A review by angrynerd
I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

1.0

Labeled as a novel, I would put this work more in the ‘novella’ category. The plot compels readers to tackle it quickly and an avid reader with a stretch of time on their hands could finish this in a sitting or two. However, if it weren’t for it’s shorter length I may have abandoned it before the end. The writing style is very staccato and  at the start I was unsure if I was being led by an unreliable narrator or if the author didn’t properly narrate from woman's perspective. The answer was yes to both and in the end it actually worked, but I wasn’t left with the feeling it was done purposefully. Women are not a monolith, but it never felt natural. The author does well constantly supplying a feeling of unease. The second to last chapter contains four pages of a single question asked over and over. However, there are several plot devices, at least one of which I considered important, that are just never explained. I thought reaching the end would give me the ‘Aha!’ that explained the things I was annoyed about or at the very least make them less annoying, but in the end it just wasn’t what the reviews promised. 
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