I’m Thinking of Ending Things, by Iain Reid, is a strange book. Keeping in the spirit of Halloween and the spooky vibes of the month, this quick read will keep you engaged and entertained. It is a good and thought-provoking read to start the month out with and have you ready to stay up all night thinking about it. It will be a reading experience that will not leave you, no matter how long it has been since reading it last. It is a well-crafted plot with an ending that will stick with you. The sharpness of the writing will have you ready to turn the page, anticipating the outcome and how it comes to be.
The book follows the narrator, who is on her way to meet her boyfriend’s parents while debating on whether or not she wants to break up with him. The novel starts out with a car ride, both of them driving to her boyfriend, Jake’s, childhood home. What follows is a strange and eerie journey throughout the night. The dinner itself, the actions of the characters, the general tone: they all work together to keep you unsettled from the first page until the last. You will be left questioning the reality of the events of the book and whether you should trust what you are reading. It will have you wondering whether you can even trust the eyes of the narrator herself.
The book itself is just barely over 200 pages and extremely fast-paced. It can be read in one night, and if you want to keep in the spirit of the tone, read at night. By the end, it will have you rethinking what you just read and whether or not to start it over just to see the clues you missed. Be warned, as it is a Halloween-themed pick, it can be gory and unsettling at best. Some parts of the book can be disgusting to read but seem wholly necessary to the overall experience of the book. The book itself leans more toward a body horror thriller than a typical horror novel, which is great for those who don’t pick up this genre often.
I will be honest: this will be a divisive book. While I personally enjoyed the book thoroughly, there is no mistaking the possibility of disliking the book. I do feel that it is worth the read. It is not long, and you will be hooked until the end. I liked the pacing and the prose, as it makes you feel as unsettled as the narrator does. While the narrator is questioning her relationship with Jake, you, the reader, and questioning the legitimacy of her narration, and what exactly is happening during this dinner with his parents. The ending itself, too, is shocking enough to make the book bearable, even if you didn’t particularly like it. I think this is a great pick to start the October month out with and get you into the creepy and spooky vibes of the month.
