Reviews with content warning for Body horror - We Spread

Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

We Spread by Iain Reid

16 reviews

seagullsaga's review against another edition

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.

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alex_wordweaver's review against another edition

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dark sad fast-paced

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

3.75

Read a proof version of the story, so the finished product may be different. Was engrossed by it, though. Liked it well enough. Was thrown by a few spelling/grammar errors--not sure if part of the plot/story/intentional or not.

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mindespair's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

"I've never wanted to avoid darkness in my own work, my own darkness. But revealing my own shadows is not enough in itself. What I want, what I've always wanted, is for another person to feel relief from their darkness when they look at my work."

With his third novel, Iain Reid has cemented himself as one of my favorite authors. I felt that Penny was somewhat of a self-insert for him, especially when she spoke about her art. The quote above really spoke to me because it felt like it came from Reid himself. His work does make me feel relief from my own darkness.

One of my favorite things about Reid as a writer (aside from his unreliable narrators) is his faith in his reader. He never makes the mistake of over-explaining, making you feel dumb. He lets his stories unravel organically without the need for a timeout to explain the logistics. He trusts you with your own interpretation. While I was reading this novel in particular, I kept trying to figure out how to explain what was going on; how Reid could explain it. Eventually I realized that he wouldn't. We don't need to be told why

Shelley was collecting hair and fingernails or how long Penny was really at Six Cedars or how old Shelley really is or plenty of other lingering questions we may have

; those are for us to figure out, not for an author to spell out for us. Reid knows how to give the right number of answers; never too many or too few.

This book mostly revolves around the fear of growing old, fading away, dying, etc. I found it very touching amidst the exhausting anti-aging craze. Growing old is a privilege. Life is beautiful because it ends. Eternal life is eternal torture. This book took all of these thoughts and whipped them into a beautiful psychological horror.

Lastly, I'd say that my favorite aspect of this novel is how strongly the residents of Six Cedars are pushed to be productive.

Shelley encourages Penny, Ruth, Hilbert, and Pete to bond—not to truly connect, but to assimilate into one being. She wants them to assimilate and increase productivity. What she desires is a workforce.

The residents are regularly plagued with thoughts that they (senior citizens who are long retired) are not doing enough, not accomplishing enough. This shame is intrinsic to capitalism. We are only worth what we can produce. The residents of Six Cedars are only worth what they can produce, what they can give. They have no intrinsic worth. They are treated as cogs in a machine.

This is easily a new favorite. Read it if you can. This was an incredible start to 2024.

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jessicabobessica's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This was a quick read for me, driven by desire to know the ending. The story was just abstract enough to keep me guessing, which I liked. When an author can keep me guessing, without alienating me with indecipherable metaphor it is a win.

The connection to nature was a pleasant surprise, and I found myself actually learning some fun stuff about trees and other plant species.

Definitely wouldn’t recommend this one for folks who struggle with dementia or themes of depersonalization.

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andrewhatesham's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.75

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ilana_pop's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated

3.75

i have no clue what I just read

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mbmayo's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

Penny is an elderly woman who has found herself alone for quite some time after the death of her partner and friends. After she suffers a fall herself, she is moved to a long term care residence, Six Cedars.
The book is told through Penny's eyes and we readers are left wondering whether her fears, paranoia and lost time are real and sinister or a merely a symptom of dementia? Reid's prose leaves either possibility open.

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