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A review by justinkhchen
This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno
5.0
5 stars
Ripe with empathy but also fantastically deranged, This Thing Between Us is a worthwhile literary horror roller coaster, even if the final destination might leaves you a little baffled to what exactly has happened. I detect influence of Pet Sematary, 2001 A Space Odyssey, and even Drag Me to Hell (a 2009 movie from Sam Raimi).
Written as continuous monologue from the protagonist to his dead wife (with no chapter stop), I highly recommend experience this novel through its audiobook, as the performance heightens the intimacy and the corrosion of his mental state.
Even though the synopsis really doubles down on the B-movie level 'haunted smart speaker' plot point, it ultimately plays a minor role to a larger story centering on grief. I particularly appreciate the writing in This Thing Between Us, which is filled with a surprising amount of levity, considering the book deals with such a bleak subject matter. The humor also acts as a false sense of safety, and intensifies the harrowing terror when it strikes; at one point I had to pause my audiobook and take a break when a certain individual got 'half-sucked' into 'something'—not only was the visual gruesome, the fact this character just had such great banter with the protagonist right before made it even more devastating.
This Thing Between Us starts out as an eerie character-focused slow burn, then turns into a nightmare gone berserk in its second half. I'll admit the ending lost me, but it has been awhile since I was so emotionally attached to a horror novel protagonist, that getting a resolution regarding his state of being overtook my need for a comprehensible plot wrap-up. Highly recommend for readers who enjoy horror being used as a device to discuss human condition.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
Ripe with empathy but also fantastically deranged, This Thing Between Us is a worthwhile literary horror roller coaster, even if the final destination might leaves you a little baffled to what exactly has happened. I detect influence of Pet Sematary, 2001 A Space Odyssey, and even Drag Me to Hell (a 2009 movie from Sam Raimi).
Written as continuous monologue from the protagonist to his dead wife (with no chapter stop), I highly recommend experience this novel through its audiobook, as the performance heightens the intimacy and the corrosion of his mental state.
Even though the synopsis really doubles down on the B-movie level 'haunted smart speaker' plot point, it ultimately plays a minor role to a larger story centering on grief. I particularly appreciate the writing in This Thing Between Us, which is filled with a surprising amount of levity, considering the book deals with such a bleak subject matter. The humor also acts as a false sense of safety, and intensifies the harrowing terror when it strikes; at one point I had to pause my audiobook and take a break when a certain individual got 'half-sucked' into 'something'—not only was the visual gruesome, the fact this character just had such great banter with the protagonist right before made it even more devastating.
This Thing Between Us starts out as an eerie character-focused slow burn, then turns into a nightmare gone berserk in its second half. I'll admit the ending lost me, but it has been awhile since I was so emotionally attached to a horror novel protagonist, that getting a resolution regarding his state of being overtook my need for a comprehensible plot wrap-up. Highly recommend for readers who enjoy horror being used as a device to discuss human condition.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**