The Sunday Book Club: AJ Finn on thrillers, Aussie fiction and his embarrassing story from Down Under
HIS debut is a worldwide sensation. Now AJ Finn reveals the anonymous inspiration for The Woman In The Window — and shares his embarrassing Aussie adventure.
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HE’S an easy raconteur and a master storyteller, whose debut novel is a worldwide sensation now getting the Hollywood treatment.
Yet AJ Finn remains an “intensely private” person who’s a keen observer of his surroundings — the very characteristics that gave rise to The Woman in the Window, a thriller that has sold two million copies in just eight months.
Chatting in his hotel during a visit to Melbourne, the New Yorker recalls a Hitchcockian moment in 2015 when he found himself at his own apartment window, watching a woman at hers.
The woman wasn’t doing anything particularly interesting, but she was alone at home on a summer evening and cogs in Finn’s mind whirred that stolen moment into a life.
“I wondered why she was alone in her home on an August evening. And so I decided, ‘oh, maybe she’s stricken with agoraphobia’ — which was a condition with which I had wrestled earlier in my life — and she was unable to venture outside.”
That hypothesis birthed Dr Anna Fox, the Merlot-chugging heroine of The Woman in the Window, comprised in parts of Finn himself, of people he knew, and the anonymous neighbour. She’s a tragic character who watches the outside world from her window, convinced she’s witnessed a murder, which consumes her life.
“This character strode into my brain lugging her story behind her. She looked a lot like the woman across the street in a bathrobe, somewhat greasy and dishevelled with a remote control in one hand and the glass of wine in the other.”
Finn — real name Daniel Mallory, a former publishing house editor — wrote the story in 12 months, gaining praise from Stephen King, who called it “unputdownable”.
Clearly thousands agreed — it was the first debut to hit No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list in week of publication for 12 years. It has hit No. 1 in eight countries and sold 160,000 copies in Australia, hitting No. 1 here in its release week.
Now The Woman in the Window, published by Harper Collins,is in production at Fox Studios starring Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman and Amy Adams, Finn’s “first and only” choice for Anna — validated when he visited the set.
“It was so surreal. She was dressed as Anna and before meeting her I watched her film a scene, and this being a movie, she had to film the scene something like 12 times and it was a scene in which she was speaking to someone on the phone and introducing herself.
“So I heard her say 12 times, ‘this is Anna Fox’ and I thought ‘how uncanny, I made you.’”
Extraordinarily, the screen rights sold (for $1m) before the book even hit stores. Meanwhile Finn is working on his second novel — this time set in San Francisco.
Given his former career, it’s no surprise Finn is a voracious reader of thrillers, citing Gillian Flynn, Kate Atkinson and Tana French, a “triumvirate” of favourites. But he’s by no means wedded to the genre as a reader.
He loves historical fiction, nonfiction books about dogs, spies and the sea; and while touring Australia with Harper Collins, Finn has picked up as many Australian books as he can carry, scrabbling in his suitcase as he’s on the phone to list his newly-bought literary treasures, including News Corp journalist Trent Dalton’s debut work, Boy Swallows Universe, as well as Wimmera by Mark Brandi, Scrublands by Chris Hammer, The Nowhere Child by Christian White, Lonely Girl by Lynne Vincent McCarthy and Resurrection by Emma Viskic.
“I’m trying to buy a lot of Australian fiction because I haven’t read much of it,” Finn says.
“I try to buy at least one book at every bookshop I visit. I think it’s the least I could do to support the booksellers who are supporting me. Australian fiction has not been widely published outside Australia and I hope that changes.”
It’s not just the local literary scene Finn is enjoying, but he’s had a crash course in the vernacular too.
“So I learned the term ‘to root’ meant ‘to have sex with’, when my mother and I were touring a museum,” Finn says, with a cheeky laugh.
“And I asked the museum guide if he could point us to another exhibit room in which my mother and I could ‘root around’. He gently corrected me. It still makes me giggle.”
FIRST RULE OF BOOK CLUB … JOIN US!
AJ Finn’s first rule of Book Club is … no other writers.
The novelist and keen reader told the Sunday Books Page he would much rather hear the opinions of fellow fiction fans.
So he’d be right at home in our new Facebook group where you can trade tips, discuss the Book of the Month (or any other book!), learn about upcoming events, ask questions and much more — seven days a week.
Today, you can find an extract of AJ’s The Woman In The Window there, to fuel your discussions.
Just click here to find and join The Sunday Book Club on Facebook — we look forward to seeing you.
BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCOUNT
AS a regular feature the Book Club nominates a Book of the Month — and offers it at a hefty discount to readers.
September’s title is the gripping new psychological thriller The Ones You Trust, written by Caroline Overington and published by Harper Collins.
Set in the world of morning TV, a glamour presenter’s apparently perfect life collapses when her little girl seems to vanish from day care. Read Edwina Bartholomew’s interview with Caroline to know more.
To get 30 per cent off the recommended retail price click here to go to Booktopia — and use the code NCBT18.
October’s book will be Table For Eight by Tricia Stringer.
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