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End of the Loop
David isn't sure why he lives in the Institute. He's not sure why the doors are locked and guarded. He doesn't know why he has to take pills that turn his memory to mist.But one day he doesn't swallow his pills. On that day, he starts to remember. Once, things were quite different. Once, he went outside. He had friends, a lover, a life.
Once, something bad happened. Soon the staff will notice. They'll make him take his pills, and these precious scraps of memory will fade away. There's only one way to prevent it. Only one way to find out what's truly going on.
He must escape.
Once, something bad happened. Soon the staff will notice. They'll make him take his pills, and these precious scraps of memory will fade away. There's only one way to prevent it. Only one way to find out what's truly going on.
He must escape.
229 pages, Paperback
Published August 29, 2020
4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 28, 2021
“Wait a minute! Is that all there is? I watch TV and eat? While the seasons go by?”
David doesn’t remember anything. Where he is, how he ended up there, or even his own last name. The drugs make sure of that. But when his meds are changed and the orderlies fail to notice he’s no longer swallowing the pills, flashes of memory start to slip through the cracks in the fuzz. Slowly pushing aside the prescription-induced cobwebs, David begins to piece things together. One fact becomes very clear—if he doesn’t want to lose what little he has regained of himself, he needs to escape.
I’ve read a number of Brent Nichols’ books before (both under his own name and as Jake Elwood) and while I’ve typically always enjoyed his stories, END OF THE LOOP struck me as something special. Nichols employs language as a surgeon does the scalpel. His prose is tight and calculated, each sentence carrying exactly as much weight as needed to get the job done. The technique is particularly effective in the early chapters, as David emerges from his prescription-induced fugue. One feels the very real weight of lassitude imposed by the daily regimen of pills that keep David in his waking coma.
END OF THE LOOP starts as a slow burn, building momentum like a chugging train as David unravels more and more about his past. There’s a marked shift in pacing roughly a third of the way through the book, though, where events and memories begin to cascade and overlap. As more and more of David’s memories surface, flashbacks fill in the gaps between his childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. These intertwining threads are incredibly deftly woven. Readers will find themselves pulled along, wanting to know more and more with each new revelation and turning the pages to see if David can keep ahead of his fate while struggling to recover his past.
David finds both help and hinderances along the way as the story barrels toward its startling conclusion. Allies and antagonists from his past join the ride, throwing complications into the mix and giving the story interesting twists and speedbumps. Interesting questions are also raised about what happens to everyone else’s lives when someone disappears. But this isn’t It’s a Wonderful Life, and David is not George Bailey; David sees firsthand the very real impact his absence has made on those close to him, the very real consequences his actions left all those years ago.
Without giving anything away, all I can say about END OF THE LOOP’s ending is that the book wraps up with a masterful last-page gut punch that will leave readers gasping for air—rarely has the ending of a book left me reeling with such a visceral reaction. Getting to that ending is a deep and thorough study in character and consequence. END OF THE LOOP is a short read, but a powerful one. Absolutely worth your time.
Trigger & Content Warnings: Alcohol and Drug Use, Addictions, Graphic Violence, Murder, Death of Family Member, Psychological Abuse, Sexual Assault, Mild Sexual Content
David doesn’t remember anything. Where he is, how he ended up there, or even his own last name. The drugs make sure of that. But when his meds are changed and the orderlies fail to notice he’s no longer swallowing the pills, flashes of memory start to slip through the cracks in the fuzz. Slowly pushing aside the prescription-induced cobwebs, David begins to piece things together. One fact becomes very clear—if he doesn’t want to lose what little he has regained of himself, he needs to escape.
I’ve read a number of Brent Nichols’ books before (both under his own name and as Jake Elwood) and while I’ve typically always enjoyed his stories, END OF THE LOOP struck me as something special. Nichols employs language as a surgeon does the scalpel. His prose is tight and calculated, each sentence carrying exactly as much weight as needed to get the job done. The technique is particularly effective in the early chapters, as David emerges from his prescription-induced fugue. One feels the very real weight of lassitude imposed by the daily regimen of pills that keep David in his waking coma.
