This is the thriller you are looking for.
I discovered I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Canadian author Iain Reid by chance at Powell's and went into it not knowing a thing about it. It's a very well crafted literary thriller that creates tension and bewilderment right to it's amazing ending.
Yes, I loved it.
An unnamed girl agrees to meet her boyfriend's parents on their remote farm. Driving through the dark night they discuss childhood, dreams, psychology and family - although she's decided she wants to end the relationship. Every now and then odd dreamlike oddities occur - is she having a breakdown? His parents are welcoming but creepy, and what happened to his last girlfriend? Why can't she go into the basement? I began to wonder if she would make it out of there. As the night goes on, the couple is trapped in the snowstorm, in the blackest night, deep in the county where Stephen King has all his nightmares, and things begin to get scary.
This is genuinely creepy and had me reading it right through in one sitting, staying up past midnight to discover WTF is going on. More than a horror story, this will appeal to anyone loving a great psychological puzzle. It's complex and, more importantly, intelligent while holding the tension right to the clever finale. You will turn the last page, think a moment and then go back and reread it. It maintained an ominous tone without anything overtly happening, it just leaks suspense from the very start. I tried to go to bed with too many questions on my mind; I couldn't leave her in the car, I had to get back up and finish it.
It was named an NPR best book of the year, Year's Best in Literary Fiction by the Notable Books Council, and was filmed by director Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), where he liberally changed the story, including adding a that only confuesed everyone. Don't mess with what is already perfect.
This is highly recommended
2016 / Tradeback / 181 pages
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