Just One Reader's Opinion!

I’m Thinking of Ending Things

I’m Thinking of Ending ThingsI'm Thinking of Ending Things By Iain Reid

Source Purchased

Published by Gallery/Scout Press on June 14, 2016

Rating: four-stars

Cover image and synopsis from Goodreads:

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 knew pretty much nothing about this book going in, and I think that’s the best way to read this! If you want my very quick review, I’d say it was a challenging read and I recommend it! If you want more details on what I thought of I’m Thinking of Ending Things, read on – spoiler-free!

I fully expected there to be some sort of twist to this story, based on reviews I’d seen that were vague in other ways but did talk about a twist of sorts (hey, kind of like this review!). Truthfully, I was very surprised when I finished this book. I actually put it (well, my Kindle) down and sat there sort of shocked and silent for a while. Then I re-read portions of the story.

And then I talked to my husband about what I’d read. I wasn’t sure, at first, if I liked the book. I wasn’t sure that I enjoyed reading something that seemed to require a second read for me to feel like I understood it. But then I wondered if I was just being lazy. And after I did some re-reading, I was struck by how everything was laid out. It was all so intricate.

And aside from that, I liked the way the author was able to create such a sense of dread and unease from the start, even at times where nothing seemed to be happening. It was so well done.

I’ve been thinking about this book since I finished. Definitely recommended.

four-stars

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