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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.
gilliske's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
4.0
monicaa_d's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
This was a quick read, and engaging. Since the narrator is losing time, the book doesn't dwell on the mundane, but instead skips to each crucial event in turn. I think it would take me another read to tease out all of the themes and meanings of the story's elements. I feel as though the book spoke to bodily autonomy and right to die, playing God, and the contrast between feeling pressure to complete things that don't need to be completed and pressure to extend infinitely things that should come to an end.
The characterization was crucial to the story, and was done very well. Being in the shoes of a woman reflecting on her life while battling the confusion that clouds her own mind and trying to parse out what's real and what's a lie was just as disorienting as it was meant to be.
The characterization was crucial to the story, and was done very well. Being in the shoes of a woman reflecting on her life while battling the confusion that clouds her own mind and trying to parse out what's real and what's a lie was just as disorienting as it was meant to be.
bookinhand_peyton's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
kimvandorp's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0