Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - We Spread

Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

We Spread by Iain Reid

7 reviews

praevalesco's review against another edition

3.25

If you're familiar with the author, you know what to expect. It's another of what Reid does best - unreliable narrators just as unsure of reality as you, the reader, are. Unlike his other novels though, this felt like it was just a bit too drawn out. The characters never really developed past the shallow personalities they were assigned at the start, which made for a good bit of the middle of the book to feel repetitive. The concept was interesting however.

If you like Reid already, it's worth the read. If you're new to Reid, maybe start with a different book of his first.

Content Warnings

queenginger's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I had a good time with this one.

I picked it up after seeing so many speak highly of the story and quality of the writing. Also, I found it intriguing that the main character was an elderly woman, seeing as older folks aren’t often the protagonists of many novels — but that’s a discussion for another day.

I thought the form elevated the plot, which makes sense. And as a result, the reader gets lost in the gaps on the page, as well as the presence of time and how it’s played with throughout.

There was still just enough creepy elements to hold this in the psychological horror for me, but it’s definitely lighter than anything else I’ve picked up recently. But I enjoyed that quite a bit.

I think the writing was stellar and pulls me into this author even more. I can’t wait to check out more of Reid’s work!

Content Warnings

seagullsaga's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A book I found on accident, I very much enjoyed this book. I was drawn in by the non-traditional protagonist- you don’t usually see horror stories with an elderly woman as the protagonist. I wasn’t let down by the story itself: it is an empathetic, engrossing read that manages to avoid the pitfalls that other horror falls into when dealing with age. The horror of this book isn’t being old, instead it’s a dark story about loss of agency and isolation.

Content Warnings