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aidamoon's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
strategineer's review against another edition
1.0
Uhhhhhh. Heavy sigh.
It's got a twist.
Yayyyyyyyyyyyyy
I loooooOooOoove twists.
Especially when the foreshadowing of the twist is indistinguishable from terrible writing (absurd internal monologues, nonsensical dialogue between characters) on your first, and probably last, reading of the text.
SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT
Canonically, the book you're reading, except for the flashforward interstitials between most chapters, was written by an autistic man who kills himself by the end of the book (a truly inspirational tale, thank you so much for your service Iain).
Iain could have made an attempt at portraying this autistic character with dignity throughout pivotal moments of his life (the ups and downs). Instead he chose to write a book about a delusional and clinically depressed autistic man who kills himself because he is crippled by regret (relatable) and has nothing to live for.
I hesitate to say that this book is bad. For me, the way the story is told combined with how depressing it is made it hard for me to appreciate the text for what it is. If I squint real hard, I can see another version of myself enjoying this book.
I think that "I'm thinking of ending things" is a good piece of art because of how confused and angry it makes me.
Overall though, it's not for me.
Spoiler
It's got a twist.
Yayyyyyyyyyyyyy
I loooooOooOoove twists.
Especially when the foreshadowing of the twist is indistinguishable from terrible writing (absurd internal monologues, nonsensical dialogue between characters) on your first, and probably last, reading of the text.
SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT
Spoiler
Canonically, the book you're reading, except for the flashforward interstitials between most chapters, was written by an autistic man who kills himself by the end of the book (a truly inspirational tale, thank you so much for your service Iain).
Iain could have made an attempt at portraying this autistic character with dignity throughout pivotal moments of his life (the ups and downs). Instead he chose to write a book about a delusional and clinically depressed autistic man who kills himself because he is crippled by regret (relatable) and has nothing to live for.
I hesitate to say that this book is bad. For me, the way the story is told combined with how depressing it is made it hard for me to appreciate the text for what it is. If I squint real hard, I can see another version of myself enjoying this book.
I think that "I'm thinking of ending things" is a good piece of art because of how confused and angry it makes me.
Overall though, it's not for me.
itsrickibobbi's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kitonline's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Similarly to Bunny by Mona Awad, which I also rated 5 stars, I couldn't tell if I loved or hated this book upon finishing it. It honestly broke my brain in a way no other book has before. I went into it knowing little to nothing and am new to thrillers, so that might play into my love for this book. however, I really just think that the execution of this book was so masterfully done. From start to finish, I was fully engaged. The short chapters made it fly by and by the end, I was audibly reacting to everything. It was such a unique reading experience and I would pay to experience it again and again. It is extremely depressing and dark, but so so good in my opinion. Check content warnings as always!
mayfield89's review against another edition
1.0
I really thought this would be one of my favourite reads this year. The book was really really boring, the author tried to make it creepy but to me it was just boring. The plot felt very forced and it literally came out of nowhere. I felt like Jake was really annoying and I really hated his "smart talks" or whatever it was called where the author tries to make him sound really smart.
benelliot's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
en0mad's review against another edition
The book, while having very interesting concepts, and a good setup — was too slow for me. It seemed that nothing was going on, and while the concepts of disassociation and mental health intrigue the hell out of me, the plot didn’t seem to have much going for it for me to care about the characters not finish it.
pin_boy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ametakinetos's review against another edition
4.0
I should've seen that coming.
(There's no way I could've seen that coming.)
HOLY MOLY.
(There's no way I could've seen that coming.)
HOLY MOLY.