Name: I'm Thinking of Ending Things
ISBN: 9781922253668

Iain Reid

Jake and his girlfriend are on a drive to visit his parents at their remote farm. After dinner at the family home, things begin to get worryingly strange. And when he leaves her stranded in a snowstorm at an abandoned high school later that night, what follows is a chilling exploration of psychological frailty and the limitations of reality. Iain Reid's intense, suspenseful debut novel will have readers' nerves jangling. A series of tiny clues sprinkled through the relentlessly paced narrative culminate in a haunting twist on the final page. Reminiscent of Michael Faber's Under the Skin, Stephen King's Misery and the novels of José Saramago, I'm Thinking of Ending Things is an astonishing and highly original literary thriller that grabs you from the start—and never lets go.

I'm Thinking of Ending Things

Nate

phuong linh

Robyn Claridge

Are small, critical actions enough? Small gestures make us feel good—about ourselves, about others. Small things connect us. They feel like everything. A lot depends on them. It’s not unlike religion and God. We believe in certain constructs that help us understand life. Not only to understand it, but as a means of providing comfort. The idea that we are better off with one person for the rest of our lives is not an innate truth of existence. It’s a belief we want to be true.

Lyndsy Argento

Giovanna Marulli Borges 

Are small, critical actions enough? Small gestures make us feel good-about ourselves, about others. Small things connect us. They feel like everything. A lot depends on them. It's not unlike religion and God. We believe in certain constructs that help us understand life. Not only to understand it, but as a means of pro- viding comfort. The idea that we are better off with one person for the rest of our lives is not an innate truth of existence. It's a belief ye want to be true.

I think what I want is for someone to know me. Really know me. Know me better than anyone else and maybe even me. 

Scarly

I think there’s a perception that fear and terror and dread are fleeting. That they hit hard and fast and when they do, they don’t last. It’s not true. They don’t face unless they’re replaced by some other feeling. Deep fear will stay and spread if it can.

“There are certain things in life, not very many, that are real, confirmed cures for rainy days, for loneliness. Puzzles are like that. We each have to solve our own.”

this is such a strange book to read after having already seen the movie, and i almost feel like i would have enjoyed it more if i hadn’t seen the movie ages ago. going into this while knowing the twist definitely influenced my opinions on the whole thing, especially the identity of the girlfriend/narrator. i think my main bone to pick with this novel is the way i felt at the end. it felt almost so drawn out that any sense of suspense or uneasiness faded once you realized what was going on and that they had told you about it the whole time. i feel like the movie definitely does that part better, but it’s still so weird to read a novel that is 90% internal monologue and decide to make that a movie. who made that choice?

Clara Gauthier

 by Iain Reid in 2023 over the span of six days. It's such a captivating psychological thriller that focuses on themes of identity, relationships, and the complexities of the human mind.

I was immediately gripped and intrigued by the ambiguous title, because it truly keeps you wondering what exactly the protagonist is considering ending—their relationship or their life.

I was initially introduced to the story through the film adaptation on 

I discovered afterward that it was based on a novel, and I only cared enough to want to read it in 2021. I've watched the film multiple times, and I never understood it fully, but I had a blast each time. At some point, it was my favourite film, and I wouldn't stop recommending it to people.

Now that I've read the novel, I feel like my understanding for the plot and story has been enhanced, and it's made the film even more enjoyable. Albeit, I haven't re-watched it since reading the novel. I might just do it now after writing this review, because it's one of those rare moments whereby a film/series adaptation of a novel has done its source material/inspiration some justice!

As the plot unfolds, readers are gradually introduced to an ever-growing sense of unease and mystery. The first half of the book immerses you in the protagonist's thoughts, gradually revealing the strange and unsettling events unfolding around her and Jake. I mostly enjoyed the storyline about the man whom the protagonist keeps seeing and thinking about. And also, the person who kept calling her.

As the story progresses, the narrative shifts between perspectives between the protagonist and Jake. And I may have misinterpreted this, but at some point, Jake is she, and she is him, and they are one. Why, you ask?

