boo_ok's profile picture

boo_ok 's review for:

This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno
4.75
dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I listened to the audiobook and read the book, revisting some of the sections with both. The narrator, Robb Moreira does a great job and makes the main character feel accessible.
 
There are two things that prevented me from giving this novel a full 5 stars: It’s reference heavy, with both direct and indirect references to other pieces of media. It felt a bit like a crutch for the author. I didn’t love the epistolary (second person?) format and grew tired of being the main character’s recipient (
his deceased wife.
) The latter starts to fall off about 40% of the way through and the author found a reason for the mc to do this
(the mc’s mother-in-law suggests writing it out as a letter to his dead wife )


Other than that, I really enjoyed this book, even more than I thought I would. I started it and then set it aside for nearly two weeks, expecting it to be a novel that focused on grief, more so than horror. I didn’t read the synopsis before starting and I’m glad
because the haunted Itza/Alexa/smart speaker isn’t really a main plot point like the synopsis makes it out to be.
I loved the cosmic horror elements here.
I loved “the cook” and the preparation for “the banquet”.


While I think much of this book came across as discovery writing, it seems like the author went back through the story afterwards to tie it all together. I look forward to reading any future horror novels Gus Moreno puts forward. Also, I was happy to see that he mentioned Sara Gran’s Come Closer in the acknowledgements, as it is one of my favorites too. Finally, I’m hoping someone will read this review and
pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall pull me out of the wall