A review by jnzllwgr
Foe by Iain Reid

3.0

Didn’t live up to the hopes of the ambiguous summary. I trusted that if the author had his first novel sold and made into a film directed by Charlie Kaufman (I’m Thinking of Ending Things, which I’ve not read or watched), its probably worth a gamble. It’s mostly about the relationship between a husband and wife and how memory plays a role in forging bonds, undermining them, preventing progress, etc. There’s a narrative plot twist that drives the book but, honestly it was predictable. Unlike Michael Faber (Under the Skin), who deftly peels back layers of the onion, once you’ve hit ~70% complete with Foe, you realize there isn’t too much depth and you just want to get on with it. And even if you don’t see it coming, you’d find it making sufficiently reasonable sense. Not quite disappointing as a M.Night Shyamalan reveal, but leaving you hoping for a bit more meat on the bones. It’s a brisk read, only about 260 pages, so no harm no foul to dedicate a few hours of one’s life to it. But not going on a shortlist anytime soon.
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#iainreid #foe #sciencefiction #relationships #simulacrum