THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW

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Overview

Author A. J. Finn

Year Published 2018

Type Fiction

Genre Thriller

About the Title

The Woman in the Window  by A. J. Finn takes readers on a complex narrative associated with a
troubled female persona and protagonist, Anna. Frequently, Anna engages in a number of
antisocial, paranoid, and dissociative behaviour. For instance, the story?'s namesake title refers to
how Anna infringes on her neighbor?'s privacy by occasionally watching them through her house
windows. Her character can be termed as nosy or investigative (Morrow, 2018). From her window,
Anna even uses a Nikon camera to watch other people. She is not remorseful for this behavior. In
fact, she states that 'Watching is like nature photography. You don?'t interfere with the wildlife?'
(Finn, 10). She watches her neighbors without having any social interactions with them. Sadly, the
author states that her prying habit started as a social stigma after the estrangement with her
husband and daughter. This makes it hard for Anna to get out of her house and interact with her
neighbors, a condition she refers to as agoraphobia. To emphasize the relevance of the title the
author highlights how the protagonist spent her time watching people through her window, 'You
don?t know anyone! You stay here in your house and you watch people?', (Finn, 201). Therefore,
she prefers watching them from the comfort of her window.

Anna is the main character in the book. The author analyzes how her medication and binge
drinking affect both her and the neighbors. Even though the novel indicates that Anna is quite
conversant with the members of the families that she watches, she barely interacts with them. For
instance, when her daughter urges her to go out and greet the new neighbors, she declines and
instead moves to the second floor to watch them from her window. (Finn, 13). She uses excuses
such as the lack of curtains to enhance the privacy of her neighbors? homes to justify her
behavior. The conflict in the novel is introduced when every other character in the novel is set
against the protagonist. Anna?s judgment is questioned because of her medication and binge
drinking. The storyline is thus based on how she tries to prove that her allegations are correct to
characters that already doubt her sanity. Her withdrawal from the rest of the characters makes
her be commonly described as the anti-social woman who only watches people from her windows.
Context

Historical and Current Contexts

The novel is a narrative that is quite a fascinating thriller. The author employs the use of stylistics
to create suspense and convey various contexts to his audience. Finn (2018), writes The Woman in
the Window to reflect on today?s perceptions of the dynamics of social life. The author gives
different perspectives of today?s marriages, death, families and social media usage. These
contexts include:

Death and afterlife

The author of ?The Woman in the Window?, highlights the challenges that spouses deal with when
their partners die. In the book, both the husband and the daughter of Anna have passed on. This
leaves her in a state of despair and denial. Since she cannot accept their deaths, the social life of
Anna is also affected. She develops hermit-like tendencies that make her become anti-social and
withdrawn from the rest of her neighbors. For instance, she did not know the name of Dr. Miller?s
wife. She, therefore, calls her ?Rita? because she is similar to one of the characters in the movies
that she watches. Also, in the Agora site, the user ?grannylizzie? develops a phobia for open spaces
when her husband passes on. Anna plays an important role in guiding her on how to deal with this
condition because she feels that she has connected with the patient (Finn, 47). Both Anna and
Lizzie represent the solitude that widows and widowers experience after the death of their
spouses.

Dejectedly, because Anna cannot accept the deaths of the rest of her family members, she
becomes obsessed with watching her neighbors from her window and drinking a lot of wine to
suppress her sadness. She also misses the decorations that her family made using pumpkins
during Halloween. She notes that her house is the only one in the neighborhood without the
decorations (Finn, 13). This conveys to the audience that the death of close family members can
result in the end of family traditions and habitual alcohol consumption in the remaining family
members.  

Moreover, the author makes the audience to question the afterlife. Even though Ed and Olivia are
dead, Anna can still contact them as ghosts. Anna is heavily invested in the thought of having her
family back together again. In her discourse with the ghost of her husband, she states that she can
nearly hear him breathe. To show the solitude of Anna?s character, the ghost of her husband
states that, ?I?m sorry we?re not there with you?. In addition, the ghost of her husband urges her to
be among the living- become more social. Her preference of the ghosts of her family to the
company of her neighbors indicates the longing that Anna had to be reunited with her family, a
rather impossible occurrence due to their deaths.

Marriage

The author analyses the relationships of various spouses whom Anna can have a view of from her
window. Marriage is viewed as a union between partners who are committed towards each other.
The author analyzes some of the threats to having a good marriage today. For instance, the
marriage of Dr. Miller and Rita is threatened by the promiscuous tendencies of Rita. Also, it is
probable that Alistair lost his job because of an affair with his boss? wife (Finn, 251).

Additionally, the marriage of the protagonist to Ed is described as one that has come to a halt due
to the death of her husband and daughter. Because Anna is a widow, she analyses the marriages
of her neighbors, and in a sadistic tone, hopes that their marriages may also come to an end. In
the first chapter, it is evident that Anna longs for Rita to get caught in the act of cheating by Dr.
Miller (Finn, 12). Also, the author introduces the conflict of how long a bereaved spouse should
wait before dating somebody else. The physical therapist had helped Anna set up a dating profile
online. The suggestion of her tenant, David, as her match by the software and her flirtatious
encounter with him shows the dilemma in which Anna must choose whether to start a new
relationship with a new partner or not.

Family Context

The author uses character selection to represent today?s family setups. For instance, the Millers
are described as a wealthy, successful, childless family. In this family, Dr. Miller is the sole
breadwinner who has a successful practice; while his wife remains at home and conducts charity
activities. Even though the author indicates the cheating behavior of ?Rita?, he conveys to his
audience that spouses who get too engaged and caught up in their work while their partners
remain at home, tend to be cheated on. Moreover, the author also describes the family of Anna. It
initially comprised of her husband Ed and Olivia, their daughter. In the previous year, Anna?s
family had made plans to move to a new town based on the ?gut? feeling of Ed that there would
be new job opportunities for him. The family values of trust and support are emphasized here
since Anna and her daughter were willing to leave their luxurious home to support the dreams of
Ed.

Further, the author uses the analogy of the new neighbors who are moving into the house across
the park to emphasize on the similarity between the new family and that of Anna that, sadly, is
riddled with the death of two members. The new family was similar to that of Anna?s in that it
comprised of a husband, a wife and a teenage son. This analogy represents the family set-up that
the protagonist once had; with her husband and teenage daughter. This conveys the morbidity of
Anna to the audience.
Also, the author discusses the aspect of adoption in families. Ethan was adopted by Alistair and his
wife when he was just five years old because his mother was a drug addict (Finn, 250). Moreover,
Jane Russell was barren and wanted a child (Finn, 254). The author represents today?s society
where adoption is common even when the biological mothers of the adopted children are alive.
Sometimes the biological parents of the adopted children are involved in the families of the new
adopting parents while sometimes they are not; just as Ethan?s mother wasn?t.

Cyber-stalking and Social media

The author states that Anna would also pry on the online profiles of the neighbors that she
watched from her window. She would occasionally check the LinkedIn profiles and the Facebook
pages of the Millers. This was how she had come to learn about their new wedding and the
dynamics of their marriage. Also, she learns the names of her new neighbors from the post of the
deed of sale of the house. Using her neighbors? names, she googles Alistair and Jane Russell to
find out more about them. This context serves the purpose of informing the audience of the book
to be careful about the type of information that they post on social media platforms. Personal,
sensitive information about an individual should not be posted because, just as Anna, there are
other online stalkers. The author also mentions the fraudulent online behavior of some of the
online users. As Anna assists Lizzie to set up an online account, the old lady is afraid of being
hacked. Also, the mention of the email from a Nigerian prince on Anna?s computer indicates the
presence of conmen on the internet (Finn, 181). Similarly, Ethan pretends to be Lizzie on the Agora
website just to engage Anna. These scenarios by the author serve to convey to the readers
instances of fraud and conmanship that see several people lose their money online. There are
stalkers on social media who can use personal information to infringe on one?s privacy as well as
carry out fraudulent activities.  

Themes

Themes are described as ideas that dominate a particular piece of literature. In almost all cases, pieces
of literature will be centered a theme or a number of them.

Death

The author describes the tragedy of Anna’s family that resulted in the death of her husband and
daughter. In the novel, Anna refuses to accept their deaths. Also, the author succeeds in making
the book a fascinating thriller when he incorporates the death of Katie. The plot of the novel is
based on her gruesome murder that the protagonist struggles to demystify.

Character destruction
The author gradually diminishes the character of Anna; from a happy wife to an agoraphobic, to a
drunkard and a drug abuser, and finally to a promiscuous wife. Her affair with Wesley is the main
aspect that initiates her suffering. She attributes the accident to her infidelity. Moreover, Ethan’s
character transitions from an innocent and vulnerable young man to a cold-blooded killer. He
murders his own mother and attempts to kill Anna. Nonetheless, Ethan fails to show any remorse
for his action.

