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hunni_reads's reviews
136 reviews
I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
5.0
This book is incredible. I saw the movie when it came out and wasn’t that impressed (I was especially disappointed with the ending, as I felt it left me with no more knowledge than I had when the movie started), so I was nervous about delving into this book.
Boy, did I get a pleasant surprise.
While it’s clear that it’s the same story, the execution is so vastly different. This book gives a constantly sense of unexplainable unease. It has a distinctly unnerving quality. You will go through most of the book with lots of questions and no answers. But this pays off- because when you get to the end, the way the author ties everything together in such a profound way left be absolutely gobsmacked.
I think the less you know about the story, the better, and the plot is hard to explain. Basically, a young woman is thinking of ending things with her new boyfriend, and she isn’t sure why. However, she agrees to go with him to his childhood farm house and meet his family. Things quickly start to feel very strange. She is also frequently being called by someone she refers to as “The Caller”, who is always leaving very cryptic messages.
I think anyone who loves psychological horror(?)(not entirely sure what to classify this book as) should give this book a chance, even if you’ve already seen the film. I would even recommend it to people who are not super into the horror genre but love philosophy and stories that make them think.
I’m so glad that I read this book. It’s definitely one of my favorite reads of the year, if not one of my favorite books ever.
Boy, did I get a pleasant surprise.
While it’s clear that it’s the same story, the execution is so vastly different. This book gives a constantly sense of unexplainable unease. It has a distinctly unnerving quality. You will go through most of the book with lots of questions and no answers. But this pays off- because when you get to the end, the way the author ties everything together in such a profound way left be absolutely gobsmacked.
I think the less you know about the story, the better, and the plot is hard to explain. Basically, a young woman is thinking of ending things with her new boyfriend, and she isn’t sure why. However, she agrees to go with him to his childhood farm house and meet his family. Things quickly start to feel very strange. She is also frequently being called by someone she refers to as “The Caller”, who is always leaving very cryptic messages.
I think anyone who loves psychological horror(?)(not entirely sure what to classify this book as) should give this book a chance, even if you’ve already seen the film. I would even recommend it to people who are not super into the horror genre but love philosophy and stories that make them think.
I’m so glad that I read this book. It’s definitely one of my favorite reads of the year, if not one of my favorite books ever.
This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno
5.0
Absolutely beautiful.
This Thing Between Us is a cosmic horror book about grief and learning to cope with a huge loss. It is told in first person by Thiago, who recently lost his wife to a terrible incident caused by another person. We hear about his memories of his wife, along with his ideas of death itself and the disingenuous, performative way that people behave towards it.
Thiago starts to encounter haunting interactions between himself and his Itza (an Alexa-type household device), all while trying to figure out exactly what happened to his wife and who was at fault. Things become even more confusing and terrifying when he buys a secluded house far from home in order to grieve alone.
This book is darkly funny, while also being incredibly heartbreaking. I was thoroughly impressed with Gus Moreno, this being his first novel. I love his writing style and related to Thiago’s cynical views on loss. I even found myself reading some of the especially profound paragraphs out loud to my partner, so that we could discuss them- something I haven’t done with other books.
This Thing Between Us is a cosmic horror book about grief and learning to cope with a huge loss. It is told in first person by Thiago, who recently lost his wife to a terrible incident caused by another person. We hear about his memories of his wife, along with his ideas of death itself and the disingenuous, performative way that people behave towards it.
Thiago starts to encounter haunting interactions between himself and his Itza (an Alexa-type household device), all while trying to figure out exactly what happened to his wife and who was at fault. Things become even more confusing and terrifying when he buys a secluded house far from home in order to grieve alone.
This book is darkly funny, while also being incredibly heartbreaking. I was thoroughly impressed with Gus Moreno, this being his first novel. I love his writing style and related to Thiago’s cynical views on loss. I even found myself reading some of the especially profound paragraphs out loud to my partner, so that we could discuss them- something I haven’t done with other books.
Gerald's Game by Stephen King
5.0
One of my favorite books of all time, and definitely my favorite King book.
When Jessie goes to her lake house for a mini vacation with her husband Gerald, she finds herself in a fight for her life. A sex game gone wrong, Jessie ends up handcuffed to a bed with no ability to move and no one around to help her. She begins to cope by talking things out with the voices in her head (which are all based on people she knows, as well as different versions of herself). She has to delve into her traumatic childhood and accept repressed memories in order to find the strength that she needs to get herself out of this situation and stay alive. What ensues is bloody, heartbreaking, and anxiety inducing. There are scenes from this book that are certainly hard to read without taking a break to gather yourself, and you definitely won’t forget them.
Gerald’s Game is so much more than just a typical, claustrophobic horror story. It is a story of abuse (domestic and parental), identity, survival, and redemption. It’s a story about healing from your trauma.
I know Stephen King catches a lot of criticism for how he writes female characters, but I find this book to be incredibly empowering. Jessie is strong, relatable, and an overall well-rounded, four dimensional character.
I recommend this book not only to horror fans, but also women or anyone who has gone through abuse/trauma. I left this book feeling inspired, which is rare for a story that is meant to spark a sense of fear.
5 stars for Mr. King- this is truly one of his most beautiful works.
When Jessie goes to her lake house for a mini vacation with her husband Gerald, she finds herself in a fight for her life. A sex game gone wrong, Jessie ends up handcuffed to a bed with no ability to move and no one around to help her. She begins to cope by talking things out with the voices in her head (which are all based on people she knows, as well as different versions of herself). She has to delve into her traumatic childhood and accept repressed memories in order to find the strength that she needs to get herself out of this situation and stay alive. What ensues is bloody, heartbreaking, and anxiety inducing. There are scenes from this book that are certainly hard to read without taking a break to gather yourself, and you definitely won’t forget them.
Gerald’s Game is so much more than just a typical, claustrophobic horror story. It is a story of abuse (domestic and parental), identity, survival, and redemption. It’s a story about healing from your trauma.
I know Stephen King catches a lot of criticism for how he writes female characters, but I find this book to be incredibly empowering. Jessie is strong, relatable, and an overall well-rounded, four dimensional character.
I recommend this book not only to horror fans, but also women or anyone who has gone through abuse/trauma. I left this book feeling inspired, which is rare for a story that is meant to spark a sense of fear.
5 stars for Mr. King- this is truly one of his most beautiful works.
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
5.0
Earthlings is going to be a hit-or-miss for a lot of people, but that’s one of the things that I love about it. It’s bizarre, it’s uncomfortable, and it includes some very taboo subjects.
However, it’s very well written. It placed me directly inside of its world and made me care about the characters. I found myself totally engrossed in this book, and I read through it quicker than expected.
Don’t get me wrong, Earthlings has its gross and controversial moments that even made *me* (a seasoned reader of disturbing and f*cked up books) squirm, but I didn’t find it as distressing as a lot of readers did.
It follows Natsuki, a young girl living in Japan, as she navigates her own way of coping with trauma and abuse. Natsuki is constantly treated as a strange child and a total nuisance, and this causes her cope by believing that she is an alien who simply does not belong on this planet. She latches on to her cousin Yu (also a child who believes himself to be an alien), but when she is separated from him forever, she feels she has lost her source of hope and comfort. In the second half of the book, we see how Natsuki has grown into adulthood and has never stopped believing that she is from another planet. She and her husband go to visit Yu after all these years, and things get a little complicated.
I thought this book was incredibly unique, sometimes funny, and overall unsettling- but never gross just for the sake of it. I would recommend this book to anyone with an open mind and a strong stomach, but it is so much more than its disturbing moments. Earthlings is a profound look at how trauma can make us feel entirely segregated from other people, like we do not belong here. It explores how some people are simply not cut out for a cookie-cutter lifestyle, and how the pressure to live the same life as everyone else (especially enforced by certain cultures) can break us.
Earthlings certainly calls for a lot of trigger warnings (SA, incest, emotional abuse, cannibalism, etc), but it is totally unforgettable and one of my favorite reads of the year. I would absolutely read Sayaka Murata’s other works now, as this one blew me away.
However, it’s very well written. It placed me directly inside of its world and made me care about the characters. I found myself totally engrossed in this book, and I read through it quicker than expected.
Don’t get me wrong, Earthlings has its gross and controversial moments that even made *me* (a seasoned reader of disturbing and f*cked up books) squirm, but I didn’t find it as distressing as a lot of readers did.
It follows Natsuki, a young girl living in Japan, as she navigates her own way of coping with trauma and abuse. Natsuki is constantly treated as a strange child and a total nuisance, and this causes her cope by believing that she is an alien who simply does not belong on this planet. She latches on to her cousin Yu (also a child who believes himself to be an alien), but when she is separated from him forever, she feels she has lost her source of hope and comfort. In the second half of the book, we see how Natsuki has grown into adulthood and has never stopped believing that she is from another planet. She and her husband go to visit Yu after all these years, and things get a little complicated.
I thought this book was incredibly unique, sometimes funny, and overall unsettling- but never gross just for the sake of it. I would recommend this book to anyone with an open mind and a strong stomach, but it is so much more than its disturbing moments. Earthlings is a profound look at how trauma can make us feel entirely segregated from other people, like we do not belong here. It explores how some people are simply not cut out for a cookie-cutter lifestyle, and how the pressure to live the same life as everyone else (especially enforced by certain cultures) can break us.
Earthlings certainly calls for a lot of trigger warnings (SA, incest, emotional abuse, cannibalism, etc), but it is totally unforgettable and one of my favorite reads of the year. I would absolutely read Sayaka Murata’s other works now, as this one blew me away.