Scary novel is delightfully confusing, strangely joyful
I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid Simon & Schuster
“You will be scared and you won’t know why.” So says the publicity material for I’m Thinking of Ending Things, a debut novel from Canadian writer Iain Reid.
And they’re right. This novel is scary, but readers are never exactly sure why until the final few pages.
Jake and his girlfriend are on their way to visit his parents for the first time. They’ve been together for about six weeks and Jake is a bit more into his girlfriend than vice versa. Jake’s girlfriend is the book’s narrator, and she lets readers in early on a secret — she’s thinking of ending their relationship soon. She’s not fully decided on the matter, but is definitely leaning toward breaking up with Jake.
Part of the reason for her decision is some scary prank calls she has been receiving from an unknown caller, one who always leaves the same creepy message.
“There’s only one question to resolve. I’m scared. I feel a little crazy. I’m not lucid. The assumptions are right. I can feel my fear growing. Now is the time for the answer. Just one question. One question to answer.”
The creepy calls started on the same day she met Jake and they haven’t stopped. When she finally meets his parents, she is convinced leaving him is the right thing to do. His parents live on an old, dilapidated farm and they’re both more than a little quirky.
But it’s going to be difficult to break up with Jake because he is attractive and is very smart. He is a scientist of some kind and he loves to have intellectual conversations. In fact, the pair once stayed up all night, just talking.
They talk about things like whether one person can be the world’s best kisser, or whether that takes two. They talk about philosophy and how two different answers to the same question can both be true. They talk about free will, solitude, love.
Their conversations, which are included in the novel, make reading the book a pleasure. But still, it’s a strange pleasure.
As a reader, it’s impossible to tell if you’re reading a horror story, a love story, or even perhaps a vampire story.
This is a genre-twisting novel, and one that is delightfully confusing. It’s smart and it will keep readers guessing until the very end.
In 2015, Reid received the RBC Taylor Emerging Writer Award. He has written two books of nonfiction, One Bird’s Choice and The Truth About Luck.
Iain Reid will be at the Vancouver Writers Fest in October. For more information, visit writersfest.bc.ca.