Disillusionment
The plot of the story is based on Anna whom everybody believes is disillusioned. She talks to Ed
and Olivia who are dead. Moreover, her claim that she witnessed murder is concluded by the
detectives as her imagination. The author stresses the protagonist’s denial of the deaths of her
family members by highlighting her disillusioned condition. Anna humanizes the voices of Ed and
Olivia because she misses them and wants to be reunited with them.  

Isolation
The author talks about the agoraphobic condition of Anna that makes her to be withdrawn from
her neighbors. She lives isolated from them and rarely interacts with others. Anna is described as
the “woman in the window” by the author because she spends all her time indoors watching other
people. Anna also admits that the last time she had visitors in her house was ten months ago
when her husband died.

Chapter 1 

Summary

The first chapter starts with a flashback in which Anna’s character discusses the themes of
marriage and loyalty. From her window, Anna highlights how the wife of Dr. John Miller cheated on
him occasionally. She states that it is quite ironic that despite the doctor being a couple therapist,
his own marriage appears to be in shambles. Anna vividly narrates an incident in which Dr. Miller’s
wife, Rita, was nearly caught on a Sunday afternoon while having a fling with a contractor. She
attributes this disloyalty to the doctor’s busy routine and the fact that Dr. Miller’s wife was too
beautiful for the doctor. She describes that on Sundays the doctor would always be home by
about 4:00 pm, a routine that changed on the day he nearly caught his wife. The author creates
suspense by counting down the seconds as Dr. Miller gets closer and closer to finding the
contractor and his wife in his matrimonial bed. Anna states that she is disappointed that Rita is,
however, not caught. She looks forward to having the marriages of her neighbors come to an end.
This shows that the woman in the window was a sadistic person. In fact, as she pries on her
neighbors, her tone is that of despair. She is unhappy that her neighbors still have their families
around them, an indulgence she can no longer enjoy. Her prying behavior could be considered as
unethical. Not only does she watch her neighbors’ houses using a camera, but also looks up the
online profiles of the families that she snoops on.
Chapter 2 

Summary

The author uses hyperbole to exaggerate the “death” of her neighbors’ marriages. This is evident
in her descriptions of them; in which she likens the moving-in activity of the family into the new
house to a hearse. Moreover, she refers to the new family as ghosts and compares their moving in
to exhuming a body because she relates this family to that of her own; for which she is at a loss.
This represents the lack of acceptance of the deaths of her husband and daughter. The author
also describes Anna’s family. The protagonist is a psychologist who was married to a contractor,
Ed. Together, they had a daughter named Olivia. Sadly, her husband and daughter are both
deceased. The author writes a discourse between Anna and the ghosts of her husband and
daughter. This emphasizes on Anna’s denial of the deaths of Ed and Olivia. In the dialogue, the
ghosts are aware of her prying behavior and advise her to stop watching the new neighbors that
are moving in. Instead, the ghosts urge her to go out of the house and get acquainted with them.
Nevertheless, Anna remains adamant and prefers watching the new neighbors from her window.

Chapter 3 

Summary

In this section, Anna recalls of her family’s plans to sell their house and move to Lenox Hill. In the
previous year, Ed had made plans for a new job there. This would also involve the transfer of
Olivia to a new school there. The author represents how new job opportunities can result in the
relocation of families to new cities. Sadly, these plans were not fruitful because of the deaths of
her husband and daughter before they had sold their old house. The mood of Anna is that of
bitterness. She is regretful as she describes the magnificent house that her family lived in, and
which they had made plans of selling. She describes how the rooms had been utilized by her
husband for his work. To emphasize that Anna was yet to come to term with the deaths of her
family members, the author states that she still reserved the rooms that had been utilized by Ed
and Olivia.

Also, the author affirms that Anna was a doctor who had spent her residency in Oxford. The
author introduces this information to emphasize the contrast between a successful doctor and the
obsessive traits of Anna that made her shun her social life and start prying on her neighbors.
Being a doctor, Anna’s habit of prying on her neighbors diminishes her character representation of
being ill-mannered. This is contrary to the audience’s expectations that all doctors are learned,
reputable individuals. It, therefore, leaves the audience yearning to learn what would have
resulted in such a transition by Anna.
Chapter 4 

Summary

The author conveys Anna’s habit of late night watching of movies. The fact that the first activity she
does when she wakes up is to watch her neighbors is quite depressing. In addition, the author
states how she considers starting her day-drinking spree of red wine early in the morning. Her
habitual alcohol consumption further diminishes her character. As she sits in her house, Anna
watches the family in house number 207 through her Nikon Camera. The author shows the
extreme nature of her prying habit by mentioning Anna’s use of a camera.  

Anna’s encounter with her tenant shows her desperation and longing for the affection of a feeling
sorry for herself as she acknowledges that she has stopped making herself look beautiful and
presentable. She mentions weight-gain and wrinkles as body features that could have resulted in
David’s lack of interest in her. This communicates to the audience the deplorable state in which
Anna was in after the deaths of Ed and Olivia.

Chapter 5 

Summary

The author describes how Anna learns about the identity of her new neighbors after looking them
up on social media platforms. They are Alistair and Jane Russell together with their son Ethan.
They are a new family in Anna’s neighborhood. Anna also describes her other neighbors. She
describes the Millers, the Grays, the Takedas and the Wasserman. The author’s theme of family is
represented by these depictions. In her description, Anna also highlights the type of houses they
live in and how the neighborhood has changed.

As Anna tells her therapist about the new neighbors, she claims never to have heard the name
Jane Russell. Anna has a close relationship with the therapist. Her physical therapist narrates her
sexual escapades to the Anna and encourages her to start dating again. However, when Anna’s
dating profile is completed, she is surprised that the application states that David, her tenant, is
her perfect dating match. Frustrated by this, Anna deletes her profile. The introduction of the
therapist character represents her supportive role to Anna who is described as a distressed
character.  

Chapter 6 
Summary

In this section, the author explains to the audience why the woman in the window never goes outdoors . Anna
describes that her fear for the outdoors is a psychological problem for which she has been medicated. She
describes her condition as “Agoraphobia”- fear of being outside the house (open spaces). From her computer’s
message platform, it is evident that she is part of a group of people who share the same fear. To show the severity
of her condition, the author states that Anna has never been out of her house for about ten months. This long-term
social withdrawal and her psychology expertise make Anna to be a good adviser to other members of the Agora
site individuals struggling with the same fear. Her username, “thedoctorisin” makes her an approachable person
for guiding those undergoing depression. The author appeals to the ethos of the audience in this section so that
they become sympathetic of Anna’s condition.

Chapter 7 

Summary

The tone applied by the author is melancholic. He describes how Anna recalls meeting with David
for the first time. Since they had started dating, Ed had developed a liking for Anna’s favorite
thriller movies. Anna is saddened that she can no longer watch the weekly films with her husband.
Distressed by Ed’s absence, she watches the movies alone. This indicates that Anna had a longing
for Ed’s company especially in activities that they carried out together such as watching movies.
The tone used makes the audience to be sympathetic to the protagonist.

The author states that Anna uses her computer to check the Agora site for similar depressed
friends. In addition to offering her patients on the site medical advice, she uses the site to
compare her agoraphobia with the other users on the platform. The author describes this as her
daily routine. Once she finishes reviewing the messages on the website, she goes back to watching
her neighbors from her window. This chapter conveys to the audience Anna’s monotonous
activities that are depressing.

Chapter 8 

Summary

Anna receives an unexpected guest. Ethan, the teenage son of Alistair and Jane Russell visits her to
deliver a gift from his mother. The author describes the traits of the character of Ethan in his
discourse with Anna. Ethan identifies that he had trouble making friends after his family moved
from Boston. This shows the toll that relocating to a new town can have on individuals. Although,
Anna is a psychologist she highlights that she has little experience dealing with teenagers because
her patients mainly comprised of children. Anna is, however, empathetic of Ethan’s situation.

When Ethan enquires about Anna’s family, she states that her family is separated instead of telling
him that they are deceased. This emphasizes her denial of her family’s deaths. It is ironic that
although Anna pries on her neighbors she is surprised when Ethan admits that he has a view her
room from their house. As Ethan borrows a movie, Anna speaks of her husband and daughter as
though they were present in the house. This is in contrast to what Anna had earlier informed him.
“I thought you were separated,” Ethan corrects her.

Chapter 9 

Summary

In this section, Anna pries on her previous patients from her phone. She looks up their online
profiles to check whether the patients had made any progress. She acknowledges that this is
against the ethical conduct that was expected of psychologists. The author, therefore, indicates
that Anna showed no remorse. Anna uses phantom accounts to pry on them. The progress of her
patients makes her emotional. This conveys to the audience that Anna was sad because her
therapy sessions with her doctor were not as fruitful as those with her previous patients.
Saddened by this she starts talking to the ghost of her husband so that he may comfort her. This
shows the supportive role of spouses in today’s families. After the discourse with her husband,
Anna decides to watch her neighbors from her window. As she looks from her bedroom window,
she notices Ethan changing his clothes and guiltily looks away. Although she had described Ethan
as a likeable character, Anna fears that she may be attracted to him. The author represents that
this was against the social norms.

Chapter 10 

Summary

It’s Halloween, and Anna has no plans. She decides to switch off the lights of her house to avoid
treat-or-tricking children who might come to her house. This shows that Anna preferred living in
solitude. She decides to watch a thrilling movie in the dark. When Anna visits a film site, she
notices that Andrew is on. She sends him a message, but he goes offline without replying. When
she tries to recall the last time that a man held her hands, it is clear that she is romantically
interested in Andrew. This hints at the audience of the book that Anna could have been ready to
move on after the death of her husband. It is sad that Andrew ignores her message.
Chapter 11 

Summary

As Anna watches a French film, she repeatedly hears a thumping sound on her window. Upon
investigating the strange sound, it comes to her realization that three kids are egging her house.
She tries making them scurry away by threatening them through the intercom and by banging her
window pane. When these efforts fail, Anna is forced to make a tough decision of going outside
her house to chase away the kids. This represents a dilemma for which Anna must choose
whether to go outdoors or remain in her house because of her agoraphobia. When she decides to
go outside the author shows the protagonist’s bravery. Sadly, as she steps out, she is involved in
an accident that leaves her nearly unconscious and bleeding profusely. She struggles to get back
inside her house to no avail.

Chapter 12 

Summary

Luckily, a woman comes to the rescue of the injured persona. She drags her back into the house
and gives her first-aid. Anna engages her in a conversation. She thanks her for attending to her
after she had collapsed outside. She assumes that the woman’s name is Jane Russell . Anna
explains her condition to Jane who understands her encounter and is sympathetic of her. Just as
Jane is about to leave, she notices David using the front porch of Anna’s house. When Anna
informs Jane that he is only her tenant, Jane says that she wishes that he was her tenant in a
suggestive tone. This shows that Jane would have liked to have a romantic fling with David. After
Jane leaves, Anna is left alone in the house as she thinks about death. This shows that she was
aware of the deaths of Ed and Olivia. Moreover, her solitude made her question whether death
would put her out of her misery.

Chapter 13 

Summary

Anna’s morning routine starts with breakfast. She then replies to the “Agora” forum in which she
offers medical advice to her online patients who also fear open spaces. Just as Anna is about to log
out, she receives a  message from a new user who has been referred to her. The patient is a
seventy-year-old granny who has been having trouble getting out of her house since the death of
her husband. From the author’s transcription of the discourse between Anna and the granny, it is
evident that Anna is quite adept in dealing with the patients. The case of the old lady has similar
dynamics to that of her own. Just like Anna, Lizzie had been unable to go outside her house after
the death of her husband. Moreover, the outgoing personality of the patient makes Anna feel as
though she has “connected” with her. Siting the similarity of their situations, Anna is enthusiastic
to offer her help to Lizzie.

Chapter 14 

Summary

In this chapter, the author emphasizes the importance of David as Anna’s tenant. He had leased
part of the house in her time of need of a person to help her with errands that involved moving
out of the house. After her agoraphobia, it would have been difficult for her to carry out such
errands. In addition, David was a handy-man who occasionally assisted Anna to make house
repairs. Although he suggests that Anna should open more windows to achieve better lighting of
her house, she repudiates it and tries to explain her phobia. To show David’s helpfulness the
author gives an analogy of when Anna’s cat comes home with a carcass of a rat. David assists Anna
to take it to the trash outside. As he is leaving, Anna hears somebody else taking a shower in
David’s apartment. Anna assumes that it is one of his female companions. This shows that David
occasionally had romantic flings with different women.

Chapter 15 

Summary

Once again, the author depicts a discourse between Anna, Ed and Olivia. In the dialogue, Anna is
concern about the candy intake of Olivia because the previous day was Halloween. Even though
conversing with ghosts, Anna still warns Ed to watch the weight of their daughter. The scenario can
be termed as sentimental based on the interactions of Anna and the ghosts. This chapter
highlights Anna’s denial of their deaths such that she gives the ghosts human features of eating
candy and growing fat.

Chapter 16 

Summary
Anna describes that she had sought therapy earlier in the year in order to deal with her condition.
She vividly explains her therapy sessions with Dr. Julian Fielding, a unique doctor who did not
conform to the usual soft-spoken nature of psychiatrists. In this session, the author reveals that
Anna and her family were involved in an accident that left Anna hurt. The physical therapies with
Bina are also conducted to assist Anna get better. The author makes the audience empathetic by
stating that Anna held herself responsible for the family accident. This section affirms that Ed and
Olivia are both deceased. Anna was the sole survivor of a gruesome accident. Also, the author
describes the medication that Anna receives from Dr. Fielding to help her get better. However, she
is ashamed that she does not follow her prescription keenly.

Chapter 17 

Summary

The author describes the routine of Anna. With one arm grasping an alcoholic beverage, Anna
pries on her neighbors from her Nikon camera using the other hand. The author indicates that
Anna was an alcoholic. She observes her neighbors and passers-by using the camera. She focuses
her lens on the house belonging to the Russells. Anna admits that she has not told her psychiatrist
about the Russells because they resemble her family was present before the accident. She knows
that Dr. Fielding may view this as her desperation of reuniting with her family. For the first time,
Anna gets caught prying by Jane. ‘No one’s ever caught me before’ (Finn, 58). From the house
belonging to Alistair, the woman whom Anna had assumed was Anna waves at her. Anna
expresses her guilt by accepting that her hobby infringed on the privacy of her victims. This
section ends in suspense as Anna hears a knock on the door right after being caught red-handed.

Chapter 18 

Summary

When Anna opens the door, she is surprised to find Jane who has carried a bottle of white wine.
Although Anna expected her to be angered by her prying habit, she is simply worried that Anna is
bored by spending her entire days indoors. Jane even suggests games that they can play together
to relieve Anna of boredom. Jane is an outgoing character that does not judge the habits of Anna.
They drink wine together. As they interact together, Anna develops trust in her new companion
and even gives her a tour of her mansion. Anna is exuberated that she has so much in common
with Jane. They even share birth dates. Jane urges Anna to look for other hobbies. She shows Anna
her artistic side when she sketches a portrait of her and signs her name on the sketch.
Chapter 19 

Summary

Anna spends nearly three hours accompanied by Jane Russell. Anna can barely recall the last time
she spent such a long duration with anyone. After Jane leaves, later in the night, Alistair Russell
visits Anna in order to find out whether Jane had been at her house. The character representation
of Alistair by the author can be termed as inquisitive and obsessive. He interrogates Anna about
the whereabouts of Anna’s newly found friend and makes her uncomfortable. Anna lies to Alistair
that she had not received any visitors despite having hosted the woman she assumed was Jane. As
Anna goes to bed, she observes that the way the Russells are seated together in their house
represents an ideal family. Inasmuch as Anna wants to take a picture of the beautiful family, she
decides against.

Chapter 20 

Summary

After binge drinking with Jane, Ann wakes up the following morning with a nasty hangover. She
recalls the fun that she had had with Jane and the surprise encounter of her investigative
husband. The author highlights the medical practice of Anna in psychiatry before the accident had
occurred. In this section, she describes her practicing partner who had recruited her into private
practice, Wesley. Curious of what Wesley may have been up to Anna searches for his images via
Google while she remembers some of her working experiences with him.

Chapter 21 

Summary

The author uses dialog to show the close relationship that had existed between Anna and Ed.
Anna informs her husband of the previous night’s activities that involved having fun with Jane. Ed
is angered that Anna would be so reckless as to swallow her medication with alcohol. In their
discourse, Anna expresses her longing for the affection of Ed while she recalls the activities that
they did together. As she speaks to the ghost of her husband, Anna suddenly hears a strange
noise in the kitchen. She stealthily creeps towards the kitchen, phone in arm and ready to call 9-1-
1.
Chapter 22 

Summary

Just as Anna clicks dial, she is met by David who is looking for a tool to help Mr. Russell assemble
furniture. The suspicious entry of David into her house creates a thrilling effect on the audience
who could have thought that he had ulterior motives. Anna helps David find the tool but informs
him that the Russells are not at their house. This shows that Anna had been watching their house
from her window. When David asks her how she knew that, Anna is ashamed as telling him that
she watches their house across the park as this would be weird. However, as both David and Anna
look through the kitchen window, they see Alistair getting out of his house. This indicates that the
house was not empty as Anna had initially suggested.

Chapter 23 

Summary

As David leaves, he lets Bina into the house for Anna’s weekly therapy session. The author reveals
the nature of the injury that Anna had agonized after the accident. Ten months ago, she had been
discharged after having suffered a spinal injury and having her throat damaged. From then on,
Anna and Bina had developed a friendship during the therapy sessions. This is evidenced by their
casual interactions. For instance, just before they dine together Anna informs Bina that her
birthday is coming up. This chapter indicates the supportive role of Bina in Anna’s life. Despite the
protagonist living in solitude, Bina is a close friend and confidant.

Chapter 24 

Summary

In this chapter, the author builds up a virtual relationship between Anna and Lizzie via the Agora
site. Anna receives a message from her patient, “grannylizzie”, who has been making good
progress. Anna is happy that her patient has become well-adjusted to living in her condition of
agoraphobia. Later, Anna decides to watch a movie before she is interjected by a horrid scream
from one of her neighbor’s house. As she searches for the source of the eerie scream, she
concludes that it originated from the Russells. When she calls their landline, Ethan picks up the
phone and assures Anna that everything is fine. Anna is, however, worried that Jane might have
been hurt by Alistair. Based on her interaction with Alistair, she is worried that he is too
controlling. Instead of calling the police, Anna calls their house again. This time the phone is picked
by Alistair who denies that the scream emanated from his house. However, as he ends the call,
Anna sees Jane leaving the Russells’ home quite scared. This shows that both Ethan and Alistair
were deceitful.

Chapter 25 

Summary

Later on, Anna goes to the basement to ask David whether he too had heard the scream . David
admits he was at the Russells assembling furniture but did not hear the scream. This leaves Anna
is a state of confusion that makes her question her judgment. As Anna returns to her house, Ethan
visits her. It is clear that he is shaken up with fear. Ethan admits that his parents were involved in
an argument, so he had to get out of the house. Anna assumes that the scream was as a result of
this argument. Ethan, however, insists on going back home lest he makes his father angrier. Anna
gives him her number in case of any other emergency.

Chapter 26 

Summary

As Anna takes a shower, she acknowledges that her medication could have psychotic effects on
her. Since she is a psychologist, Anna fears that by mixing her medication with alcohol the pills
could have caused strong side effects. She is especially worried when she unknowingly traces Jane
Russell’s name on her bathroom mirror.

Chapter 27 

Summary

Anna wakes up after a dream in which she has about her husband. The author still indicates that she missed Ed.
While awake, she remembers the domestic dispute that she heard from the Russells’ house. She acknowledges that
she has been drinking a lot of wine while still on medication contrary to Dr. Fielding’s instructions. Later on,
when Dr. Fielding calls to check up on her, he insists that the new medication that he had prescribed should never
be taken with alcohol because it can result in adverse effects. Sadly, his warnings are not adhered to by Anna.
Chapter 28 

Summary

Contrary to Dr. Fielding’s warning, Anna still takes her pills with wine. Ironically, she wrote a
medical journal on the effects of depression and alcohol abuse yet she occasionally drinks alcohol
in her depressed state. Also, she warns her patients on the Agora site against mixing alcohol with
their medication. This shows the context of drug abuse whereby patients sometimes take their
medication with alcohol. The author also shows that Anna’s character was thus hypocritical as he
discourages the audience from abusing drugs by siting the side effects.

Chapter 29 

Summary

Anna interacts with “grannylizzie” through the Agora forum. From her communication, the
misspelt words are an indication that Anna is quite intoxicated. The author affirms that the
protagonist was a struggling alcoholic. Moreover, she gets unprofessional when she decides to
open up about her personal life to the patient.

Chapter 30 

Summary

Anna narrates her road trip with the rest of her family to the snowcapped mountains where they
would ski. The author describes how the Ed’s and Olivia’s intention to be estranged was hidden
from their daughter so as to avoid ruining the holidays for her. In this chapter, the couple has an
argument and decide to inform their daughter of their plans to live separately. This represents the
context of divorce in today’s society whereby parents try to live separately without making their
progeny disappointed by the estrangement. Inasmuch as Ed and Anna argued, they both wanted
what was best for their daughter. Conversely, the author shows that estrangement between
parents can have emotional effects on the children.

Chapter 31 
Summary

The connection that Anna has to Lizzie makes it easy for her to describe her family. However, after
narrating her story to Lizzie, Anna starts to feel ashamed that she is sharing her life experiences
with a stranger. She is also afraid of how the old lady might react. The author shows that it takes
trust for anyone to open up about their personal life. Since Lizzie’s agoraphobia began after the
death of her husband, Anna expects that Lizzie would be more empathetic of her struggle because
she had experienced a similar ordeal. Sadly, as she awaits Lizzie’s reply, she realizes that the old
lady is no longer online. This conveys to the audience that the fear of being judged by others can
discourage people from confiding in others.  

Chapter 32 

Summary

The setting in this section is such that Anna lies on the couch watching a movie. Her drug abuse
has gotten so bad that she refers to the wine and the pills as her dinner. This conveys to the
audience the depressed state in which Anna lives in. As she watches the woman, she assumed was
Jane from across the park, she realizes that she is engaged in an argument. Suddenly, Anna sees a
knife plunged into the chest of Jane. Jane’s white blouse is filled a bloody patch as she falls near a
window. The glass gets covered in blood and Anna gets petrified that her friend could have been
murdered. Anna gets terrified and calls the emergency services. She gets angry at the response
personnel who seems to be taking too long to assist her. The emergency response personnel ask
her too many questions. Anna, therefore, drops her phone and heads out to assist her neighbor.
In this chapter, the author indicates the inefficiency of emergency respondents to act in a timely
manner. The author’s selection of the 9-1-1 emergency hotline is suitable for the majority of his
audience that is based in the United States.  

Chapter 33 

Summary

In Anna’s view the ambulance is running late thus it’s up to her to rescue Jane. Just as Jane helped
Anna on the day that she collapsed, Anna feels obliged to do the same. She takes her umbrella
and moves toward the door. At the first instance, Anna is unable to step outside. She decides to
use another exit; a kitchen door leading directly to the park. At last, she steps outside. The author
shows that the character of Anna was helpful and resilient. Despite her phobia, she attempts to
assist her friend.

Chapter 34 

Summary

Anna stumbles and falls several times as she walks outside. As she goes to save Jane, she recalls of
a case in which one of her patients had developed a kindness to strangers. Just like the patient,
Anna was going to save a woman that she barely knew well. She remains determined to reach the
Russells’ house to rescue Jane. She is motivated by the Hippocratic oath that requires her to
promote the well-being of other people. As she struggles to get to the street, the ambulance
arrives.

Chapter 35 

Summary

This section continues the narration of Anna’s family vacation. The author gives a flashback of
Anna’s family when they had gone for skiing. Olivia gets upset because she learns of her parents’
intentions to split up. She cries as her parents try to comfort her. Since their trip has been ruined
by this revelation, Olivia insists on going home because she is upset. Anna, therefore, goes to the
reception to enquire whether it is safe for her family to travel through the snow storm. She
decides that they should leave immediately before the storm gets worse. Her judgment call to
travel in the snow storm leaves the audience in suspense. The thought of the threat of the storm
conveys impending danger.

Chapter 36 

Summary

The author leaves the audience in the state of suspense when he changes the narration from the
family trip. The author describes how Anna wakes up in a completely strange room. The walls
seem to be closing in on her. She experiences a psychotic episode that sees a nurse sedate her
just to calm her down. When she comes to, she is interrogated by Detective Little. The character
name selection by the author is ironic because of the detective’s massive size. Anna says that he
looked like a football player.
The detective informs her that she was found unconscious and was picked at the park the
previous night. Anna enquires about Jane whom she had struggled to save. The detective assures
her that Jane is fine. When the doctor arrives, she informs Anna that she had two panic attacks.
She urges the detective to take Anna home after she has been sedated. Other than the detective’s
claim that Jane was safe, the author indicates no other evidence to support the claim. The
audience is left yearning to read more so that they can confirm that Jane is really alive.

Chapter 37 

Summary

This chapter describes Anna’s and detective Little’s journey from the hospital. Little tells Anna that
the police had assumed that her 9-1-1 call was a prank. The author, therefore, indicates that
emergency respondents sometimes receive prank calls. He also talks about his family. From the
author’s description of Little, his character can be termed as chatty. Anna remains mute during
their journey since she is terrified by the outside world and feels alienated. If she had not been
sedated before leaving the hospital, she admits that she could have been screaming. Even from
within the car, the outdoors terrified Anna. This shows that her agoraphobia was a serious
condition.

Chapter 38 

Summary

As the detective’s car eases into Anna’s street, she remarks at the changes that have happened.
Some of the sites and buildings that she views while in the car have undergone changes. This
shows that she had not moved outdoors in a long time. Instead of taking her home, the detective
suggests taking her to Alistair’s house so that Anna can confirm that Jane is indeed okay . However,
when she insists on going to her house, the detective changes his mind and takes her home
instead. This is because Anna felt safer in the confines of her home.

Chapter 39 

Summary

Detective Little helps Anna out of the car and into the house. The house is just as she had left it
the previous night. The detective finds her pills sprawled on the table next to the wine bottles to
be an indication of Anna’s drug abuse. This also gives the indication that Anna is clumsy. The
detective goes around the house and gets a view of Russell’s house from one of the windows. He
informs Anna that the Russell family would be coming over to her house.