Because it's always been Jake -- he's always been the one thinking about everything and fantasizing. He never even spoke to the girl, he was fantasizing about what it would be like if they'd met and spoken. He's thought about her so much and so hard, that he's manifested her into a semi-real person.

I look at my hands. One is shaking. I try to steady one with the other. I

can’t. I slump back into the closet. A single unit, back to one. Me. Only me.

I decided. I had to. No more thinking. I answered the question.

Anyway, there's one interesting aspect of the book that I wanted spotlight: the protagonist remaining nameless throughout the story. This creative choice allows readers to easily insert themselves into the story and experience the events from a first-person perspective, enhancing the immersive quality of the narrative. By keeping the protagonist nameless, the author encourages readers to form a deeper connection with the character and the unfolding events.

Iain Reid's atmospheric and unsettling writing style perfectly complements the story's eerie tone. He was able to create an immersive reading experience for his readers and keeping them guessing until the very end. His unique approach to storytelling left me questioning everything I had just read, in the best possible way.

 offer a thought-provoking and masterfully crafted exploration of the human psyche. I highly recommend this book to fans of psychological thrillers and those who enjoy an unforgettable, mind-bending story -- or as I call books and movies like this, ✨mindfuck stories.✨

Tali ⋆.˚🦋༘⋆

I read I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid in 2023 over the span of six days. It's such a captivating psychological thriller that focuses on themes of identity, relationships, and the complexities of the human mind.

I was immediately gripped and intrigued by the ambiguous title, because it truly keeps you wondering what exactly the protagonist is considering ending—their relationship or their life.

From Film to Book

I was initially introduced to the story through the film adaptation on Netflix. I discovered afterward that it was based on a novel, and I only cared enough to want to read it in 2021. I've watched the film multiple times, and I never understood it fully, but I had a blast each time. At some point, it was my favourite film, and I wouldn't stop recommending it to people.

Now that I've read the novel, I feel like my understanding for the plot and story has been enhanced, and it's made the film even more enjoyable. Albeit, I haven't re-watched it since reading the novel. I might just do it now after writing this review, because it's one of those rare moments whereby a film/series adaptation of a novel has done its source material/inspiration some justice!

Plot and Structure

As the plot unfolds, readers are gradually introduced to an ever-growing sense of unease and mystery. The first half of the book immerses you in the protagonist's thoughts, gradually revealing the strange and unsettling events unfolding around her and Jake. I mostly enjoyed the storyline about the man whom the protagonist keeps seeing and thinking about. And also, the person who kept calling her.

As the story progresses, the narrative shifts between perspectives between the protagonist and Jake. And I may have misinterpreted this, but at some point, Jake is she, and she is him, and they are one. Why, you ask?

SPOILER STARTS HERE
[
Because it's always been Jake -- he's always been the one thinking about everything and fantasizing. He never even spoke to the girl, he was fantasizing about what it would be like if they'd met and spoken. He's thought about her so much and so hard, that he's manifested her into a semi-real person.


It’s done now, and I’m sorry.
I look at my hands. One is shaking. I try to steady one with the other. I
can’t. I slump back into the closet. A single unit, back to one. Me. Only me.
Jake. Alone again.
I decided. I had to. No more thinking. I answered the question.
]
SPOILER ENDS HERE.


"And the girl.
She. He. We. Me."


Anyway, there's one interesting aspect of the book that I wanted spotlight: the protagonist remaining nameless throughout the story. This creative choice allows readers to easily insert themselves into the story and experience the events from a first-person perspective, enhancing the immersive quality of the narrative. By keeping the protagonist nameless, the author encourages readers to form a deeper connection with the character and the unfolding events.

Writing Style

Iain Reid's atmospheric and unsettling writing style perfectly complements the story's eerie tone. He was able to create an immersive reading experience for his readers and keeping them guessing until the very end. His unique approach to storytelling left me questioning everything I had just read, in the best possible way.

Recommendation

Both the book and film adaptation of "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" offer a thought-provoking and masterfully crafted exploration of the human psyche. I highly recommend this book to fans of psychological thrillers and those who enjoy an unforgettable, mind-bending story -- or as I call books and movies like this, ✨mindfuck stories.✨

This book will stay in your mind for a long time.

Shidehdeishidi

So, while the story was very creepy, atmospheric, and disorienting, I was left wanting MORE from it. I can’t say much without giving spoilers, but the characters didn’t appeal to me. No one in this book has any official diagnosis, but as a person with ASD, I’m diagnosing both the main characters with autism. And let me tell you, MY autism is enough for me. Enduring the conversations between these two and then being in the main character’s autistic brain was… a lot.

It’s like when one ND person meets another, and the person whose special interest is Marvel meets someone’s whose special interest is coins produced before the civil war. Like oh… we have the same diagnosis but NOTHING in common. That’s what it felt like to me. I couldn’t wait to get back into my own brain.

There was a lot of philosophical yapping that I had no interest in. It’s very clear that the author is interested in that and is a very intelligent man, but I simply couldn’t care less. The pace (and thus my interest) picked up around the halfway mark, but overall, the characters weren’t compelling enough for me to enjoy this the way I could’ve if I didn’t find the people annoying.

Nik ✨

So, while the story was very creepy, atmospheric, and disorienting, I was left wanting MORE from it. I can’t say much without giving spoilers, but the characters didn’t appeal to me. No one in this book has any official diagnosis, but as a person with ASD, I’m diagnosing both the main characters with autism. And let me tell you, MY autism is enough for me. Enduring the conversations between these two and then being in the main character’s autistic brain was… a lot.

It’s like when one ND person meets another, and the person whose special interest is Marvel meets someone’s whose special interest is coins produced before the civil war. Like oh… we have the same diagnosis but NOTHING in common. That’s what it felt like to me. I couldn’t wait to get back into my own brain.

There was a lot of philosophical yapping that I had no interest in. It’s very clear that the author is interested in that and is a very intelligent man, but I simply couldn’t care less. The pace (and thus my interest) picked up around the halfway mark, but overall, the characters weren’t compelling enough for me to enjoy this the way I could’ve if I didn’t find the people annoying.

It's an interesting read. It's one of those that I need to read again (the audiobook is apparently very good). I have a feeling I'd like it more the second time since I've got an idea of what's going on. The plot twist was very unexpected! 

blue

Nah because wtf was this. I truthfully have ZERO clue how this book ended. I’ve never been so confused. The entire time you get it but then the end leaves you with so many questions. It was still extremely well written 

Lauren Dale

one of my favourite books — sparked my love for mild psychological thrillers and plot twists 

the ending had me pondering for days ... don't watch the movie, it's incomparable

plantdad

one of my favourite books — sparked my love for mild psychological thrillers and plot twists 

the ending had me pondering for days ... don't watch the movie, it's incomparable

Approaching a book after first enjoying a film adaptation is always risky...but thankfully, I enjoyed them both. They’re equally haunting, contemplative, and unsettling in their own ways.

Emiley Jones

Approaching a book after first enjoying a film adaptation is always risky...but thankfully, I enjoyed them both. They’re equally haunting, contemplative, and unsettling in their own ways.

I recommend the audiobook 🎧 

ohseababy

i came away from this book with the knowledge of what a "bait-and-switch" is.

Ryan Mateyk

POPSUGAR 2020: Past prompt (a book from 2016)

WOW.

A Novel

danakim

Shaq H

3.5 stars (generous)
This took everything in me to finish, but the payoff was sort of worth it. Half-expected it to be more terrifying than bleak, but I guess the horror existed in the mundane, introspective dialogue that polluted the first half of the book. Regardless, I appreciate the concept and its novelty, and I have to admit, the twist made my jaw hammer through the ground. I'm quite disappointed that I didn't connect with this book the way I wanted to, it's just very difficult to forgive tedious reading in a novella like this, at least to me.

edit: turns out I cant stand postmodernist texts LOL

Cori

Emily Lucie

You will be scared. But you won t know why In this deeply suspenseful and irresistibly unnerving debut novel, a man and his girlfriend are on their way to a secluded farm. What follows is a twisted unraveling and an unforgettable ending that will haunt you long after the last page is turned. Jake and a woman known only as The Girlfriend are taking a long drive to meet his parents at their secluded farm. But when Jake takes a sudden detour, leaving The Girlfriend stranded at a deserted high school, the story transforms into a twisted combination of the darkest unease, psychological frailty, and a look into the limitations of solitude. With remarkable, masterful skill, Iain Reid builds a plot that steadily crescendos into a harrowing ending one that will have you at the edge of your seats and one that you will never see coming. 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 will pull you in from the very first page and will never let you go.

I'm thinking of ending things

A. D. Knapp

What a fun little mobius strip of a novel. Even before Reid starts to turn up the uncanny dial at Jake's parents house, you always feel a little off kilter like one of those gravity illusion tourist attractions in the American South. Looking forward to reading something else by this author.

Sarah Sammis

I swear I've read this story before — not this particular one but a short story that was SO VERY SIMILAR. And it's bugging me. It's right there on the tip of my tongue and I just can't quite put my finger on it.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2017/comm...

Where to start with this mind-fuck of a book?

The premise of the book is about Jake, who takes his girlfriend to meet his parents at their rural farm. Only his girlfriend is thinking about ending their relationship.

From start to finish, the book was incredible. But the book’s ending is where my highest praise comes for. My jaw was wide open when I finished it.

I can already tell this book is going to be running laps around my brain for months. The writing is incredible. If you like really descriptive, observational writing, this will be right up your street.

It made me feel uncomfortable in ways I didn’t know existed whilst reading. It made my skin CRAWL and my stomach drop in places, but my god this was a good read. It’s creepy, scary and completely unnerving - but if you can stick through it, the final few pages of the book are mind blowing!

Where to start with this mind-fuck of a book?

The premise of the book is about Jake, who takes his girlfriend to meet his parents at their rural farm. Only his girlfriend is thinking about ending their relationship.

From start to finish, the book was incredible. But the book’s ending is where my highest praise comes for. My jaw was wide open when I finished it.

I can already tell this book is going to be running laps around my brain for months. The writing is incredible. If you like really descriptive, observational writing, this will be right up your street.

It made me feel uncomfortable in ways I didn’t know existed whilst reading. It made my skin CRAWL and my stomach drop in places, but my god this was a good read. It’s creepy, scary and completely unnerving - but if you can stick through it, the final few pages of the book are mind blowing!



Michaela Hudson

I thought I'd calculated all the possibilities.... but boy was I bad at maths

Isabella 

3.5 

Listening to the audiobook while reading made this book so good. I think if I only read it alone, I wouldn't be too impressed. The audiobook gave it a more eerie feeling, and the book gave a thrilling experience. There's this part at the latter part of the story that creeped me out so much (mainly because of how it was made in the audiobook, i don't think i'll get creeped out if I was only reading). I had to stop reading for a while because I was genuinely terrified (I was reading this at around 2am, probably not a good idea). However, I am extremely disappointed with how it ended. There was so much potential for this novel, but it all crumbled down. This could have gotten an instant 5 star if only the ending was different. It genuinely had me sighing in disbelief. I don't necessarily think it's a bad ending, it definitely has a twist in it. It was really predictable and common, so I was really hoping for a different ending. The whole story was very bizarre, and the uneasy tension was high. I loved it, but the ending just didn't blow my mind like I hoped it would (considering all the build up).

Louise Briley 

I have to read this again twice more and then once backward to understand. Gripping.

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 deeply suspenseful and irresistibly unnerving debut novel, a man and his girlfriend are on their way to a secluded farm. When the two take an unexpected detour, she is left stranded in a deserted high school, wondering if there is any escape at all. What follows is a twisted unraveling that will haunt you long after the last page is turned.

Ashley Stock

However you think this book is going to end, that's definitely /not/ it. 

And yet it makes absolute sense by the time you're done reading it; I'm super excited to reread this somewhere down the line with context behind everything.

esme villanueva

there were so many possibilities for this story, like i honestly believed it was gonna be good… and they chose that ending ???

chloe

i've been seeing reviews saying it's better on the second read, and without reading it a second time i can already see why that would be the case HOWEVER i don't want to reread a book that i just finished so. three stars for now because the suspense and anxiety were so palpable for me even when i wasn't entirely sure what was going on which was very neat!!!