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crloken's review against another edition
3.0
"Dad almost fell over backward when he lifted up the first pig. But he did it. He lifted and turned it. He found its belly was swarming with maggots. Thousands of them. It looked like its entire underside was covered in moving rice. The other one was even worse than the first. Both pigs were literally being eaten alive. From the inside out. And you'd never really know if you just looked at them from afar. From a distance they seemed content, relaxed. Up close, it was a different story....They had to be put down and out of their misery. Suffering like that is unendurable. Even if the solution is final....What if suffering doesn't end with death? How can we know? What if it doesn't get better? What if death isn't an escape? What if the maggots continue to feed and feed and feed and continue to be felt? This possibility scares me."
The narrator is travelling with Jake, her boyfriend, to visit his parents at the farm where he was raised. They've only been dating for a few months, but she feels more connected to him than she has to anyone before. She finds him attractive, and considers him the finest conversationalist she's ever met. She's thinking of ending things. She's not sure when she started thinking of ending things, but once she did she felt unable to stop. Meanwhile she keeps getting phone calls from someone with an effeminate but male sounding voice who tells her that she needs to answer the only question worth asking. He always calls from her number.
The first 70 pages are the road trip made up of the narrators thoughts, memories, and her conversations with Jake. Once they arrive at the farm, Jake gives her a tour. Every about the tour is unnerving, as is the dinner inside and the conversations with his parents. After they leave they go to a dairy queen and eventually a tour. The story becomes more and more unsettling and stream of consciousness as everything becomes more surreal and more unclear.
The key to the story though rests in those conversations. Jake and his girlfriend discuss life, death, depression, and relationships. What is closeness? Do we ever get close to anyone? Is closeness when we can truly know everything there is to know about someone else, except that we can never know their thoughts and people can't know our thoughts. Are we only ever really alone? And is it better to be alone, or in a relationship? Is that why people stay in relationships that are broken? Why so many people get married even though statistically they won't stay together?
I read this twice in one day. The first time I found the tagline "You will be scared. But you won't know why." to be very accurate, but on a reread I found the experience to instead be intensely sad and upsetting. There's an overwhelming depression and loneliness build into every sentence of the novel that is only really apparent once it's clear where it's going and what is actually happening. Reminiscent of [a:Jeff VanderMeer|33919|Jeff VanderMeer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1522640540p2/33919.jpg], [a:Alex Garland|5684|Alex Garland|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1232836801p2/5684.jpg], [a:Shirley Jackson|13388|Shirley Jackson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1550251468p2/13388.jpg]'s [b:We Have Always Lived in the Castle|89724|We Have Always Lived in the Castle|Shirley Jackson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415357189l/89724._SX50_.jpg|847007] and of The Twilight Zone. But it also reminded me greatly [a:Jean-Paul Sartre|1466|Jean-Paul Sartre|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1475567078p2/1466.jpg]'s [b:No Exit|123933|No Exit|Jean-Paul Sartre|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1362639118l/123933._SX50_.jpg|8826974], and [a:Albert Camus|957894|Albert Camus|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1506091612p2/957894.jpg]'s [b:The Myth of Sisyphus|91950|The Myth of Sisyphus|Albert Camus|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347654509l/91950._SY75_.jpg|48339830]. I am convinced that the mentions of the only one question that matters is a reference to Camus's only one truly serious philosophical problem.
But I'm not convinced I liked it. It's questions and conclusions strike me as overwhelmingly grim. I feel similarly to how I felt after I had read We Have Always Lived in the Castle; genuinely impressed by the craft and talent on display, but overwhelmingly depressed and disturbed by the content to a point of hoping not to have to think about it anymore, although being unable to stop thinking about it. I also think it's fairly necessary to read the book twice. The last sentence of the book suggests reading it starting at the end and then circling back. At this point it's too late for that so the obvious suggestion is that we should just read it again, and I think that suggestion is correct in order to get the most out of it. But if a book is truly successful shouldn't its secrets be unveiled fully on the first read? That's a genuine question, and perhaps the answer is "no". Perhaps there is something really impressive in managing to create a story in which the second read is a completely different experience.
