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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.
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
Graphic: Gaslighting and Mental illness
Moderate: Death
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Chronic illness, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Dementia, and Mental illness
Moderate: Terminal illness, Ableism, and Self harm
Minor: Animal death
mindespair's review against another edition
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 whyShelley 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.
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
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.
This is easily a new favorite. Read it if you can. This was an incredible start to 2024.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Kidnapping
Minor: Medical content, Animal death, and Suicide
disguisedposer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Grief, Suicide, Confinement, Death, and Gaslighting
deerlordxx's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting and Dementia
andrewhatesham's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Medical content, Suicide, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, and Death
ilana_pop's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Dementia
Moderate: Body horror
fatfatrat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Gaslighting
taliaalongi's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
kshertz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This is such an interesting concept. I really enjoyed how highlighted nursing facilities in homes and how people can be thrown away from society. The real horror is real life. I like those kind of horror stories. You spent the whole time trying to understand the unreliable narrator and I liked that aspect. Highly recommend
Content Warnings
Minor: Gaslighting, Abandonment, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization