I’m Thinking of Ending Things – Iain Reid

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Pages: 224
Release Date: June 14, 2016

You will be scared. But you won’t know why…

I’m thinking of ending things. Once this thought arrives, it stays. It sticks. It lingers. It’s always there. Always.

Jake once said, “Sometimes a thought is closer to truth, to reality, than an action. You can say anything, you can do anything, but you can’t fake a thought.”

And here’s what I’m thinking: I don’t want to be here.

In this deeply suspenseful and irresistibly unnerving debut novel, a man and his girlfriend are on their way to a secluded farm. When the two take an unexpected detour, she is left stranded in a deserted high school, wondering if there is any escape at all. What follows is a twisted unraveling that will haunt you long after the last page is turned.

In this smart, suspenseful, and intense literary thriller, debut novelist Iain Reid explores the depths of the human psyche, questioning consciousness, free will, the value of relationships, fear, and the limitations of solitude. Reminiscent of Jose Saramago’s early work, Michel Faber’s cult classic Under the Skin, and Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk about Kevin, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is an edgy, haunting debut. Tense, gripping, and atmospheric, this novel pulls you in from the very first page…and never lets you go.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a mind fuck of a novel. I’m keeping this review short and vague because it’s one of those books you need to read without any information about it beforehand.

I wrestled with my star rating for a while since I couldn’t get a grip on my feelings towards the story as a whole. On one hand, I was in such shock over what I read and impressed at what it accomplished. On the other hand, I was slightly disappointed with the turn the novel took.

Iain Reid’s writing is fantastic. I loved the writing in his other novel Foe, but loved it even more here. For most of the novel, there isn’t much going on action wise, but I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I devoured his words with pleasure. But this is where my four star rating comes from. Until maybe the last chapter or two, nothing happens. It isn’t until the big reveal at the end that I appreciated what was going on and being set up.

Overall, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a short novel that will leave a huge impact on you. Its mind-blowing ending will keep you thinking about for days after trying to untangle and unpack every sentence.

 

 

Have you read I’m Thinking of Ending Things? What did you think?