I think it's good, but I also found the experience of reading it increasingly unpleasant. I would suggest reading it twice to get the most out of it, although I think that also made it a more upsetting experience. It's a slowly unraveling mystery with the ultimate answer that the human condition is to end hopeless and alone. I think it's probably a bad book to read during quarantine.
The narrator is travelling with Jake, her boyfriend, to visit his parents at the farm where he was raised. They've only been dating for a few months, but she feels more connected to him than she has to anyone before. She finds him attractive, and considers him the finest conversationalist she's ever met. She's thinking of ending things. She's not sure when she started thinking of ending things, but once she did she felt unable to stop. Meanwhile she keeps getting phone calls from someone with an effeminate but male sounding voice who tells her that she needs to answer the only question worth asking. He always calls from her number.
The first 70 pages are the road trip made up of the narrators thoughts, memories, and her conversations with Jake. Once they arrive at the farm, Jake gives her a tour. Every about the tour is unnerving, as is the dinner inside and the conversations with his parents. After they leave they go to a dairy queen and eventually a tour. The story becomes more and more unsettling and stream of consciousness as everything becomes more surreal and more unclear.
The key to the story though rests in those conversations. Jake and his girlfriend discuss life, death, depression, and relationships. What is closeness? Do we ever get close to anyone? Is closeness when we can truly know everything there is to know about someone else, except that we can never know their thoughts and people can't know our thoughts. Are we only ever really alone? And is it better to be alone, or in a relationship? Is that why people stay in relationships that are broken? Why so many people get married even though statistically they won't stay together?
I read this twice in one day. The first time I found the tagline "You will be scared. But you won't know why." to be very accurate, but on a reread I found the experience to instead be intensely sad and upsetting. There's an overwhelming depression and loneliness build into every sentence of the novel that is only really apparent once it's clear where it's going and what is actually happening. Reminiscent of [a:Jeff VanderMeer|33919|Jeff VanderMeer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1522640540p2/33919.jpg], [a:Alex Garland|5684|Alex Garland|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1232836801p2/5684.jpg], [a:Shirley Jackson|13388|Shirley Jackson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1550251468p2/13388.jpg]'s [b:We Have Always Lived in the Castle|89724|We Have Always Lived in the Castle|Shirley Jackson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415357189l/89724._SX50_.jpg|847007] and of The Twilight Zone. But it also reminded me greatly [a:Jean-Paul Sartre|1466|Jean-Paul Sartre|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1475567078p2/1466.jpg]'s [b:No Exit|123933|No Exit|Jean-Paul Sartre|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1362639118l/123933._SX50_.jpg|8826974], and [a:Albert Camus|957894|Albert Camus|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1506091612p2/957894.jpg]'s [b:The Myth of Sisyphus|91950|The Myth of Sisyphus|Albert Camus|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347654509l/91950._SY75_.jpg|48339830]. I am convinced that the mentions of the only one question that matters is a reference to Camus's only one truly serious philosophical problem.
But I'm not convinced I liked it. It's questions and conclusions strike me as overwhelmingly grim. I feel similarly to how I felt after I had read We Have Always Lived in the Castle; genuinely impressed by the craft and talent on display, but overwhelmingly depressed and disturbed by the content to a point of hoping not to have to think about it anymore, although being unable to stop thinking about it. I also think it's fairly necessary to read the book twice. The last sentence of the book suggests reading it starting at the end and then circling back. At this point it's too late for that so the obvious suggestion is that we should just read it again, and I think that suggestion is correct in order to get the most out of it. But if a book is truly successful shouldn't its secrets be unveiled fully on the first read? That's a genuine question, and perhaps the answer is "no". Perhaps there is something really impressive in managing to create a story in which the second read is a completely different experience.
I think it's good, but I also found the experience of reading it increasingly unpleasant. I would suggest reading it twice to get the most out of it, although I think that also made it a more upsetting experience. It's a slowly unraveling mystery with the ultimate answer that the human condition is to end hopeless and alone. I think it's probably a bad book to read during quarantine.
heather_harrison's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Whiplash embodied into a psychological horror.
Content Warnings
It’s complicated but generally trigger warning
jbrownleo's review against another edition
4.0
Such a strange book. I knew something was off a majority of the time but I think I expected something different from the ending. I don’t understand the ending 100% but maybe that was intentionally done by the author. It was a quick easy read and I didn’t hate it, but it was a bit weird.
happycrafter207's review against another edition
4.0
Wow!! What a creepy novel! I haven’t been creeped out like this in a long time. I’m grateful that it’s a short novel.
The novel opens with the line “I’m thinking of ending things”. The reader learns that these are the thoughts of Jake’s girlfriend. Almost the entire novel is the girlfriend’s (she unnamed throughout the novel) musings on her relationship with Jake. Between weird dialogues that suggest that something horrible has happened. The girlfriend’s thoughts and her conversations with Jake leave the reader unsettled. The deeper the reader gets into the novel creates the deeper feelings of unnerving. Author Iain Reid does a fantastic job of pulling the reader into the story, and making the reader feel worried and disturbed. This is full of twists and creepy details. This is a psychological suspense novel worth its salt!
The novel opens with the line “I’m thinking of ending things”. The reader learns that these are the thoughts of Jake’s girlfriend. Almost the entire novel is the girlfriend’s (she unnamed throughout the novel) musings on her relationship with Jake. Between weird dialogues that suggest that something horrible has happened. The girlfriend’s thoughts and her conversations with Jake leave the reader unsettled. The deeper the reader gets into the novel creates the deeper feelings of unnerving. Author Iain Reid does a fantastic job of pulling the reader into the story, and making the reader feel worried and disturbed. This is full of twists and creepy details. This is a psychological suspense novel worth its salt!
ouireads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
laurenczora's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars, rounded down.
I went into this book not knowing anything about it and was very surprised by the ending. I’m definitely going to need a minute to digest and think about what I just read.
I went into this book not knowing anything about it and was very surprised by the ending. I’m definitely going to need a minute to digest and think about what I just read.
candacenw's review against another edition
4.0
❄️ Unreliable narrator
❄️ Super strange and unsettling
❄️ There are discussions surrounding loneliness, relationships, and intelligence that get pretty philosophical
❄️ This is probably not for everyone but I enjoyed it, including the twist that I would normally despise in a story—and I’ll probably be thinking about it for a while
❄️ Super strange and unsettling
❄️ There are discussions surrounding loneliness, relationships, and intelligence that get pretty philosophical
❄️ This is probably not for everyone but I enjoyed it, including the twist that I would normally despise in a story—and I’ll probably be thinking about it for a while
liamccormack's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
spookypasta's review against another edition
3.0
If I'm being totally honest, I'm not even sure I fully understand the ending. That said, the book was different and there were a lot of passages I really enjoyed so I give it 3.5 stars.
etinney's review against another edition
3.0
3 out of 5 stars
I think the set-up and the allegory the story told was interesting, and I understand what it was trying to do. I think Reid has a great grasp on creepy storytelling. I was genuinely creeped out particularly at the parents’ house. However, I think Reid’s style of mansplaining philosophy got old quickly and took me out of the story too much. I lost sight of the allegory and merely became irritated with the characters.
I’ll watch the Netflix adaptation because I think this story is actually well suited for a film, but I don’t think I’ll pick anything else up from Reid.
Edit: Just watched the Netflix adaption. I was wrong, the movie was somehow worse.
I know the relationship isn’t the point of the book (nor is it it really even real) but the heterosexual nonsense in this book just reminds me of this TikTok.
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeSXrVrW/
I think the set-up and the allegory the story told was interesting, and I understand what it was trying to do. I think Reid has a great grasp on creepy storytelling. I was genuinely creeped out particularly at the parents’ house. However, I think Reid’s style of mansplaining philosophy got old quickly and took me out of the story too much. I lost sight of the allegory and merely became irritated with the characters.
I’ll watch the Netflix adaptation because I think this story is actually well suited for a film, but I don’t think I’ll pick anything else up from Reid.
Edit: Just watched the Netflix adaption. I was wrong, the movie was somehow worse.
I know the relationship isn’t the point of the book (nor is it it really even real) but the heterosexual nonsense in this book just reminds me of this TikTok.
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeSXrVrW/