Title: We SpreadAuthor: Iain Reid
First Published: September 27, 2022
Publisher: Gallery / Scout Press
Pages: 304
Genre: Horror, Psychological, Suspense
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
Rating:
Synopsis:
Penny, an artist, has lived in the same apartment for decades, surrounded by the artifacts and keepsakes of her long life. She is resigned to the mundane rituals of old age, until things start to slip. Before her longtime partner passed away years earlier, provisions were made for a room in a unique long-term care residence, where Penny finds herself after one too many “incidents.”
Initially, surrounded by peers, conversing, eating, sleeping, looking out at the beautiful woods that surround the house, all is well. She even begins to paint again. But as the days start to blur together, Penny—with a growing sense of unrest and distrust—starts to lose her grip on the passage of time and on her place in the world. Is she succumbing to the subtly destructive effects of aging or is she an unknowing participant in something more unsettling?
Get the Book: AmazonReview
We Spread is a dizzying novel filled to the brim with creeping dread. The story follows Penny, an aging widow reaching the point where living alone is becoming unsafe for her, and she finds herself in a long-term care facility arranged by her late husband. While she initially enjoys the newfound company of the fellow residents, she can’t help but feel that something isn’t right about her new living situation.
This book blew me away, from the beauty of the prose to the way I felt on edge from start to finish. With handlers to take care of Penny’s every day functions, her days seem to blur together. Penny’s loss of autonomy seemingly eats away at her sense of self, and ultimately, her sense of reality.
We Spread is bold and skillfully written. This is the first Iain Reid novel and it has made me into an instant fan, I could not get enough of this book.
Quote
“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? A moment isn’t a moment. A moment is an eternity. A moment should mean something. It should be everything.”
Content Warnings
View Spoiler »About the Author
About Iain Reid
Iain Reid is the author of four previous books, including his New York Times bestselling debut novel I’m Thinking of Ending Things, which has been translated into more than twenty languages. Oscar winner Charlie Kaufman wrote and directed the film adaptation for Netflix. His second novel, Foe, is being adapted for film, starring Saoirse Ronan, with Reid cowriting the screenplay. His latest novel is We Spread. Reid lives in Ontario, Canada.
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