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About The Book 📚

Title: I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Author: Iain Reid

Publication Date: 2016

Publisher: Gallery/ Scout Press

Genre: Mystery, Literary

Pages: 212

Content Warnings: May contain spoilers

Three Words That Describe This Book: dark, mysterious, tense

About The Author

“Iain Reid is the author of four previous books, including his New York Times bestselling debut novel I’m Thinking of Ending Things, which has been translated into more than twenty languages. Oscar winner Charlie Kaufman wrote and directed the film adaptation for Netflix. His second novel, Foe, is being adapted for film, starring Saoirse Ronan, with Reid cowriting the screenplay. His latest novel is We Spread. Reid lives in Ontario, Canada.”

My Review

› I’ve read three of Iain Reid’s books now and loved every one of them. I’ve re-read maybe 10 books, and 3 of them were his books. He’s written a couple of nonfiction books and 3 novels. Reid’s award-winning debut novel, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is difficult to put into one genre. On the first read it felt like a mystery thriller, but on re-read it felt more like a literary psychological horror novel. I think each reader will walk away with their own impression of what they think happened and that’s kind of amazing. I love the idea of an open ending that changes according to the reader’s life experience.

Iain Reid talks about why he wrote I’m Thinking of Ending Things in this short video.

› The story starts with being told from a woman’s point of view. This unnamed woman takes a short road trip with her newish boyfriend, Jake, to his parent’s rural farmhouse. She’s thinking about ending things and feels guilty to be taking this trip, but is curious to learn more about him and his family. She keeps getting strange phone calls from her own phone number. The story is also told in the third person from the future. Things take a strange turn and the mystery will keep the pages turning to the ambiguous ending.

› Is any of this really happening?

Quotes That Stuck With Me

“We can’t let the actions of one man make us feel guilty. This isn’t about us. We’re the normal ones.”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure I follow it. I can’t tell what’s true and what’s not.”

“The meaning of my existence is that life has addressed a question to me. Or, conversely, I myself am a question which is addressed to the world, and I must communicate my answer, for otherwise I am dependent upon the world’s answer.”

“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.”

APPEAL FACTORS
Storyline: character-driven, issue-oriented, open-ended, unconventional, tragic
Pace: slow
Tone: emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking, dark, mysterious, creepy
Humour: dark humour, offbeat, sarcastic
Writing Style: banter-filled, conversational, candid, compelling, descriptive, engaging
Character: authentic, awkward, brooding, complex, flawed, likeable, mischievous, quirky, relatable, well-developed
Disability representation: mental illness

Read Alikes:
All’s Well by Mona Awad
Looker by Laura Sims
Paper Ghosts by Julia Heaberlin
Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

› In the past I have given a rating out of ten and converted that to a star rating, but I’m no longer giving a star rating here on my blog. I will continue to do that on Goodreads and The Story Graph.

› Final Thoughts
• With well-developed characters, suspenseful atmosphere and quality writing I’m Thinking of Ending Things is an unforgettable literary novel about loneliness, obsession, identity and memory. Other reviewers loved the audiobook. I highly recommend this book to fans of Mona Awad, Jordan Peele, and A24 movies.

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