Chapter 40 

Summary

Detective Little’s partner escorts Alistair into the house. She plays the 911 call in front of everyone in the house.
From the call, the detectives conclude that Anna is delusional. Also, some of the drugs she was taking may have
resulted in her hallucinations. The conflict in the book is created when Anna allegedly claims that she saw a
woman in the Alistair household get stabbed, while every other character disapproves her. Even though Anna is
adamant in accepting that Jane is still alive, Alistair makes a call to his house to affirm that his wife is okay. When
there is a knock on the door, Alistair answers and introduces Ethan and a strange woman, whom Anna has never
met, as his wife. The fact that the author has occasionally mentioned her alcoholism and the adverse side effects of
her medication conveys to the audience that Anna could have been wrong about what she saw.

Chapter 41 

Summary

The author describes the “strange” Jane in this chapter. He uses comparison and contrasting
techniques to describe the different features between Jane and the impostor present at Anna’s
house. Anna believes that some false play is at work to discredit her claim that Alistair allegedly
murdered his wife. When Anna calls out to Ethan to back up her allegations, Ethan insists that the
strange woman is his mother. Anna feels betrayed by Ethan because he had visited her and
insinuated that his father was dangerous. Also, Anna had seen Ethan together with Jane before
she was murdered. However, being outnumbered the detectives decide that her claim may have
been made falsely. When everyone leaves, Anna is left in a state of confusion and denial.

Chapter 42 

Summary

Anna feels distressed when she is proven wrong. The author represents her as an alcoholic
character especially when she is upset. Anna opens a merlot and chugs down the bottle as she
remembers Ethan’s reaction when she asks for his support. In her view, Ethan was definitely lying
because he feared that his father would hurt him if he said the truth. At this instance, the author
makes it appear as though Alistair is Anna’s murder suspect.

Chapter 43 

Summary

Anna becomes obsessively invested in proving that Alistair was guilty of murder. Since Anna feels
that no one else will believe her, she reaches out to her therapist Bina and asks her to come over.
Her medication disorients her judgment as she talks with Bina on the phone. The author’s
emphasis on the effects of Anna’s medication conveys to the audience of the book that the
murder that she witnessed could have been a hallucination. The audience is faced with a dilemma
in which they either suspect Alistair or have a notion that the incident was simply the hallucinating
effects of her medicine. This dilemma leaves the audience in a state of suspense as they yearn to
find out which of the two scenarios is true.

Chapter 44 

Summary

Bina seems like the only person that Anna can trust at this time. Anna explains everything to her,
from Jane’s visits, the candle that she sends Ethan to deliver, and to the observations of the family
through the window. In her opinion, Alistair is trying to dupe everyone into believing that the
strange woman was his wife. Bina is concerning that Anna could be in danger if she witnessed the
murder. Anna insists that Bina stays the night so that she remains safe. From Anna’s argument,
the author convinces the audience that Jane could not have been merely an apparition.

Chapter 45 

Summary

The author describes a nightmare that Anna has about the character of Jane. At first, the real Jane
appears in her dream while holding the locket with a picture of Ethan. Moments later the image of
the true Jane is replaced with that of the imposter that she barely knows. The dream serves the
purpose of reminding the audience that Jane had revealed to Anna a locket that showed Ethan’s
picture as a small kid. This proves that the imposter was not Ethan’s mother and that Ethan had
lied when she had confronted him.

Chapter 46 

Summary

Bina leaves early in the morning. As Anna talks to the ghost of Ed, she describes the murder
incident to him. Ed is of the theory that perhaps Alistair was not guilty and that it could have been
a squabble between his wife and a mistress. This presents the audience with a new theory so that
they should decide on its feasibility. Anna is angered that nobody seems to believe her when even
Ed suggests that what she saw could have been an effect of her medicine. In this chapter, the
author poses a critical thinking question to the audience. Where are the other neighbors when all
this is going on?

Chapter 47 

Summary

Anna avoids the kitchen windows because she has been traumatized by the death she witnessed.
She also fears that Alistair could be watching her from his house. This is satirical because Anna
was of the habit of prying on her neighbors.

Chapter 48 

Summary

Conversely, Anna starts to watch the Alistair house again. She gets disappointed when she finds
that their windows have been covered with blinds. However, the Russell’s lower their blinds to
reveal their house once again. Anna pries on their house across the park. She watches the
imposter, Ethan and Alistair. She even takes pictures of Alistair. As she watches her neighbors,
Jane discovers that Anna is prying on their house. She calls Anna’s landline and threatens her that
she would call the police on her if she continued to pry on their family.

Chapter 49 
Summary

As Anna plays online chess and drinks wine, she remembers that David had worked at Russell’s
home and would definitely know the real Jane. Anna goes to the basement to look for David . After
knocking several times without response, Anna uses a spare key to get into the house. She was
desperate to prove that her allegations of murder were true. The fact that she uses her key to get
into David’s house violates his privacy. The author makes Anna’s character to appear as snoopy
and obsessive. She needs to prove that she is right.

Chapter 50 

Summary

David is surprised to find Anna in the basement. This is a violation of his privacy. In his dialog with
Anna, his tone is that of anger. Although Anna was hopeful that David might have met Jane before
she was murdered, he denies seeing her at the house when he worked for Alistair. The author
hints at the memory loss of Anna when she once again enquires whether David had heard the
scream. In his response, David states that he had already told her that he did not hear the scream.
The partial memory loss of Anna is as a result of her medication.

Chapter 51 

Summary

In this section, the author focuses on Anna’s treatment regimen. Dr. Fielding calls Anna in a
concerned tone to find out whether she needed anything. Feeling uncertain of the occurrence of
the murder incident, Anna decides to ask the psychiatrist if she could change her medicine to
generic. She feels that her previous medication could be too strong for her. The doctor suggests
that they talk about this in their next session together. He also asks Anna whether she is mixing
the medicine with alcohol. She denies doing that yet, ironically, she pours herself a glass of wine
while talking to Dr. Fielding. The author shows that the character of Anna was deceptive.

Chapter 52 
Summary

The author gives a flashback of Anna playing chess with Jane. She is melancholic because she lost
Jane. As she recalls the murder, she looks to the Russell house but fails to see anyone. As Anna sits
in Ed’s library, she opens her computer and chats away with Lizzie. Lizzie tells Anna about her sons
and her deceased husband. When she describes her husband as a good father, Anna thinks about
Alistair and shudders. She had initially thought of Alistair as a good father before he became her
prime suspect. When Lizzie describes the role that her husband, Richard, played in the house-
Anna suggests that she finds other people to complete the tasks. She guides the old lady on how
to find suitable helpers for these errands. Anna is delighted that she gets to help Lizzie.  She is,
however, disappointed that she could not finish the narration of the snow-capped mountains with
her family to the old lady.

Chapter 53 

Summary

The author continues the narration of Anna about how she came to be estranged with her
husband. Anna describes how she drove her family through the snowfall. Olivia was in the
backseat upset that her parents would separate. To explain the reason for their separation, the
author uses a flashback. Anna and her husband had attended a party at which Anna had declined
numerous phone calls from a man. Even as they drove through the snow, the same man
repeatedly called her phone. Since Anna did not want to answer the phone, Ed picked it and tried
to receive the call. Anna hits the phone from his arm to prevent this. The phone dropped down
and as she tried to pick it up, she lost control of the car. The car skidded off the road and into a
gorge. Anna and her family had been involved in an accident. The chapter ends in suspense since
the readers are left wondering whether Anna’s family would survive this ordeal.

Chapter 54 

Summary

The author still leaves the audience in suspense when he fails to continue with the narration of the accident .
Instead, he highlights the awkward relationship between Anna and her tenant. David visits Anna and is apologetic
for overreacting when he found her snooping in his room. He also tells Anna that he had been jailed for assault as
they drink merlot together. He admits that he is hot-tempered, a trait that had made him get imprisoned after a
fight in a bar. David offers to fix Anna’s ceiling that was leaking. As David goes to the bathroom, Anna
contemplates telling David about Jane and the Russell house incident. In this instance, the author shows the
audience that Anna has short-term memory loss because she had forgotten that she had already enquired about
Jane. Conversely, she sticks to the subject of getting her ceiling fixed. The sexual tension between  Anna and
David is also highlighted by the author. As David escorts her to assess the damage on the ceiling, he kisses her.

Chapter 55 

Summary

David and Anna get intimate. The author shows how Anna longs for love and affection. With her
agoraphobia, Anna had failed to meet new men whom she could date. The author’s depiction of
their fling leaves the readers divided as to whether she was justified to do so, or she ought to have
remained loyal to Ed.

Chapter 56 

Summary

Anna wakes up the following morning feeling guilty that she made love to David in her daughter’s
bed. This presents a moral predicament to the readers. Her fling is similar to infidelity. As she gets
up, she is afraid that her actions will be consequential. She goes into the kitchen and finds David
drinking water. There is tension between the two characters; especially Anna who is unsure how
should reply to David after their night together.

