"The Woman in the Window" by A. J. Finn (2018)

 

So, I picked up this one right after I’d finished The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. And boy, what a sense of déjà vu I’d been having. It was so strong, I almost checked the book cover twice to make sure it wasn’t Ware’s!

Basically, these two books are the same: a drunken female protagonist who witnesses a murder that nobody believes it happened because the victim is unknown or doesn’t exist. And all that happens in a confined setting, a cruise ship, or a house. God! Finn! You could’ve done better than relying on a [thriller_generator.exe]. Not saying that The Woman in Cabin 10 was any better.  

But I don’t blame the authors. It’s the short-sighted, play-it-safe publishers’ fault. They’re too comfortable regurgitating the same thriller formula over and over again, readers can predict the plot while they’re still in the first half of the book. Then again, I don’t blame the industry. I do blame the readers in the first place for encouraging such trends. I admit… I’m one of those readers. But no more! No more going to bookstores and buying mainstream stuff. From now on, I will be too eclectic in choosing the kinds of books that deserve to have a seat in my library.

With that being said, I feel I should point out that The Woman in the Window isn't all that bad. It fulfills—though not quite satisfactorily—its purpose which is to entertain. It's all about expectations and my desire to love the time reading it. But there are issues that stood in my way of having fun, such as the chosen diction, the repetition of certain phrases, the plethora of references, the relentless butting-in thoughts of the protagonist, etc. The cardinal sin it committed, however, was the agonizingly snail-pacing build-up which took about 70% of the book, and the other last 30% wasn't good enough to redeem the work. 

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Summary: Don't even bother buying it. The title is generic. The plot is generic. The characters aren't any different; they're sooo flat, I'm a fully-fledged Flat-Earther. 

"The Woman in Cabin 10" by Ruth Ware (2016)

 This is my second book by Ruth Ware, The Turn of the Key being the first. To be frank, I expected more from Ware, but considering that The Woman in Cabin 10 was published in 2016 while The Turn of... in 2019, I guess all is forgiven. This clearly shows that Ware is maturing as a writer and I hope her next releases would get better.

But what about The Woman in Cabin 10? Is it worth reading?

Well, in the world of books, The Woman in Cabin 10 feels like the jack-of-all-trades. It's got something from everything, and by something, I mean 'an aspect' of other authors' works. Some readers made comparisons between this book and The Girl on the Train. Ware isn't even hiding it. Printed on the book's cover, The Sun describes the book as the following: "Agatha Christie meets The Girl on the Train." 

When I read that, I thought 'Sheesh! At least be subtle about it!'

I'm not insinuating that Ware plagiarized other authors' works. She just took their formula and, sadly enough, did a bad job at executing the ideas. I mean, with a bit of some tightening here and there, the book could have made it to four stars... but that was in another universe.

Don't get me wrong though. The book isn't bad, not at all. At least not the first 40% which I was going to literally pour gasoline on it and let it burn to a crisp. *no offense Ware*

The section between 40% ~ 90% was the crème-de-la-crème of the whole book. Good building-up. Tense claustrophobia. Decent plot twists.

And then came the ending... which was-hmmm-not so good, and not so bad. It just felt like a flat denouement, falling for the cliche of the rich bad guy.

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Summary: If you're looking for an entertaining book and not one to leave its mark on you, then this one is for you. It has a decent plot with decent plot twists that will keep you turning the pages... but sadly, you'll forget about the whole book as you're finished with it.