Book Review: We Spread by Iain Reid

Title: We Spread

Author: Iain Reid

Release date: September 27th, 2022

After the one-two punch of ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ and ‘FOE’ I was very, very curious of what Reid would offer up for the trifecta of creepiness. I personally enjoyed ‘FOE’ more than ‘ITOET’ but I imagine each reader will have a different favorite based on the order of having read those.

When I was out in Toronto in May, my friend, Randall kindly gave me a copy of Reid’s newest. I was thankful, but also a bit worried – as I often never get a chance to read physical books. With my wife and son heading to my in-laws for the week here, I instantly knew now was the time to dive into ‘We Spread’ and boy what a trip. Over three snappy reading sessions, I worked my way through this and I’d have to think Reid is currently the leader in weird/creepy literary horror fiction.What I liked: The story follows Penny, an older woman who lives in the apartment she shared with her significant other for over five decades. They never married, both focused on their art and careers as artists. He’s now passed and she goes about her mundane existence, constantly dealing with  the mental battle of aging and what that means.After having a fall, the story really ramps up. Penny is admitted to an extended care home, a place she’s told her and her significant other had set up for her before he died. Here, she lives alongside three other seniors, as well as Shelley, the manager and Jack, the handyman/Jack of all trades.As the story progresses, Iain somehow manages to infuse each page with a growing sense of dread. Look, us readers are not stupid, we know something truly weird is going on, but Reid smartly hides the potential uncertainties behind the pretense of potential dementia. Maybe Penny is just getting old and can’t remember stuff. Maybe the others are just forgetting and Shelley has their best interests at heart. But we don’t buy it. Not for a second. And in the final third of the book, we get a partial look behind the veil, where Penny discovers things and us readers have a collective AH HA! moment.I really enjoyed the various characters that Penny interacted with. Hilbert and her share a special relationship and Ruby was a great comic-relief, even if her arrivals and departures were not meant comically. It had a way of lowering the tension-o-meter each time she was there, only for it to be re-ramped up with the turn of the page.The ending was spectacular and will offer readers two variations of theme to decide on what they think truly happens. Reid did a great job of pushing us in both directions equally throughout and evokes shades of Gran’s ‘Come Closer’ with its execution.What I didn’t like: Readers may find some familiarity with pacing and plotting with ‘FOE’ and ultimately that may turn them off from venturing far in this one. I would say this one doesn’t go to the same places that one did and to stick it out, the branches that spread in the last section are worth climbing up on.Why you should buy this: Fans of Reid’s will undoubtedly already have this and in many cases will have ripped through it. ‘We Spread’ is compulsive, propulsive and absolutely captivating. It kept me suitably creeped out from page one until the ending and the emotional aspects of the dementia subplot were spot on and really humanized the unsettling feeling you get throughout.Reid is a juggernaut with this style of fiction and not only do I love that he’s Canadian, but that he continues to forge ahead by doing things his way.Much to the benefit of us readers.5/5https://www.amazon.com/We-Spread-Iain-Reid-ebook/dp/B09RX2LW56/