Chapter 57 

Summary

The author emphasizes on the depression of Anna. She is filled with resentment and self-pity for
herself. Although she witnessed a gruesome murder, everyone around her discredits her
allegations because of her segregation from the rest of her neighbors and her psychological
condition that makes her withdrawn. As she moves about the house, she notices that the closet
door has been left open. She suspects that somebody has been to her house because she had
locked the closet door. Upon further investigation, she realizes that the box cutter has been
returned in Ed’s toolbox. This indicates that David had returned the tool secretly without letting
her know. As Anna recalls of the silver weapon that stabbed Jane, she suspects that the box cutter
was utilized by Jane’s killer. The fact that David would return it secretly also makes him a murder
suspect. The author creates suspense in this section as the audience wonder whether the tool
might have been the murder weapon used on Jane.

Chapter 58 

Summary

In this section, the author highlights Anna’s changed suspicions about Jane’s murderer. She is filled
with suspicions against David, being the one whom she lent the box cutter out to. He could be the
murderer. Her worry is further heightened when she recalls seeing unique earrings belonging to
Jane at David’s house. In a bid to prove that her allegations were true, Anna considers calling
detective Little. Nevertheless, she decides on getting into David’s house to investigate whether her
fears are true. The author nearly convinces the audience that David was somehow involved in the
murder. This makes the book a thrilling piece for the audience.

Chapter 59 

Summary

Anna’s hate for Alistair makes her suspicions about him to be based on her bias. Driven by her
obsession to prove that Alistair is guilty, Anna calls the Atkinson company (where Alistair
previously worked) to find out more about him. She also wants to get a description of his wife,
Jane, from previous colleagues of Alistair. Anna is astonished that Alistair is no longer an employee
in the company. Moreover, Alistair’s previous personal assistant claims to never have met Jane.
Anna’s intrusive questions make Alex feel that sharing Alistair’s personal information to a stranger
was unethical. Anna immediately hangs up the phone after Alex gets suspicious of her ulterior
motives against Alistair. 

Chapter 60 

Summary

Anna is bored and alone in her house. She engages the ghost of her husband in a dialog. As she
talks to Ed, she covers her windows to ensure that the impostor is not watching her. The author
expresses the satire of her action based on the fact that she too watches other people but gets
intimidated by somebody else watching her house. Ed is concern that her suspicions are fueled by
her paranoia. Once again, the character of Anna is proven to be deceitful when she claims to be
taking her medication properly and avoiding alcohol. As she talks to Ed, she sees the imposter
getting out of the house and decides that she must talk to her.

Chapter 61 

Summary

Anna has the perception that the impostor is likely to reveal the details about the gruesome
murder because Alistair won’t be around to scare her. Anna is confident that in the absence of
Alistair, the dialog with the imposter will bring out the truth. Anna gathers up the courage to get
out of the house and follow the imposter in the streets. Finally, they meet in a coffee shop. Anna
appears to be timid when she gets her chance to confront the imposter. Although Anna is sure
that the woman is a fraud, she fails to prove it once again. The imposter informs Anna that she will
call the police on her as she leaves the coffee shop.

Chapter 62 

Summary

Anna, who is left confused in the coffee shop, is offered help by the Takeda’s son- Nick. She is
disappointed because she was unable to confront the imposter. As Nick walks her home, he is
empathetic of Anna’s tragedy that made her agoraphobic. Just as they get near Anna’s house, they
are met by Ethan who offers to take her inside. Anna thanks Nick for his help as he leaves. Ethan
helps her into the house.

Chapter 63 

Summary

When Anna and Ethan are in the house, Anna asks him a series of questions that imply that he
knows the whereabouts of his mother. Although Ethan confirms that the imposter is his mother,
he admits that he is scared of his father. To Anna, this makes Alistair dangerous and affirms her
suspicions that he might have killed Jane. However, before Ethan can confess that Alistair was
guilty, he bolts out of the house.
Chapter 64 

Summary

In Anna’s view, both the imposter and Ethan are frightened of Alistair. As she thinks about this, she drinks wine
while referring to herself as the drinking machine. Here the author implies that Anna is an alcoholic. She receives
a call from detective Little. The call serves as a warning after the imposter woman notified the police that Anna
had followed her into the coffee shop. Detective Little also shows concern for Anna. Inasmuch as she suspects
Alistair, she still barricades the basement door because she was suspicious of David. She fears that Alistair and
David could have colluded together. Anna, however, fails to inform the detective of this suspicions.

Chapter 65 

Summary

In this chapter, Anna struggles to recall her phone passcode. The author implies that Anna may
have probably forgotten it, or it was changed. Anna admits that her memory has deteriorated. She
attributes this to the side effects of her medication. Nonetheless, she retrieves a new passcode.
She then logs into the Agora platform and checks the progress of her patients. Since Anna is bored
by her monotonous routine, she decides to take a nap. The severity of Anna’s drug abuse is
confirmed when the author states that Anna will double the dose of one of her medications so
that she can sleep

Chapter 66 

Summary

The author continues with the description of the scene of Anna’s family road accident. He
describes the character of Anna as a strong, empowered woman. She manages to pull Ed and
Olivia out of the wreckage despite her back injury. She remains composed and relentless while she
tries to ensure that the family survives the ordeal. The mood for this chapter is sad. The author
appeals to the ethos of the audience to be sympathetic of the family’s tragedy. Luckily, after
several hours a rescue team arrives. The author creates suspense when he fails to mention
whether the family survives

Chapter 67 
Summary

The author changes the narration from the flashback scene of the accident to Anna’s present
timeline. After her nap, Anna wakes up with an urge to call her associate partner, Wesley. When
she fails to reach him, she calls the reception where she leaves her number for Wesley to call back.

Chapter 68 

Summary

Although she chooses to maintain her sobriety as she awaits Wesley’s call, by noon she has
already downed a bottle. This shows that her mannerisms are similar to that of an alcoholic. As
she looks through her window, she sees Rita walk out of their house. Suddenly she realizes that
she had abandoned her prying behavior because she had been caught up in the mystery that she
needed to solve, Jane’s murder. Having exhausted all other options, Anna decides that her only
move is to get in touch with Ethan. She hopes that he would assist her in proving the murder
incident. When she turns on her computer, Anna receives a notification of an email from Jane
Russell. She is petrified that the email’s attachment is a picture of her. It was taken at about 2 am
while she slept. She is taken aback that somebody had been at her house the previous night. The
author’s portrayal of this situation makes the book to be a fascinating thriller.

Chapter 69 

Summary

Anna concludes that the email address couldn’t have been Jane’s. In her opinion, somebody else is
using her identity to hide behind the façade. In her view, the email was sent to threaten her. Anna
suspects that David made a copy of her house keys after they spent the night together.
Nevertheless, the fact that somebody has been in her house and taken a picture of her while she
slept sets her off. Terrified by this, she decides to call the detective. Detective Little assures her
that he would get to her house and investigate the incident.

As she waits for the detectives Anna drinks more wine. When Anna spills wine on her gown and
tries to clean it up, she finds Jane’s sketch of her in one of the kitchen cabinets. She is happy that
the sketch would prove that Jane had been to her house. The author conveys that there is hope for
Anna; the sketch would show that her allegations against Alistair were factual.
Chapter 70 

Summary

The sketch proves that Anna indeed spent some time with Jane. The author uses flashback to
describe the activities that they engaged in together. As Anna recalls this, she sees Ethan leaving
their house from her window. She opens a window and shouts at him in an effort to get his
attention. The protagonist wanted to let Ethan know that she could prove that the imposter was a
fraud. Sadly, Anna is uncertain that Ethan heard her shouting.

Chapter 71

Summary

This section begins with the ring of Anna’s doorbell. Although she expects that detective Little is at
the door, she is surprised to see Ethan. She ushers him into the house and tells him that she can
prove that Ethan’s mother had been to the house before. Ethan refutes this and that she is
delusional- a term that Anna assumes he had heard from Alistair. Anna shows him the sketch just
as the detectives arrive. Detective Norelli sweeps the house looking for signs of intrusion and
concludes that no one had broken into Anna’s house. Norelli even suggests that Anna could have
sent herself the email. Once again, the detectives dismiss her worries. Just as Anna gets hold of the
sketch from Ethan to prove them wrong, there is another doorbell ring.

Chapter 72

Summary

Alistair is ushered into the house. He is angry that Anna lured his son into her house. In addition,
he claims that Anna infringes on their privacy by watching his house and stalking his wife. The fact
that she even made a call to Alistair’s work office emphasizes the fact that Anna is nosy and
obsessive of his family. These accusations make Anna seem like an appalling person.  Moreover, it
appears as though Anna was fabricating evidence when she tries to show the other characters
Jane’s sketch. As the characters argue, David walks into the house.

Chapter 73
Summary

Among the characters present at her house, David seems to be the only one on her side . As Little
interrogates David, the author shows his haughtiness in his replies. David was an arrogant
character. Even as Anna mentions all the proofs that she hopes will argue her case, her theories
are discredited. Driven by her obsessiveness to prove that she was right, Anna even attempts to
accuse David of being Jane’s murderer. When she points an accusing finger at David, he proves
that he is not culpable. Fearing that has lost the argument, Anna mentions that David had a
criminal record.

Little views this as Anna’s desperation, in proving that she was correct. Little informs Anna that he
had talked to Dr. Fielding about her case. He had informed Little that Anna’s husband and
daughter were deceased; not estranged as Anna frequently put it. In this section, the author
represents the social stereotypes that people still hold against convicts. Anna found it easy to
accuse David because of his criminal past. The mystery about Anna’s family is also solved in this
chapter. The author confirms to the audience that Ed and Olivia were deceased.

Chapter 74

Summary

The revelation of Anna’s family members deaths leaves the characters in her house baffled. Anna
agrees that her family members are dead, but she is surprised that the detective reminds her of
this in a brutal way. Although she was aware of this, Anna admits that she could not accept their
deaths. She even argues that she can still hear the voices of Ed and Olivia in her head. She is,
however,  adamant to tell the other people in her house about the voices because they will think
that she is crazy. This chapter shows the protagonist’s denial of the deaths of her husband and
daughter.

Chapter 75

Summary

Detective Little describes how Anna and her family were rescued after thirty-three hours in the
snow. Ed was found dead by the rescue team while Olivia died while receiving treatment. Little
confirms that their deaths had resulted in Anna’s agoraphobia. This information comes as a shock
to the rest of the people in the room. The author creates a sympathetic mood in this section. All
the characters feel sorry for her tragedy.

Little believes that just as Anna imagined a phantom existence of her family, it is likely that Jane
too was an apparition. He confirms that the woman whom Jane considers as the imposter is
indeed Jane Russell. Anna gives in and no longer argues with him since she is convinced of this.
The author admits that Anna failed to mention her suspicions in Dr. Fielding’s sessions because
she did not want to be talked out of her obsession. Moreover, Dr. Fielding described her action of
taking the photos of her neighbors as acting out. This information leaves the characters perplexed
and sympathetic to Anna. As the rest of the characters leave her house, detective Little suggests
that Anna call Dr. Fielding so that she would continue with her treatment.

Chapter 76

Summary

After the detectives have also left, Anna is left alone. As she thinks about detective Little’s
utterances, she struggles to shut down the voices of Ed and Olivia in her head. She later ignores a
call from Dr. Fielding because she wants to maintain her solitude. As she moves about her house,
she looks at Alistair’s house where the family appears to be placated. Anna is melancholic as she
longs for her family.

Chapter 77

Summary

While still in bed Anna cancels her session with Dr. Fielding. The author indicates the protagonist’s
hopelessness that makes her prefer living in solitude. Although Dr. Fielding calls her back, she
ignores him. Anna also ignores the voices in her head and chooses to sleep. Her depression is
emphasized by the author in this chapter.

Chapter 78

Summary

The author employs the analogy of movies depicting death for the audience to presume that Anna
is likely to be suicidal. This shows that one of the effects of depression is suicidal thoughts
(Comfort, 2017). Later on, Anna receives a call from Wesley. The author reveals that Anna and
Wesley had had an affair. Ed had caught them, and that is why he wanted to be estranged from
her before he died. In the call, Wesley claims that he wants to put the affair behind him. Anna
blames him for wrecking her marriage. The author implies that the affair was, however, more
consequential to Anna because she lost her family. The fact that Wesley is unapologetic and wants
to forget the incident makes Anna annoyed with him. She hangs up the phone before they can
complete their dialog.

Chapter 79

Summary

The author emphasizes Anna’s seclusion in this section. When Bina arrives at the house for their
weekly therapy sessions, Anna sends her off. She insists on being alone. Driven by her guilt for
accusing David, she visits him in the basement. David informs her that he would be moving to a
new house and hands her the keys. Anna believes that David is spiteful that she had accused him
of murder.

She goes back to her house and logs into her computer. As she contemplates about the dreadful
email, she decides to find out whether the sent picture had been taken by her camera. In an effort
to prove that she did not take the picture, she checks her Nikon camera then her phone gallery.
She is shocked to find the picture on her phone. Also, she realizes that the email had been sent
from her computer. This leaves her perplexed since it proves that she sent the email to herself- an
action she barely recalls.

Chapter 80

Summary

Anna logs into her Agora account and deletes all the new messages. This also shows that she
wanted to seclude herself even from her patients on the Agora platform. Just as she is about to log
out, Lizzie initiates a chat with her. Having established a connection with the old lady, Anna opens
up about the affair and the death of her family members to Lizzie. The author shows that despite
her solitude, Anna had made Lizzie to be her confidant. However, before Lizzie can reply Anna logs
out. This indicates that Anna feared that Lizzie would be judgmental of her.

Chapter 81

Summary

The author describes Anna’s depressed state. There is, however, hope for the protagonist. It’s
been three days since she last drank wine. Nonetheless, the author is satirical when he also shows
that Anna wanted to end her life. As she pours the pills on the table and reconsiders swallowing
them, the author conveys that Anna may have been procrastinating her suicidal intentions. Anna is
sad that she can’t celebrate her birthday. The mood in this section is sympathetic since only the
voices of Ed and Olivia sing Anna a birthday song.

Chapter 82

Summary

As Anna watches her movies, she states that she has filled Punch’s bowl with extra food. This
emphasizes that Anna could be seriously considering suicide. The extra food would ensure that
the cat survives longer. Just then, Ethan arrives to return a movie he had borrowed. Anna lets him
into the house. She is very apologetic and explains the toll of the death of Ed and Olivia on her .
She even allows him to use the basement whenever he wants to get away from his parents. This
shows that Anna was accommodating. The author also depicts Ethan as a victim of his parent’s
strifes. Ethan accepts her offer and issues Anna with his phone number so that she would call him
whenever she needed his aid.

Chapter 83

Summary

Anna feels that she has made a remarkable improvement. For the first time in a long time, she
makes herself a sandwich. She also gets rid of her nightgown and wears a sweater and jeans. Anna
also decides against watching any of her neighbors.

Conversely, the thought of suicide still crosses her mind especially when it is mentioned in one of
the films she watches. Also, in one of the movies, a female character dies and is replaced by a
“counterfeit” (imposter). This notion leaves the audience wondering if Anna’s accusation could
have been stimulated by this particular movie. When it ends, she pours herself more wine and
plays chess. As she plays, she mistakenly moves the wrong piece. This portrays an analogy that
makes Anna reconsider her theory of Jane’s murder incident.  

Chapter 84

Summary

After the chess game, Anna changes her notion of the imposter and Jane Russell. The wrong chess
move has Anna questioning whether the Jane that was at her house was indeed a Jane but not the
wife of Alistair. In her opinion, the Jane may have been different altogether- a “counterfeit”. This
implies that the Jane that she knew could have been Alistair’s mistress. Once again, Anna decides
that the Jane she knew was a façade. She looks at the Russell house as she considers this
preposterous idea. This chapter shows that Anna was still obsessed with solving the mystery.

Chapter 85

Summary

With the new ideology of Jane’s murder, Ann decides to reach out to her confidant o share her new
theory. She makes a call to Bina to let her know of this new notion. Bina informs her that Dr.
Fielding was concern for her. This shows that Anna was reckless since she had completely
abandoned her treatment with the doctor. While they talk, Anna informs the therapist of her new
logic and lies that she is sober. Bina, however, gets angered by Anna’s obsession with the idea and
makes her promise that she would stop thinking about the murder. Unfortunately, Anna is
deceitful and informs Bina that she will end her inquisitive behavior.

Chapter 86

Summary

As Anna has a flashback of the whole incident, she remembers how she met Jane. From her
perspective, Anna preempted the woman’s name as Jane Russell. This shows that Anna was
confused and unsure of the real identity of the woman. The author presents the identity of the
woman whom Anna had assumed as Jane a mystery. This makes the book interesting since the
readers are left anxious as they contemplate the real identity of the woman. The chapter ends in
suspense. Anna realizes that there is an intruder in her house after she hears the sound of glass
shuttering downstairs.

Chapter 87

Summary

Anna is startled by the noise. She realizes that she left her phone elsewhere, so she cannot call for
help. As she creeps out of bed to look for her phone, she decides to arm herself with the box
cutter. As Anna approaches the stairs, she remembers that her phone is in the library. However,
before she heads to the library a cold voice calls out her name and summons her downstairs. The
terror depicted by the author creates suspense in the readers of the novel.
Chapter 88

Summary

The startling voice is familiar to Anna. When she gets downstairs, she is surprised to see Alistair.
He is drunk and angry. The fact that he wears black gloves make Anna scared that he intended to
kill her without leaving a trace for the police. Alistair warns Anna to stay away from his family;
especially Ethan whom she had issued a key. Suddenly, Alistair leaps and chokes Anna by her
throat. Anna struggles to scream but she seems to have lost her voice. Just as Anna is about to
lose consciousness, Alistair lets go of her and she drops to the floor. The depiction of Alistair as a
controlling, vindictive and over-protective father indicates that he was the prime suspect of Anna’s
alleged murder incident.

