Words Jackie LaPlante
Many enthusiastic readers have, at one time, found an author whose book is so interesting that it propels them to devour the writer’s entire body of work. Why do we do it, and what does it do for us? There can be a comfort factor, particularly with series that feature a common character. Perhaps it is the writing style, be it cut and dried, conversational or experimental. Occasionally a book may completely amaze us and we want more of the same creativity.
Someone once recommended that I read I’m Thinking of Ending Things, by the then little-known Ontario author Iain Reid. A cerebral psychological thriller with an intriguing title, the intense story captivated me. When Foe, (a 2026 Canada Reads contender), was released, I went straight for it. A thriller with a sci-fi twist, this one offered a more complex story with increased character development. And then came We Spread.
Again, Iain Reid offers a psychological thriller, creepy and suspenseful, but with much more depth and real-life uncertainty than his previous novels.
Penny, an aging artist, follows the directive of her late husband and moves to a charming seniors’ residence. While the two staff members and four residents are welcoming, Penny begins to feel unnerved. Nail clippings are saved by staff; the residents suffer gaps of time and memory. All residents, despite being well-fed, are ferociously hungry. Penny investigates, but her failing mind and body, and the keen attentions of the staff, hold her back.
At first glance, the feel of the book is dystopic and futuristic. Are the residents being harvested for experimental cloning and investigations into longevity? As Penny elaborates on the unusual practices she notices in the residence, she begins to give the sense that she is an unreliable narrator. Is it possible that these unusual things are happening? Or are her accounts simply the confusions of dementia? The recurring theme of the pando tree, with its far-reaching root system, appearing randomly in the residence and subconsciously, in the insistence that residents share their talents (and pieces of their physical bodies), offers another curiosity to ponder.
Reid manages to keep the reader hovering between the possibility that the institution is evil and the suspicion that Penny’s accounts are fantasy, maintaining this dissonance to the provocatively inconclusive finish.
To me, authors who produce compelling and inventive books are always worth following. Here are suggested titles by authors who might merit their own “deep dives”.
1. Bunny by Mona Awad
2. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
3. Madame Victoria by Catherine Leroux
