Scan barcode
A review by ratgrrrl
I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
5.0
CN. Disturbing Imagery, Stalker, Suicide
I absolutely adored this and gobbled it up! Can't wait to watch the movie now!
Despite it being my problem, I resent the fact so many works of modern horror are so ignorant and exploitative of mental health, disability, and Queerness, especially BPD (often erroneously and offensively portrayed as 'multiple personalities') and transgender people as defective and degenerate, with these combined being the perfect storm to create a serial killer.
THIS BOOK ISN'T THAT. At. All.
But my baggage did spoil the end for me, as I stopped feeling tense because of thr gorgeous slowburn Horrific Realism (is this a thing? Am I coining it?) because I was braced to feel gross.
Strangely enough, my experiences with depression, isolation, and suicide actually made the reality far less impactful (especially with the effects of thr previous point), as they are things I know only too well, including the life-preserving, or at least life-extending power of stores and writing (I'm actually doing better than I have in forever right now though).
(I managed to avoid going on another whole self-indulgent tangent making it all about me again here)
[You're welcome]
The pointed refusal to initially explain the uncanny and surreal elements that permeate the narrative, flow in and around one another, is powerful. The slowburn build up of the awful and horrific, yet mundane to those who work with livestock, becoming increasingly weird and upsetting is conducted like an obscure orchestra with peaks and troughs on one level, while at the same time, through motifs and association continues to build beautifully.
I haven't felt such wonderfully rancid, very, very bad vibes (complimentary) in a long, long time, and the was this made my skin crawl from the get go and throughout are a testament to Reid's writing. I haven't absolutely smashed a book, especially an audiobook, so quickly in a while.
It's the disturbing journey more than the ending.
Bloody marvellous!
***
Watching the movie and losing my mind at the playing with the artificiality and is exquisitely for both those who have and haven't read the book and I'm freaking out with how much I am head over heels in love with this movie!
I adored the book, but I think I love the movie even more!
*My kink is being dommed by films like this*
That genuinely might be the most perfect movie I ever did see!
I absolutely adored this and gobbled it up! Can't wait to watch the movie now!
Despite it being my problem, I resent the fact so many works of modern horror are so ignorant and exploitative of mental health, disability, and Queerness, especially BPD (often erroneously and offensively portrayed as 'multiple personalities') and transgender people as defective and degenerate, with these combined being the perfect storm to create a serial killer.
THIS BOOK ISN'T THAT. At. All.
But my baggage did spoil the end for me, as I stopped feeling tense because of thr gorgeous slowburn Horrific Realism (is this a thing? Am I coining it?) because I was braced to feel gross.
Strangely enough, my experiences with depression, isolation, and suicide actually made the reality far less impactful (especially with the effects of thr previous point), as they are things I know only too well, including the life-preserving, or at least life-extending power of stores and writing (I'm actually doing better than I have in forever right now though).
(I managed to avoid going on another whole self-indulgent tangent making it all about me again here)
[You're welcome]
The pointed refusal to initially explain the uncanny and surreal elements that permeate the narrative, flow in and around one another, is powerful. The slowburn build up of the awful and horrific, yet mundane to those who work with livestock, becoming increasingly weird and upsetting is conducted like an obscure orchestra with peaks and troughs on one level, while at the same time, through motifs and association continues to build beautifully.
I haven't felt such wonderfully rancid, very, very bad vibes (complimentary) in a long, long time, and the was this made my skin crawl from the get go and throughout are a testament to Reid's writing. I haven't absolutely smashed a book, especially an audiobook, so quickly in a while.
It's the disturbing journey more than the ending.
Bloody marvellous!
***
Watching the movie and losing my mind at the playing with the artificiality and is exquisitely for both those who have and haven't read the book and I'm freaking out with how much I am head over heels in love with this movie!
I adored the book, but I think I love the movie even more!
*My kink is being dommed by films like this*
That genuinely might be the most perfect movie I ever did see!