemble of characters entirely through expressive vocal flourishes. Her range of unique accents transports listeners directly to essential scenes between Anna and neighbours across class divides. Whether funnelling the upper crust Jane Russell or youthful Ethan’s earnestness, each voice rings with credibility versus Manhattan’s cosmopolitan backdrop.
Meticulous production design pulls audiences directly inside Anna’s hermetic world. From claustrophobic confinement within the aged brownstone to looks of activity observed from concealed windows, sound effects bring visceral reality. Professional pacing hand-in-hand with Lee’s emotive storytelling keeps all guessing up until shocking plot twists. Her skilled control leaves listeners on a twisting path of reality and deceptiveness.
Reaching Finn’s innovative denouement, Lee rewards with a tour de force performance communicating the complete spectrum of human frailty, longing, and betrayal that raises this thriller far beyond category expectations. Her enthusiasm guarantees audiences will dwell as haunted by the story long after the closing credits, just as readers were mesmerized by the novel around the world.
Simply put, Ann Marie Lee provides the best voyeuristic lens into the psychological unravelling at the heart of The Woman in the Window. Her layered performance translates Finn’s gripping launching onto a new level through listeners’ ears, maintaining all the intoxicating compulsions that propelled the secret to worldwide phenomenon status.
