Reviews tagging 'Gore'

I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

34 reviews

pchamblee's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is the first audiobook I’ve tried and made it all the way through, so I have to give major credit to Candace Thaxton and the rest of the narration team for pulling it off so well. Considering the psychological suspense factor, I’ll forever be curious what it would have been like to experience it the first time in print (possibly would have been even more mind-boggling)—but, I thoroughly enjoyed the delivery of the narration.

This is a very eerie and disturbing story. It’s obvious early on that there’s mystery involved and there will be a twist at the end, but I don’t think any reader can be fully prepared for what comes (despite all the hints woven in). Even though I typically go for comfort fiction with happily ever afters, I love a good psychological thriller story and this book does it really well. It’s unique in the way it balances a meandering intellectual commentary with a thoroughly terrifying cautionary tale.

I’ve heard the Netflix film adaptation isn’t 100% true to the book and many fans say it doesn’t do it justice, but once I get a chance I’m gonna watch it out of curiously and just because I liked this story so much.
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thomasmagee_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A fever dream where the twist makes all the difference. Not sure how to feel about this one, and definitely threw me for a loop 
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strange_and_unusual's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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angrynerd's review

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

1.0

Labeled as a novel, I would put this work more in the ‘novella’ category. The plot compels readers to tackle it quickly and an avid reader with a stretch of time on their hands could finish this in a sitting or two. However, if it weren’t for it’s shorter length I may have abandoned it before the end. The writing style is very staccato and  at the start I was unsure if I was being led by an unreliable narrator or if the author didn’t properly narrate from woman's perspective. The answer was yes to both and in the end it actually worked, but I wasn’t left with the feeling it was done purposefully. Women are not a monolith, but it never felt natural. The author does well constantly supplying a feeling of unease. The second to last chapter contains four pages of a single question asked over and over. However, there are several plot devices, at least one of which I considered important, that are just never explained. I thought reaching the end would give me the ‘Aha!’ that explained the things I was annoyed about or at the very least make them less annoying, but in the end it just wasn’t what the reviews promised. 
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literatureleaf's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Age: 15+
 
Reading time: 3 days
 
Difficulty level: 1.5/5
 
Rating: 4.5/5
 
 
I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid follows our nameless protagonist and her boyfriend Jake as they embark on a road trip to have dinner with Jake’s parents. Plagued by thoughts of ending the relationship, she spends the car ride mulling over how it got to this point, and wondering if this is how it was always meant to be.
 
Meeting his family does not quell her hesitations, and the journey back home begins in a very similar manner to the trip there. However, after an unplanned stop at the local high school Jake attended as a teenager, things begin to go downhill in a way that neither the characters themselves nor the reader could have predicted.
 
A genuine literary thriller, I’m Thinking of Ending Things intricately weaves suspense and in-depth, authentic character study together in a way that has never been done before. Without holding anything back, Reid puts a new spin on the concept of a plot twist and utilizes it in a way that can be described as nothing short of poetic.
 
Atmosphere reigns supreme in this novel. Built up slowly and steadily, through scarce but vivid depictions of a desolate, snowy setting brimming with despair, and an unfiltered look at the flitting, unfettered thoughts and observations of the main protagonist, consistent, permeating feelings of dread and unease slowly creep up as the plot advances.
 
Written in a deceptively simple, choppy manner, I’m Thinking of Ending Things will sneak up and grab you in a chokehold when you’re least expecting it. As the tale unfolds, and little glimpses of something that is deeply wrong just beneath the surface of what appears to be a straightforward, even somewhat boring, trip between a couple on the brink of a breakup emerge, the reader is left deeply unsettled, wondering what it is that they are missing.
 
Flaws are few and far between, but so much of the story takes place within the protagonist’s mind, that at times it can be a bit stifling. Inner monologues fill much of the story, only broken up intermittently with the stark, vivid imagery mentioned earlier, and although they are incredibly well written, feeling stuck in the narrator’s head is not an uncommon feeling.
 
Invoking feelings of longing, despair, unease, and grief for the characters, I’m Thinking of Ending Things reads and feels like a beautiful punch to the gut that will leave you simultaneously longing for more and begging for it to be over. A devastatingly believable account of a life filled with pain, loneliness, and resentment, I’m Thinking of Ending Things will live on in the minds of those who have read it for months after the final page is read and the book itself is closed.
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fae_on_fire's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-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? Yes

5.0

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redefiningrachel's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-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

1.0

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annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

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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? Yes

5.0

wow. okay, so, over two years ago, a friend recounted this book to me, including its ending. later i started to read it but never finished; today i read it start to finish. even knowing the ending it was still so unsettling and creepy, which is commendable because i don't see myself as easily scared by books. and even as a horror/thriller, it had substance to it and leaves me with much to think about. recommend, though it's best to go in knowing as little as possible.
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bookburdy's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-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

3.0

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kibiiiariii's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense 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

1.5

I truly disliked this book. 

The writing itself isn't that bad, but the beginning and end of this book really are. The beginning is extremely boring and filled with superficial philosophy, 
the long car ride does really feel like one, it´s never-ending
the end made me full of rage, I already wasn't enjoying this book but the ending really felt like I had wasted hours of my life,
the author pulled the it was all a dream shtick 
. The middle part didn't feel as bad.

As for the characters, I cannot stand the main one, (whose POV we always follow) I was actually constantly rooting for her death. I am aware she represents more than appears at first sight, but I still find her insufferable. 

On a brighter note, or darker in this case, I felt the tense and ominous environment was really well maintained from the half point onwards, but this wasn't enough to save this book for me.  
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