I'm Thinking of Ending Things - Iain Reed

On a recent work trip to Portland, OR, I found myself at Powell's Books. I've you've ever been to Portland, you've probably visited here. It takes up an entire city block. It's shelves are filled of new and used books. There are helpful tags everywhere regarding staff picks and recommendations. Good God, I could have spent hours here. And so ironically, I'm Thinking of Ending Things was a book I picked up on the first pass through the first room I entered. It's one of NPR's 2016 Books of the Year. So I figured I couldn't go wrong. 

For all the hype, I guess the book was a bit of a let down. Although it does some things very well for what it is. I should probably stress that horror is not my go-to genre. I don't seek out opportunities to be scared. But if you're into that thing, this book sets up very nicely. We start with driving in the car with Jake and his girlfriend. It took me a few chapters to realize she doesn't have a name, even though the narration is from her point of view. She's thinking of ending her relationship with Jake, but then she describes all the things she finds wonderful about him. So the premise feels off. I was wary. And then after a while and they were still in the car, I was bored. 

This is a 210 page book and the first 100 pages of the book are of Jake and the GF in the car driving to his parent's house. Who decides to break up with a guy but still agrees to meet his parents? The GF is also keeping a secret from Jake in that she is getting threatening phone calls from someone she refers to as "The Caller", someone who calls from her own number and then leaves cryptic voicemails. 

So there is this overarching uneasiness that starts to develop in the drive out to his parents that then evolves into a more menacing feeling as the meeting with the parents is predictably awkward. Jake's mom is a bit off and the house seems empty and old. There is a building of menace and it's very well done. 

Getting you even further into the plot would ruin a lot of things and the final twist, but I admit I didn't see it coming, although I did have a feeling that something was definitely off. The plot twist seems a little gimmicky and overall is like a push to have you read the book again from the perspective of knowing the ending (almost like wanting to go back and watch The Sixth Sense from the beginning once you find out Bruce Willis has been dead the entire time).

3/5 Stars.