END OF THE LOOP starts as a slow burn, building momentum like a chugging train as David unravels more and more about his past. There’s a marked shift in pacing roughly a third of the way through the book, though, where events and memories begin to cascade and overlap. As more and more of David’s memories surface, flashbacks fill in the gaps between his childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. These intertwining threads are incredibly deftly woven. Readers will find themselves pulled along, wanting to know more and more with each new revelation and turning the pages to see if David can keep ahead of his fate while struggling to recover his past.
David finds both help and hinderances along the way as the story barrels toward its startling conclusion. Allies and antagonists from his past join the ride, throwing complications into the mix and giving the story interesting twists and speedbumps. Interesting questions are also raised about what happens to everyone else’s lives when someone disappears. But this isn’t It’s a Wonderful Life, and David is not George Bailey; David sees firsthand the very real impact his absence has made on those close to him, the very real consequences his actions left all those years ago.
Without giving anything away, all I can say about END OF THE LOOP’s ending is that the book wraps up with a masterful last-page gut punch that will leave readers gasping for air—rarely has the ending of a book left me reeling with such a visceral reaction. Getting to that ending is a deep and thorough study in character and consequence. END OF THE LOOP is a short read, but a powerful one. Absolutely worth your time.
Trigger & Content Warnings: Alcohol and Drug Use, Addictions, Graphic Violence, Murder, Death of Family Member, Psychological Abuse, Sexual Assault, Mild Sexual Content
August 28, 2024
End of the Loop absolutely hooked me from the first page and didn't let go.
The writing is brilliant, taking a reader on an action packed, tension filled ride from the first to the last word. Through David's eyes, Nichols takes the reader deep into the world of a man struggling to decipher reality from dream, and grasping to fill in the holes in his memory. Nichols did an outstanding job of portraying what it would be like to be in a medicated state, knowing that something isn't right, and clawing at a way to get out. David might be quite troubled, and the reader doesn't know if he's done horrible things or not, but he's authentic, and the reader empathizes with him.
As the story unfolds, the twists and turns are surprising, and they coming at an exciting pace. I found myself clutching the page, guessing what was going to happen, then being surprised yet absolutely satisfied at the outcome.
I should have read this book a long time ago.
The writing is brilliant, taking a reader on an action packed, tension filled ride from the first to the last word. Through David's eyes, Nichols takes the reader deep into the world of a man struggling to decipher reality from dream, and grasping to fill in the holes in his memory. Nichols did an outstanding job of portraying what it would be like to be in a medicated state, knowing that something isn't right, and clawing at a way to get out. David might be quite troubled, and the reader doesn't know if he's done horrible things or not, but he's authentic, and the reader empathizes with him.
As the story unfolds, the twists and turns are surprising, and they coming at an exciting pace. I found myself clutching the page, guessing what was going to happen, then being surprised yet absolutely satisfied at the outcome.
I should have read this book a long time ago.
January 24, 2021
I think this is probably the best Brent Nichols book I've read.
Immersive prose that makes the reader experience trauma: check.
Believable characters that makes the reader root for them: check.
Sick burn at the end that keeps the reader up at 3am: check.
I thought the plot might have stumbled a bit in the middle (how likely is it that Kim would not have discussed different scenarios with her Dad?), but this did not detract from the overall grab-you-and-slap-you-silly effect of the story.
I almost hate Brent Nichols for the ending of End of the Loop as much as I hate Thomas Hardy for the end of Tess of the D'Urbervilles, but not quite.
Yah. Read it.
Immersive prose that makes the reader experience trauma: check.
Believable characters that makes the reader root for them: check.
Sick burn at the end that keeps the reader up at 3am: check.
I thought the plot might have stumbled a bit in the middle (how likely is it that Kim would not have discussed different scenarios with her Dad?), but this did not detract from the overall grab-you-and-slap-you-silly effect of the story.
I almost hate Brent Nichols for the ending of End of the Loop as much as I hate Thomas Hardy for the end of Tess of the D'Urbervilles, but not quite.
Yah. Read it.
May 22, 2025
holy hell this was an absolute ride! could not put this book down once I picked it up. the writing is absolutely beautiful and you get sucked right into the story right away! and god damn what a twist at the end!!!!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews