I'm Thinking Of Ending Things (Book Review)

I'm Thinking Of Ending Things

By Iain Reid

240 pages. Scout Press

Iain Reid a Canadian Author in his literary thrilling book, I'm Thinking Of Ending Things captures our mind from the beginning and takes us on a journey where the unreliable narrator leads the entire intriguing story. The unreliable narrator gives us a vibe of Amy Dunne from Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

The story starts with an anonymous female protagonist who seizes our mind from the beginning with her thoughts like, ' I’m thinking of ending things. Once this thought arrives, it stays. It sticks. It lingers. It dominates. There’s not much I can do about it. Trust me. It doesn’t go away. It’s there whether I like it or not. It’s there when I eat. When I go to bed. It’s there when I sleep. It’s there when I wake up. It’s always there'.

The unreliable narrator takes us on a path where she is going to meet her boyfriend's family for the first time, the narrator is not only in self-doubt and is full of question she is also thinking of ending things with her boyfriend. Later, the journey unravels its captivating sides where the readers now question everything.

The odd family of her boyfriend gives us a cold and an alarming vibe where everything is questionable be it the rusty outmoded house or the parent's behavior.

When the two take an unexpected detour, she is left stranded in a deserted high school where there is no way out. The haunting and twisting side of the books captivates you to make you read further. 

The ending of the book leads us to a more confusing side, the ending can be taken as an ambiguous ending where the readers decides what happened next according to their perspective . The ending leaves us on an edge as if the whole story was real or not whether the unreliable narrator was real or was made up or every decision they made on their visit were head-scratching decisions. The decision to explore the farm before the dinner even though it’s pitch dark and cold out there, the decision of exploring the basement alone even though the door say something else and the decision to have something sweet, even though it’s a full-on storm going on and nobody is there on the road while returning home.

The ending leaves us with tons of questions and to find out every mini detail again we've to start over again after finishing the book to have a better understanding.

Overall, it’s gripping, haunting, spooky and edgy which is the best thing about this book because it motivates you to keep going. If you are looking for a spooky read during this autumn season this one is perfect for you.