Chapter 89

Summary

When Anna wakes up the following day, she inspects her bruised throat. She decides against
reporting the incident to the police because she fears that they will learn that she had invited
Ethan to her house. This was inappropriate of her. As she cleans up the mess left by Alistair, she
wishes that she would have stabbed him using the box cutter. She is regretful that she will never
learn the truth about Jane because no one has a chance of helping her.

Chapter 90

Summary

In the evening, Anna chooses to remain in bed to forget about Jane and the previous night’s
incident when Alistair had nearly choked her to death. The author indicates that Anna is in
distress. After watching a movie, she receives a storm alert on her phone. While she goes through
the phone’s gallery, she deletes the image taken of her while she slept. She had concluded that the
image was probably a selfie that she had taken and forgotten about. Conversely, as she deletes
another picture she realizes that it has a reflection of Jane, the woman who had spent a fun time
with her. This changes the author’s mood of narration from despair to optimism as Anna believes
she now possesses irrefutable proof of who Jane was.
Chapter 91

Summary

Anna is exuberated by her new discovery. She is happy that the reflection in the picture affirms
the existence of Jane. With the picture, she has a better chance of proving that she was right.
Sadly, she fears that no one can believe her. Therefore, she calls Ethan instead and invites him
over; a move that she describes as tactical. Anna believed that the picture would force Ethan to
confess to knowing the woman in the reflection. As they talk on the phone, Alistair walks into
Ethan’s room and confronts him after suspecting that he was still in contact with Anna. The author
shows that Anna was still prying on her neighbors because she could see Ethan and his father
arguing.

Chapter 92

Summary

The thought that Ethan had been caught talking to Anna on the phone frightens her. Anna is
petrified for Ethan who’s in trouble because of her. In her view, she believed that Alistair was
vengeful and dangerous. He would probably hurt Ethan. Luckily, Ethan arrives at her house
unscathed. He explains that he had saved Anna’s contact on his phone under a different name so
that his father would not find out about their communication. Anna proceeds to show Ethan the
photo having Jane’s reflection and demands that he tells her the truth.

Chapter 93

Summary

Ethan is taken aback by this. He admits that the woman in the photo was his biological mother.
Ethan says that he had been adopted when he was five because his mother was a drug addict . He
explains that the reason that they moved to Anna’s street was to get away from his biological
mother who had stalked them. He also reveals that Alistair had lost his job because of an affair
with a wife of one of his colleagues.

Despite moving to a new city, Ethan’s mother tracks down the Russell family and follows them
there. On Halloween, she meets up with Ethan when both Jane and Alistair have left town. Ethan
informs Anna that Katie had rescued her after her collapse. He reveals that Katie had found her
unconscious as she was heading to the Russell house. Katie assumed the identity of Jane Russell to
ensure that nobody else found out who she was. Anna appreciates why Katie had pretended to be
Jane. Ethan also tells Anna that Katie had spent the night with David. This explains Katie’s earrings
that Anna had found in his house.

Ethan then proceeds to shed light on the murder incident. Katie had returned to convince Alistair
and Jane to allow her occasional visits to Ethan. Alistair threatens to call the police on her and
grabs her throat. She screams loudly, and Anna hears her from her house. Nevertheless, Katie is
relentless and revisits Alistair’s home to find Jane Russell. Ethan admits that Jane stabbed Katie
because she threatened to take Ethan away. To hide her body, Katie was later buried in their other
house. Alistair was confident that Anna would be discredited as a witness to the murder because
she was a habitual drunkard and never got out of the house. Upon this revelation, Anna suggests
that they report this to detective Little immediately. However, Ethan is empathetic of his parents
and asks Anna to allow them to report the incident to the police on their own accord. Ethan then
leaves Anna’s house.

Chapter 94

Summary

Anna is terrified that she allowed Ethan to return home after he confessed the truth. She fears
that Alistair would reprimand him for this. The author is satirical when he indicates that despite
Jane being the alleged murderer, Anna defends her. She is sympathetic of Jane because her
actions were driven by her maternal instincts. Anna remains restless as she thinks of the possible
outcomes that may be happening as the Russell house after Ethan had informed them that she
knew the truth. Later in the day Ethan texts Anna that his parents would be going to the police.

The author utilizes an analogy of Anna’s dream to inform the audience that Anna suspected Ethan
of intruding into her house. In the dream, as she talks to her deceased daughter, she recalls of
Punch’s paw that was hurt. The fact that Ethan knew about the cat’s ill paw without seeing the pet
implied that he could have hurt it. This indicates that Ethan could have been getting into Anna’s
house at night.

Chapter 95

Summary

The author twists the narrative when Ethan appears at Anna’s house and incriminates himself. He
gets into Anna’s bedroom in the middle of the night. He admits that he is a psychopath and that
he killed Katie because she couldn’t leave him alone. After killing her, Alistair had assisted Ethan to
hide the body because he did not want his son to be jailed. Ethan discloses that he lied to Anna to
shut her up and end her inquisitiveness. Ethan says that he has always been fascinated by old
women like Anna. In fact, this resulted in an altercation that cost Alistair his job. Ethan had visited
one of Alistair’s old-lady colleagues at night. This contradicts Ethan’s initial narrative where he had
attributed Alistair’s job loss to his infidelity. Since Anna had been relentless in her search for the
truth, Ethan intends to kill her using a letter opener.

Moreover, he admits that he has occasionally gained access to her house using a copy of her keys .
Ethan confesses that he was attracted to Anna. He says he couldn’t get enough of her, so he would
pretend to be gloomy to get her attention. Ethan’s admission of guilt makes Anna feel remorseful
for hating Alistair. She realizes that Alistair had only tried to protect her from Ethan, ‘I wouldn’t
want him spending time with a grown woman’(Finn, 266).

In this section, the author depicts a terrifying scene whereby the protagonist’s life is in danger.
Ethan threatens to kill Anna and make it look like a suicide. Fearing for the worst, Anna fights back
as she tries to escape from Ethan. This chapter is the climax of the author’s narrative. Anna must
struggle to survive so that she can prove that Ethan was culpable.

Chapter 96

Summary

This section depicts Anna’s brawl with Ethan. She kicks him and runs out of the room while Ethan
follows in pursuit. Anna hides in one of the rooms. As Ethan searches for her, the readers are left
in an apprehensive state. The author depicts Ethan as a dubious character that tries to murder the
protagonist. Despite hiding, Ethan finds Anna. She, however, manages to shove him and run to the
nearest exit- the rooftop.

Chapter 97

Summary

Anna must overcome her fear of the outdoors by climbing through the roof. The author shows
Anna as a bold character when she gets on the roof despite being agoraphobic. Ethan joins her
there and tries to kill her. Although she fights back, he physically overwhelms her. Just as he is
about to kill her, Anna tries to persuade him against it. She tells him that Katie had told her the
identity of his biological father. As she describes him Ethan loses focus for a moment. Anna rushes
to embrace him to imply that she felt sorry for him. This was, however, a tactical move that Anna
intended to use. She wanted to direct Ethan to the glass skylight so that she would push him onto
the delicate glass. Anna moves him closer to the skylight as they hug and shoves him towards the
glass.
Chapter 98

Summary

Ethan falls on the glass with a thud. The skylight disintegrates, and Ethan falls through the glass.
The nasty fall kills him instantly. The author’s depiction of Ethan’s death highlights a form of poetic
justice. The antagonist, Ethan, fails in his attempt to kill Anna. Instead, he is sprawled in a pool of
blood beneath the skylight. The author indicates that Anna was justified in killing Ethan. She did it
for her own protection. Anna then descends the rooftop and calls the police.

Chapter 99

Summary

This section marks the anticlimax of the author’s narration. The conflict in the novel has been
resolved. Katie’s mystery murder has been unraveled. Moreover, Anna has proved that the
murder scene that she witnessed was real. It is satirical that Anna’s habit of prying on her
neighbors had been useful in solving the murder.

Six weeks after the incident, Anna pries on her neighbors in the snow. The author indicates that
she still continues with her habit of watching her neighbors from her window. Anna also has a new
hobby of reading books. As she watches her neighbors, she states that the Russell house is up for
sale. The couple had moved after Ethan’s incident. The author highlights the anticlimax of the plot;
Anna stops drinking and follows her medication, the detectives are apologetic for failing to believe
her initially, and Anna rejoins “Agora” to assist other patients.

Chapter 100

Summary

The final chapter of the book shows a happy ending. The tone in this section is optimistic. The
author indicates that Anna has come to terms with the deaths of Ed and Olivia. In addition, she
has ended her alcoholism. The conflict of the narrative that revolves around Anna’s condition is
resolved when she can finally step outside onto the snow-cover of her roof. The author shows that
there is hope for Anna.