REVIEW: I'm Thinking of Ending Things - Iain Reid

• Year first released:  2016
• ISBN of the edition I read:  9781501126949
• Publisher of the edition I read: Gallery/Scout Press
• My rating (out of 5):  3.5

There's at least one great thing I can say about I'm Thinking of Ending Things: though I explained in my last post that I don't generally find books to be scary, this book has come the closest of any book so far. The first half of the book is, at most, eerie and peculiar (and with a highly uncomfortable scene at right about the halfway point), but once things really pick up, the tension becomes downright miasmatic. I veritably flew through the last 60 pages or so, trying to figure out what the heck was going on - and, importantly - why it was going on. 

So the book has that, at least. 

It also has rather interesting dialogue - odd, but in an appropriate way. The two main characters are quirky and believable, and though presumably you or I would never find ourselves in one of these conversations, it made sense that these two talked like this. I found their ideas to be of particular interest, even the ones that I don't especially agree with.

What I'm not so wild about, though, is the ending/the big twist. 

I should say: this is the second time I've read the book, and the first was only about six months ago. Normally, if I reread a book at all, there's a much larger gap of time in between readings. The last page of Ending Things, though, included what was, basically, a suggestion that the book be read a second time. (It's worth pointing out that Reid accomplishes this without breaking the fourth wall - the suggestion cleverly fits into a bit of dialogue right at the end.) 

My impression of the book didn't change drastically between the two readings. I'd hoped to get a little more out of the ending the second time - maybe pick up on something important that I missed the first time, understand it better. But I have to admit, the ending still doesn't sit quite right with me.

No spoilers, of course, but I will say that the twist at the end is a twist I've come across before in other stories. Yes, I was still surprised going into it - I hadn't imagined Ending Things going in that direction - but once I got there, I realized I'd hoped for something more unique. I found a few more interesting little tidbits and foreshadowing in my second reading, but not really enough to completely justify the ending.

Does this ending really work? Does it actually explain all the weird details along the way? - after two readings, I still can't answer these questions definitively. It's hard to say whether this is my fault or Reid's fault.

I acknowledge that there could potentially be something about the big twist that I simply don't understand. But then again, I've read the book twice - paid close attention, mulled over it quite a bit, even read other people's theories online - and something still doesn't add up right for me. At this point, it's a safe assumption that it never will.

Which is too bad. I enjoyed Reid's writing style. I hope that, in future books, he'll be a bit more effective about tying everything up. It certainly wasn't a bad book, though, and it's basically worth it if for no reason other than that it's the most tense book I've read.