Hardcover, 410 pages
English language
Published 2016 by Gallery/Scout Press.
In this deeply scary and intensely unnerving debut novel, Jake and a woman known only as "The Girlfriend" are on a drive to visit his parents at their secluded farm. But when Jake leaves "The Girlfriend" stranded at an abandoned high school, what follows is a twisted unraveling of the darkest unease, an exploration into psychological frailty, and an ending as suspenseful as The Usual Suspects and as haunting as Misery.
Deeply scary and intensely unnerving, Iain Reid's debut novel is a tightening spiral of a story about a woman's uncertainty of her relationship with her boyfriend, Jake. After an uncomfortable and confusing trip to meet Jake's parents at their isolated farmhouse, reality unravels, and events spin out of control when Jake and "The Girlfriend" make an unscheduled stop at an abandoned high school.
Part murder mystery, part psychological thriller, I'm Thinking of Ending Things is about doubt, psychological fragility, …
In this deeply scary and intensely unnerving debut novel, Jake and a woman known only as "The Girlfriend" are on a drive to visit his parents at their secluded farm. But when Jake leaves "The Girlfriend" stranded at an abandoned high school, what follows is a twisted unraveling of the darkest unease, an exploration into psychological frailty, and an ending as suspenseful as The Usual Suspects and as haunting as Misery.
Deeply scary and intensely unnerving, Iain Reid's debut novel is a tightening spiral of a story about a woman's uncertainty of her relationship with her boyfriend, Jake. After an uncomfortable and confusing trip to meet Jake's parents at their isolated farmhouse, reality unravels, and events spin out of control when Jake and "The Girlfriend" make an unscheduled stop at an abandoned high school.
Part murder mystery, part psychological thriller, I'm Thinking of Ending Things is about doubt, psychological fragility, and the lengths we'll go to avoid the truth. As twisted as Shutter Island, as suspenseful as Under the Skin, and as atmospheric as The Sisters Brothers, Reid's breakout literary thriller is sure to keep listeners guessing until the last minute.
The ending wasn't entirely a surprise by the time I got there, but I can't say I enjoy reading about psychotic people killing themselves, or psychosis being used as horror story material. I still have lots of questions, but the ending makes me too uncomfortable to think about the possible answers.
Won't say it's a bad book, but I wish I hadn't read it.
