Foe – Iain Reid (2018)
(4 / 5)
Well that was my kind of book! I LOVE books that screw with your mind a little bit and as soon as I started reading Foe I knew that I was going to enjoy where it was going. I think it would make an extremely good episode of ‘Black Mirror”!
Henrietta and Junior are a married couple who live on their remote farm sometime in the future. A stranger, Terrance appears at the door and informs them that Junior has been randomly selected to travel far, far away for an unknown period of time. He doesn’t have a choice in the matter, and to combat Henrietta’s loneliness, they are going to leave her with some company while he is away.
I just have to talk about Reid’s writing. I absolutely loved it! Very, very clever! He has a way of using phrases and punctuation to add an eeriness to the atmosphere and make it totally and utterly engrossing!
Although it is a relatively short book, he builds up the tension really gradually until you are at the edge of your seat!
All of the characters were fabulous. I really enjoyed how there were only three central characters and you couldn’t really trust any of them! I really enjoy reading about characters like that!
I have read some reviews that said this book made them think deeply about relationships and marriage. I must admit I didn’t experience this “deep thinking” like others seem to have done. Maybe it also depends on your mood while reading, perhaps I wasn’t entirely in a contemplative mind. But I can appreciate how it brought about strong emotions in others. There is something about the almost haunting atmosphere.
Although I found the book to be incredible, I still only rated it 4 and not higher. Which is still amazing! But to me, the twists were predictable. I appreciate the writing and the tension and all the amazing things this book has to offer, but I knew what was going to happen, and I much prefer to be totally shocked.
However, that is the only negative thing I have to say about it. It was a fabulous book! Amazing writing! I’m going immediately to buy his previous book “I’m Thinking of Ending Things”. I can’t wait to read everything he has ever written!!!
Would I recommend Foe?
Yes! If you enjoy fabulous, eerie writing, a bit of psychological-screwing-with-your-mind, and a touch of sci-fi, you will enjoy what Foe has to offer!
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia and the author via Netgalley for a copy of Foe to read in exchange for my honest review.
PRE-ORDER HERE
Release Date (Aus) Ebook: 4th September, 2018.
Release Date (Aus) Hard Copy: 4th October, 2018.
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