Would you laugh at me if I said I bought ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ by Iain Reid because I just loved the book’s cover and feel? The slim volume felt so nice in my hands. I was holding the book the entire time I was browsing at the Pilgrims Book House in Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur. When it was time to pay for the other three books I had selected, I couldn’t put I’m Thinking of Ending Things back on the shelf. So, I had the cashier ring it up as well. I had already watched the film adaptation by the Oscar winner Charlie Kaufman and it hadn’t made much sense to me. I hadn’t enjoyed the dark and dreary setting. But the book was a lot better than the movie, albeit as confusing.

The story is about an unnamed woman who has been dating a dullish man called Jake for about six weeks when the two decide to go visit Jake’s parents. Now, she doesn’t really know why she’s doing it considering she’s thinking of ending things. She feels like she has sleepwalked into it all and that the two of them, despite the initial attraction, aren’t meant to be together. But still, she finds herself in the car, on a road trip. Here we get to see what she likes about Jake and the two talk about things like memories, faith, the importance of relationships, and how everything is multifaceted. Their conversations give you a lot to think about.

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Throughout the trip, the woman keeps getting phone calls. But she doesn’t answer them. She keeps making excuses—it’s just her friend calling, she’ll talk to her later or the battery is about to die—and lets the call go to voicemail. You get the sense something is off long before the actual horror begins. There are no other cars on the road, and when they finally reach their destination, all the houses are burnt out or dilapidated.

Though Jake says his parents are expecting them for dinner, the house is in complete darkness. It all feels chillingly sinister. Jake displays awkward behavior time and again. There were times when I felt that had I been in the narrator’s place, I would have jumped out of the car and run screaming. Then, Reid also makes you question the narrator: Is she reliable? The novel takes a horrific turn when the couple stop for dessert (in the middle of a snowstorm) on their way back and then make a detour (to dump the empty containers).

I’m Thinking of Ending Things feels like a fever dream. The claustrophobic setting makes it frighteningly good. Reid’s sparse prose and a dialogue driven narrative keep you hooked. What you know gives you goosebumps yet you wish Reid had told you more. They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but just this once I’m glad I did.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things

3.5 stars 
Fiction
Iain Reid
Published: 2016
Publisher: Scout Press
Pages: 216