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swilson_4446's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
amanda_poynter's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
loucadoslivros's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
chelseatm's review against another edition
3.0
Lacked the satisfying ending from Reid's other novels. He's earned a lot of faith from me in the past because his books, while existing without a clear thread, always wrapped up in a clear way. This one left me more confused.
stuffhanreads's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved We Spread by Iain Reid, he’s been a favourite author of mine since I read I’m Thinking of Ending Things. I love the fact he writes with unreliable narrators.
To start off with, Penny our main character is an older lady who has been taken to a care facility after an accident in her apartment which she lived in for 50 years. Once she moves in, she realises that she keeps forgetting things, or as she believes that Shelley, the owner is lying to her. Which doesn’t seem to be the case.
As the book gets further and further in, we see Penny’s memory deteriorate more and more, she forgets longer amounts of time. And develops a large amount of distrust towards Shelley. Which seems to be in my opinion due to her forgetting. I believe that the book was mostly about how old age affects us.
I would say this is a new favourite definitely, with a 5/5 star rating.
To start off with, Penny our main character is an older lady who has been taken to a care facility after an accident in her apartment which she lived in for 50 years. Once she moves in, she realises that she keeps forgetting things, or as she believes that Shelley, the owner is lying to her. Which doesn’t seem to be the case.
As the book gets further and further in, we see Penny’s memory deteriorate more and more, she forgets longer amounts of time. And develops a large amount of distrust towards Shelley. Which seems to be in my opinion due to her forgetting. I believe that the book was mostly about how old age affects us.
I would say this is a new favourite definitely, with a 5/5 star rating.
linnaboobooks's review against another edition
5.0
I am yet another person to give this a five star rating.
If you have a family member or work with elderly people, especially if they suffer from Alzheimer's, you will see some sort of familiarly you might find in any respect of the variation in one of the four elders that are shown in this novel (Penny, Hilbert, Ruth, and Pete). And because of that, it's understandably impactful to see what it's like inside the mind of someone with Alzheimer's as it becomes worse.
As someone who has had a grandfather with Alzheimer's, from a young age I've been aware of this disease for over 15 years. The title "We Spread" has a different meaning to me because of this than the in-novel reference, it's about how the disease spreads with time through the brain as neurons and tangles worsen.
This by far may be one of the most realistic horrors I've came across, in how sincerely and honestly it portrays the horror of Alzheimer's and how it affects the person with it. How scary it becomes to lose the passage of time, to forget hours and days at a time, hallucinate, and a bunch of other terrifying one can go through.
It's not scary, not in the way more traditional horror is, it's scary for Penny. And possibly the reader if growing old like this is a fear of theirs.
If you have a family member or work with elderly people, especially if they suffer from Alzheimer's, you will see some sort of familiarly you might find in any respect of the variation in one of the four elders that are shown in this novel (Penny, Hilbert, Ruth, and Pete). And because of that, it's understandably impactful to see what it's like inside the mind of someone with Alzheimer's as it becomes worse.
As someone who has had a grandfather with Alzheimer's, from a young age I've been aware of this disease for over 15 years. The title "We Spread" has a different meaning to me because of this than the in-novel reference, it's about how the disease spreads with time through the brain as neurons and tangles worsen.
This by far may be one of the most realistic horrors I've came across, in how sincerely and honestly it portrays the horror of Alzheimer's and how it affects the person with it. How scary it becomes to lose the passage of time, to forget hours and days at a time, hallucinate, and a bunch of other terrifying one can go through.
It's not scary, not in the way more traditional horror is, it's scary for Penny. And possibly the reader if growing old like this is a fear of theirs.
pzameche's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
janagaton's review against another edition
5.0
picked this up on a whim & it may have been one of my best reading decisions of the year. ive NEVER sobbed harder over a book in my entire life! this book really makes you think and re-evaluate your entire life. it came to me at the perfect time because I've been constantly thinking about running out of time, making moments count, etc. more than usual lately. aging & forgetting & not being able to do things i love? all of that scares tf out of me. & this book does a phenomenal job of exploring those things & hits so hard. i got this from the library but ordered it for my shelves halfway through and i can't wait to reread it already & annotate the hell out of it. definitely going in my top 10 of 2022 & my all-time favorite books list.
shazzalovesnovels's review against another edition
The tragedy of life isn't that the end comes, that's the gift! Without an end there's nothing, there's no meaning.