Jenny's Early Review: I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

Title: I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Author: Iain Reid
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Suspense
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Pub Date: June 14, 2016
Rating: 3.75 Stars

Our thoughts...

  

“You can say anything, you can do anything, but you can’t fake a thought.”


This story is slow-moving but still compelling. I was never quite sure why I felt so drawn to the story, so captivated, but Reid definitely had me hooked. It’s a real slow burn until the very end. The majority of the story is just building, making the reader question everything. One of the characters says something that actually describes this story very well:

“Something that disorients, that unsettles what’s taken for granted, something that disturbs and disrupts reality—that’s scary.”

Interpretation, prediction, and paranoia are enemies here. Reid does a fantastic job of building the suspense as the story gets very close to the climax. I give the most credit to this part because my chest was tight and I had to block the lower part of the page so I couldn’t scan ahead. It definitely stirred my emotions more than any other part. It also made me realize how little the rest of the story affected me. The earlier parts definitely contributed to the sum but it definitely pales in comparison.

“How do we know when something is menacing? What cues us that something is not innocent? Instinct always trumps reason.”

Let’s talk post-climax let-down. This is the part I really don’t know how to feel about. Part of me wants to applaud and part of me wants to stare at my Kindle screen indefinitely. So, things get intense in the story and then things get confusing. I can attribute part of the confusion to the narrator. The “girlfriend” narrates the story (we never know her name) and she becomes disoriented towards the end. It only makes sense that the story gets jumbled as well. But then things get really confusing and I was left thinking, “huh…” and not quite knowing how to feel. And then it was over. Just like that

I feel like I can see what Reid did and I can appreciate the technique, the art of what he pulled off, but I just need time to digest it. I’m going to listen to the audio soon and I’m hoping that going through the story again will help me pick up on nuances I missed the first time through. Thinking back, there are scenes that just don’t make sense after knowing what I know now. I’m hoping the second time will help clear things up.

If you like psychological suspense that will make you think and feel and question, then this is for you. It will make you look at things in a different perspective and rethink everything you just read. It is definitely not for everyone but it is quite the ride, nonetheless.

I'm Thinking of Ending Things on Goodreads