I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

Refusing to stay the night, Jake and his ‘girlfriend’ leave the farm in the worsening storm. Not overtly menacing, but menacing all the same… The parents are quirky and not altogether what one would expect. Their arrival at the farm is written in such a way that it makes you uncomfortable. The weather worsens as the day draws to a close. In this short time they have become close and have developed an intense attachment. They haven’t been going out for long, just over a month. He met his ‘girlfriend’ at a pub’s trivia night. He is a scientist, a reader, an intellectual, and a philosopher who has a great sense of humor. The messages are always the same: “There’s only one question to resolve…” Sometimes several times a night – AND they always come from her own phone number. Another thing that she has not told him is that she has an anonymous ‘Caller’ that sends her texts messages. The girlfriend is “thinking of ending things’ with Jake, although they seem quite well suited. In fact most of the book is told from her point of view. The car conversation is overshadowed by the ‘girlfriend’s’ thoughts. The story begins with Jake and his ‘girlfriend’ traveling to his parents’ farm in order that he might introduce her to them.

It had a feel of Stephen King crossed with Minette Walters. If I was still working and this book came across my desk I would have likely given it the genres ‘ psychological thriller’ AND ‘horror’.

This review will be different because I can’t say much without giving too much away… Even though my TBR is long, I did go back and reread many pages in order to get my head around it. It is the type of book, that to appreciate all the nuances, you have to read twice. I think that you will either hate it, or, as I did, love it! Some reviewers termed it a ‘mind f**k’. I’ll never hear “ Hey Good Lookin’” again with having chills go down my spine…

I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid