We Spread

Third installment in the “Something off in my house” series. I liked this one a lot, and while I had my predictions, the ending still wasn't quite what I thought it'd be.

DNF @ 48%.

I don't know whether it was the audiobook/narrator, or the type of horror this is (I don't read enough to know about the different sub-genres) but this absolutely did not work for me.

It's such a short book that the audio is less than 6hrs, normally I would just fly through that on x2 or x3 speed but I could not bear to listen to this any longer.

I'm glad this works for so many people, clearly I'm an outlier here, but life is too short to hate read books.

Well, that was quite unsettling and I'm not even quite sure about what I listened to. I really liked the introduction, it wasn't badly written at all either but somehow it was.. too much and too little at the same time. I craved more of a resolution towards the end even though I was very much aware of what the author was trying to do. This is my first book of his so.. I had no expectations.

For me personally it's too confusing and too convoluted to really recommend to anyone, but I can't deny the story was intriguing. It could've been shorter though.

The tragedy of life isn't that the end comes. That's the gift. Without an end, there's nothing. There's no meaning. Do you see?

What's the most terrifying thing? Growing old? Loneliness? Growing old alone? Growing old and turning into a mushroom.... alone? I love this author, so much is open to interpretation. Everything is weird and slightly off kilter, every piece of fluff means something. Just so beautiful, terrifying and emotionally devastating. Everyone will feel different after reading this and some people will hate it. Who wants to live forever? I fucking don't. Right, I'm off to listen to some Carpenters.

this was... surreal.

I spent a lot of time debating over the ending. A few hours on Reddit included, I've decided that the mural on the ceiling was Penny committing suicide. Someone pointed out symbolism of the couple times Penny is touching lightbulbs on the ceiling as symbolism for “ideas about suicide” and it made the most sense to me. Someone also more elegantly pointed out that the last couple pages tied into all the math equations Hilbert was mentioning and Penny's conclusion in her body and mind after committing suicide, a sense of finality.

Reading this book will make you feel like you, yourself, are old and losing your memory. Iain Reid perfectly wrote this to make it seem like you and Penny are one and the same. Which adds into how surreal it all is, as “one and the same” being the main plot points throughout this.

I couldn't put this down. Iain Reid always has that affect on me. I also have many questions about what was really happening within the house, but I always enjoy how Reid leaves his endings to keep you thinking well after finishing the book.

2/5

|| “As passions decrease, character is revealed.”

Iain Reid has a knack for writing slow-burning, low-key books that come across as relatively simple ideas on the surface yet have deep, complex threads that peel away in layers. If you have read “I'm Thinking of Ending Things,” I think you will like this one as well.

Penny, an artist and introvert, is an elderly lady who lives alone and must be escorted to a long-term patient care facility after she falls from a stool and injures her head. It was the wish of her deceased partner that she be transferred to this long-term health unit when she was unable to care for herself. Penny immediately ingratiates herself with the new facility, meets the staff and the residents, and finds her accommodations pleasing, which have a view of a forest.

Not everything is rosy and wonderful. As you can expect, the center is home to some very dark secrets. Why are certain places off-limits? Why does the staff seem to want to maintain her hair and nails constantly? And why are there no privacy locks on any of the doors?

|| “We can't hold onto feelings forever.”

One thing is certain: psychological torment happens to both Penny and the reader. It pin-points our innermost fears, such as aging, and hones its heavy literary guise on regret with a larghetto tempo.

|| “ At what cost am I being protected from my age.”

I should probably mention that the events that happen herein are open to interpretation. That is why I think the book is great. You will certainly have quite a bit of contemplation after you flip the last page.

A slow erosion
time is unreliable
safe, but suspicious.

Okay, I'm pretty sure this page turner just yanked me out of my reading slump. Reviewers have called it silly, but I was totally onboard and could not read fast enough. I really cared about Penny and I was dying to find out what was really happening.
This was the perfect winter read for me, in my chair with a hot cup of coffee, a blanket on my legs, a cat on my lap. The pacing was incredible.

This book was utterly terrifying and most definitely thought provoking. What a surreal trip.

i don't think i really like narrators that are of an older age but this story defied that dislike for me because this book truly touched on so many of my personal fears. why i don't think this is horror necessarily, most people are scared of getting old, running out of time, and dying and this book really makes you confront those fears 

I was all over the place with this book. Loved the start of it, got bored in the middle (just too much monologue/dialogue), then loved it again when it redeemed itself entirely in the final paragraph. I think this is an exploration of dementia from the point of view of the person suffering from it, but you might think differently. You might think this is a horror novel, and really both opinions are right. Iain Reid's ingenuity in this book, as in I'm Thinking of Ending Things, and Foe, lies in these forking paths, and I am here for it. I look forward to seeing where the path takes him next.

if you liked I'm Thinking Of Ending Things, you'll like this one. I personally liked it more. Don't want to give any spoilers but i love the open endedness and having to decide for myself what happened. Every option is thrilling and terrifying.