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Book Summary and Reviews of I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

I'm Thinking of Ending Things

by Iain Reid

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  • Jun 2016, 224 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

You will be scared. But you won't know why…

I'm thinking of ending things. Once this thought arrives, it stays. It sticks. It lingers. It's always there. Always.

Jake once said, "Sometimes a thought is closer to truth, to reality, than an action. You can say anything, you can do anything, but you can't fake a thought."

And here's what I'm thinking: I don't want to be here.

In this smart, suspenseful, and intense literary thriller, debut novelist Iain Reid explores the depths of the human psyche, questioning consciousness, free will, the value of relationships, fear, and the limitations of solitude. Reminiscent of Jose Saramago's early work, Michel Faber's cult classic Under the Skin, and Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk about Kevin, I'm Thinking of Ending Things is an edgy, haunting debut. Tense, gripping, and atmospheric, this novel pulls you in from the very first page…and never lets you go.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. [Iain Reid] fuses suspense with philosophy, psychology,and horror in his unsettling first novel...Capped with an ending that will shock and chill, this twisty tale invites multiple readings." - Publishers Weekly

"Starred Review. The construct of this book is brilliant and unusual and should appeal to fans of psychological thrillers, as well as to some horror fans. A dark and compelling debut novel, it is a most uncomfortable read but utterly unputdownable." - Booklist

"Starred Review. Reid's tightly crafted tale toys with the nature of identity and comes by its terror honestly, building a wall of intricately layered psychological torment so impenetrable it's impossible to escape." - Kirkus

"I'm Thinking of Ending Things begins with the unnamed narrator setting off with her boyfriend to visit his parents at their remote farm, and soon devolves into an unnerving exploration of identity, regret and longing. Delightfully frightening." - The Globe and Mail

"I'm Thinking of Ending Things is one of the best debut novels I've ever read. Iain Reid has crafted a tight, ferocious little book, with a persistent tenor of suspense that tightens and mounts toward its visionary, harrowing final pages" - Scott Heim, award-winning author of Mysterious Skin and We Disappear

"In a novel this engaging, bizarre, and twisted, it shouldn't come as a surprise that its ending is even stranger than the narrative route that takes us there...but it does. Reid's novel is a road trip to the heart of creepyness." - Sjón, author of The Blue Fox, From the Mouth of the Whale, and The Whispering Muse

"Here are some near-certainties about I'm Thinking of Ending Things. Number One: You're going to read it fast. Over the course of an afternoon or an evening. The momentum is unstoppable - once you start, you won't be able to stop. And Two: once you race to the end and understand the significance of those final pages, you won't be able to stop thinking about it. This novel will find a spot in your heart and head and it will live there - for days,weeks, months, or (in my case) the rest of your life. Yes. It really is that good." - Nick Cutter, author of Cataract City and The Deep

This information about I'm Thinking of Ending Things was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Jordan Ashley Perkins

This Book Took Me for a Ride!
WOW! This crazy little book just took me for a ride...and all I can say is WOW!

I'm Thinking of Ending Things was a little slow getting started because nothing really happened until about pg 80 but i could tell it was building up for something and that I'd either be very disappointed or very pleased with the outcome. Luckily I was pleased. This is definitely a book that's best read without knowing much, if anything, so I'm not really going to get into a description or summary, other than to say it's about a guy named Jake and his girlfriend, who is also the narrator but whose name is never revealed. They're going on a long car ride to have dinner with Jake's parents, all the while she's thinking of ending things with him. It's very well written and nicely paced although, it's not a very long book, about 205 pages, but I couldn't put it down because I was dying to figure out wtf was going on and the further I read the more I needed to know, it was very well paced for optimum tension and anticipation! Iain Reid did an amazing job both creating an atmosphere that is both terrifying and extremely realistic and deceiving his readers.

Psychological thrillers can either be the best books, when done well, or the worst books, when done poorly and this book was one of the best! Reid has way of creating scenes that I can imagine myself apart of and he knows how to give his readers the ability to really empathize with his characters and what they are experiencing on a very deep and personal level, literally giving me goosebumps as I was reading. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book when I started it but I knew I would either love it or hate it, as the reviews of others have reflected in pretty much equal measure, but I thought it was amazing and I would love to read more by this author and hope he continues to pursue writing fiction.

This book is like reading a puzzle, with bits and pieces that finally come together at the end creating a final result that is incredible and leaves the reader feeling satisfied (and possibly a little shaken up). I don't know why I'm Thinking of Ending Things is not getting higher ratings but to each their own, I guess. I loved it and I'd love to see it made into a movie. If you're a fan of really griping, suspenseful, psychological thrillers this book is for you.

There's a little blurb on the cover that reads "You will be scared. But you won't know why..." and that couldn't be more accurate.

Ben

Great read
Intriguing, mind bending and thought provoking. When today's thrillers are mostly murder mysteries, dystopian tomes, etc. If you are looking for an adult novel which keeps you thinking until the very end, give this book some time and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

BrittBrad

I'm Thinking Of Ending Things
Wow, this is one of the creepiest and most well written books I've read in a long time. This book will keep you guessing until the very end, there is truly not another book like this one. The start of the book is very slow but the more you read the deeper it gets, it's one of those books you won't want to put down I read the whole thing in one night. It's also one of those books that you will have to read more than once to fully understand and put all of the pieces together. Also, at the end of the book there is a subtle (yet not so directly to the reader) suggestion to read it backwards from finish to beginning and I would highly recommend doing that. It's a great read but the ending is a touch disappointing. However this book does give a look into the mind of a depressed individual is such a unique way that I have never seen done before. Truly the only one of it's kind.

The Discerning Reader

Stirring
Brilliant. You are on the edge immediately, the momentum builds. Reid takes the reader down a sophisticated labyrinth path only leading to one ingenious stunning ending. Well crafted, memorable, whetted my appetite and curiosity for more from this dexterous atypical author. Impressive, cunning.

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Author Information

Iain Reid

Iain Reid is the author of two critically acclaimed, award-winning books of nonfiction, One Bird's Choice and The Truth About Luck, which was one of Globe and Mail's best books of 2013. Reid's work has appeared in a variety of publications throughout North America, including The New Yorker, The Globe and Mail, and the National Post. In 2015, he received the RBC Taylor Emerging Writer Award. I'm Thinking of Ending Things is his first novel.

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