I'm Thinking of Ending Things

Jake and his girlfriend are on a drive to visit his parents at their remote farm. After dinner at the family home, things begin to get worryingly strange. And when he leaves her stranded in a snowstorm at an abandoned high school later that night, what follows is a chilling exploration of psychological frailty and the limitations of reality. Iain Reid's intense, suspenseful debut novel will have readers' nerves jangling. A series of tiny clues sprinkled through the relentlessly paced narrative culminate in a haunting twist on the final page. Reminiscent of Michael Faber's Under the Skin, Stephen King's Misery and the novels of José Saramago, I'm Thinking of Ending Things is an astonishing and highly original literary thriller that grabs you from the start - and never lets go. "In a novel this engaging, bizarre, and twisted, it shouldn't come as a surprise that its ending is even stranger than the narrative route that takes us there...but it does. Reid's novel is a road trip to the heart of creepyness." SJON

"I'm Thinking of Ending Things is one of the best debut novels I've ever read. Iain Reid has crafted a tight, ferocious little book, with a persistent tenor of suspense that tightens and mounts toward its visionary, harrowing final pages." SCOTT HEIM

"Here are some near-certainties about I'm Thinking of Ending Things. Number One: You're going to read it fast. Over the course of an afternoon or an evening. The momentum is unstoppable once you start, you won't be able to stop. And Two: once you race to the end and understand the significance of those final pages, you won't be able to stop thinking about it. This novel will find a spot in your heart and head and it will live there---for days, weeks, months, or (in my case) the rest of your life. Yes. It really is that good." NICK CUTTER

"I'm Thinking of Ending Things is an utterly compelling modern Gothic that stakes its claim in the inner precincts of horror. Reid builds tension the way Edgar Allen Poe builds brick walls in his basement." WAYNE GRADY

"An addictive metaphysical investigation into the nature of identity, one which seduces and horrifies in equal measure. Reid masterfully explores the perversity of loneliness and somehow also creates a very entertaining thriller. I found myself yelling at the characters to put their feet on the pedal and drive." HEATHER O'NEILL

"Smart, dangerous and spooky as hell. Iain Reid takes you on a harrowing road trip that keeps you riveted until the final destination." BRIAN FRANCIS

"A chilling debut charts a disturbing journey where philosophy and fear meet head on... A deliciously frightening novel, Reid has a light, idiosyncratic touch but never lets his vice-like grip of suspense slacken for a second. Once finished, you will be hard pressed not to start the whole terrifying journey all over again. 4 stars" THE INDEPENDENT

"A deviously smart, suspenseful, intense and truly haunting book with a fuse long and masterfully laid." LA REVIEW OF BOOKS

"These characters are carefully developed and the plot takes some frightening turns, leading to a shocking ending. The construct of this book is brilliant and unusual and should appeal to fans of psychological thrillers, as well as to some horror fans. A dark and compelling debut novel, it is a most uncomfortable read but utterly unputdownable." BOOKLIST

Reid's preternaturally creepy debut unfolds like a bad dream, the kind from which you desperately want to wake up yet also want to keep dreaming so you can see how everything fits together - or, rather, falls apart...[This] tightly crafted tale toys with the nature of identity and comes by its terror honestly." KIRKUS REVIEWS

"A disturbing work and, as the author's debut novel, quite astounding, and only too memorable." SHOTS

"Capped with an ending that will shock and chill, this twisty tale invites multiple readings." PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“Packs a big psychological punch with a twisty story line and an ending that will leave readers breathless.” LIBRARY JOURNAL

“Hitchockian in its tension... The pacing is perfect, the writing is lyrical.” SA WEEKEND

“Genuinely creepy.” AGE

“A slick puzzle... it builds suspense, and delivers its twist without skipping a beat.” AUSTRALIAN

“Unrelentingly tense, expertly riding the line between paranoid and horrifying.” JEZEBEL

© 2020 W. F. Howes Ltd (Audiobook): 9781004005246

Release date

Audiobook: 7 May 2020