Anna Fox has been struggling with agoraphobia for the majority of her life ever since a tragic accident she has been unable to leave her house without having an anxiety attack. Anna struggles with alcohol addiction and depression, which she takes pills for, that include side effects of hallucinations. Anna lives in New York City with her cat and a downstairs roommate whom she doesn’t see much. She typically spends her time watching old movies, drinking wine, and observing her neighbors and their lives through her window. Anna becomes fascinated with her new neighbors across the street, Jane and Alistair Russel and their son Ethan. One night looking out her window drinking wine and taking pills, she spots something across the street she shouldn't and calls 911 in a panic. Anna attempts to face her fear and steps outside and attempts to cross the street to help her neighbor in danger. Anna makes it halfway there and collapses. She wakes up in the hospital with police standing around her. Anna's main concern is the safety of her neighbor, Jane Russel. The authorities refuse to explain anything to her and bring her back to the safety of her home. Anna is relieved to be home, but still confused about what actually happened, all the memories start to blur together in her head. But Anna is sure of one thing, Jane Russel was not okay. The authorities try to calm her and show her that Jane is okay, and bring her into Anna's house. This Jane is NOT the Jane Anna had met. Anna continues to investigate the Russels, sure that they are hiding something. Anna, being a former child psychologist tries to connect with Ethan. Russel family secrets are revealed to Anna, explaining what happened that night and what she saw and heard. Anna becomes tangled in their family secrets and what they were hiding about that night. Ethan wants to keep Anna quiet and an argument between them breaks out. Their fighting brings them to the roof, ultimately ending with a death. This book was filled with twists and turns and was a physiological read for your brain. The author keeps you engaged with flashbacks to Anna’s past life and what led her to her agoraphobia. The tension between the Russels and Anna builds throughout the book, foreshadowing the end scene. The chapters were a bit difficult to stay engaged with at times, due to the way the author wrote them, which was essentially like you were in Anna's brain which is quite chaotic. My final analysis is that this was an exceptional book that was able to keep me on my toes till the very end.
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