Genre Fiction
![Iain Reid - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B00E96RL7G.jpg)
We Spread
The author of the "evocative, spine-tingling, and razor-sharp" (Bustle) I'm Thinking of Ending Things that inspired the Netflix original movie and the "short, shocking" (The Guardian) Foe returns with a new work of suspense following an elderly woman trapped in a mysterious facility.
Penny, an artist, has lived in the same apartment for decades, surrounded by the artifacts and keepsakes of her long life. She is resigned to the mundane rituals of old age, until things start to slip. Before her longtime partner passed away years earlier, provisions were made for a room in a unique long-term care residence, where Penny finds herself after one too many "incidents."
Initially, surrounded by peers, conversing, eating, sleeping, looking out at the beautiful woods that surround the house, all is well. She even begins to paint again. But as the days start to blur together, Penny-with a growing sense of unrest and distrust-starts to lose her grip on the passage of time and on her place in the world. Is she succumbing to the subtly destructive effects of aging or is she an unknowing participant in something more unsettling?
At once compassionate and uncanny, told in spare, hypnotic prose, Iain Reid's "exquisite novel of psychological suspense" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) explores questions of conformity, art, productivity, relationships, and what, ultimately, it means to grow old.
Penny, an artist, has lived in the same apartment for decades, surrounded by the artifacts and keepsakes of her long life. She is resigned to the mundane rituals of old age, until things start to slip. Before her longtime partner passed away years earlier, provisions were made for a room in a unique long-term care residence, where Penny finds herself after one too many "incidents."
Initially, surrounded by peers, conversing, eating, sleeping, looking out at the beautiful woods that surround the house, all is well. She even begins to paint again. But as the days start to blur together, Penny-with a growing sense of unrest and distrust-starts to lose her grip on the passage of time and on her place in the world. Is she succumbing to the subtly destructive effects of aging or is she an unknowing participant in something more unsettling?
At once compassionate and uncanny, told in spare, hypnotic prose, Iain Reid's "exquisite novel of psychological suspense" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) explores questions of conformity, art, productivity, relationships, and what, ultimately, it means to grow old.
Editorial Reviews
"Reid combines magnetic character development with clipped, eerie prose in this masterfully crafted psychological thriller that will keep the reader guessing until the very last word on the final page."-Booklist
"Iain Reid's We Spread is taut and frightening read, perhaps best called a thriller. But the true thrill is in how so slender a book tackles such big questions-What does it mean to make art? What happens as we near death?-with such grace."
-Rumaan Alam, New York Times bestselling author of Leave The World Behind
"[An] exquisite novel of psychological suspense . . . [Leaves] readers contemplating their own mortality and primed to see the sinister behind the mundane . . . This deep plunge into fears about growing old and losing control is unforgettable." -Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
"In We Spread Iain Reid masterfully gets into the psyche of his characters and readers all at once. What a gift."
-Alma Har'el, Director of Bombay Beach, Honey Boy, and Shadow Kingdom.
"I loved this book and couldn't put it down--a deeply gripping, surreal and wonderfully mysterious novel. Not only has Reid given us a brilliant page turner, but a profoundly moving meditation on life and art, death and infinity. Reid is a master." - Mona Awad, author of Bunny and All's Well
"With this latest hypnotic transmission, Reid delves into the strange substructures of psychology, where individual minds blur and a more undifferentiated kind of life teems. With tenderness and mastery, he offers us great insights on the nature of aging and the vertiginous experience of being human." -Alexandra Kleeman, author of Something New Under the Sun
"We Spread is simply hypnotic. This novel works by a f...
"Iain Reid's We Spread is taut and frightening read, perhaps best called a thriller. But the true thrill is in how so slender a book tackles such big questions-What does it mean to make art? What happens as we near death?-with such grace."
-Rumaan Alam, New York Times bestselling author of Leave The World Behind
"[An] exquisite novel of psychological suspense . . . [Leaves] readers contemplating their own mortality and primed to see the sinister behind the mundane . . . This deep plunge into fears about growing old and losing control is unforgettable." -Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
"In We Spread Iain Reid masterfully gets into the psyche of his characters and readers all at once. What a gift."
-Alma Har'el, Director of Bombay Beach, Honey Boy, and Shadow Kingdom.
"I loved this book and couldn't put it down--a deeply gripping, surreal and wonderfully mysterious novel. Not only has Reid given us a brilliant page turner, but a profoundly moving meditation on life and art, death and infinity. Reid is a master." - Mona Awad, author of Bunny and All's Well
"With this latest hypnotic transmission, Reid delves into the strange substructures of psychology, where individual minds blur and a more undifferentiated kind of life teems. With tenderness and mastery, he offers us great insights on the nature of aging and the vertiginous experience of being human." -Alexandra Kleeman, author of Something New Under the Sun
"We Spread is simply hypnotic. This novel works by a f...
Readers Top Reviews
PatriciasBooksGin
This is my first book of Iain Reid and I'm just floored with his writing. As a 70 year old woman, I was amazed how accurate he was talking about old age. The ending leaves you wide open to decide a few things, to answer your own questions. This is art.
Minerva BaumannPa
Ian Reid’s characters are so well-drawn, it’s easy to slip into “We Spread” and become part of it. It’s hard to put down because it stokes a growing curiosity right up to the surprise ending. It’s truth about growing old from the inside out. It’s told affectionately with a glimpse of what it means to be truly alive before we die. Make your favorite tea, snuggle into your comfy chair and prepare to join the group at Six Cedars.
jennifer samuelsM
This 3rd book by Iain Reid was not as strong as his first 2 novels. It’s got great atmosphere and dialogue but who or what is the bad guy? Where are we going with this story? The story lacks a real direction or just a real bad guy.
VICKI HERBERTjenn
Possible spoilers. 4 stars. In WE SPREAD, Penny has lived with her lover, an unnamed artist, for many years; Until his death... Afterward, Penny herself enters old age and has lapses of memory but one thing she knows... Someone was watching her one day from the street below and when she fell while changing a light bulb... Falling unconscious, she woke up to someone in her apartment watching her in the dark... The next time she was aware of anything, Penny was being taken to Six Cedars Residence Home where she will be living with 4 other old residents and 2 caretakers... The residents are cared for and well fed but Penny senses something sinister about the old home hidden in the forest... And its bizarre staff... The end comes for us all. It's the tragedy of life so we must form a symbiotic union with others to stave it off... POSSIBLE SPOILER: This was a well-written story but I'm not sure I understood its message. Was it just about death and dying or was there more to it? The answer eluded me and for that I removed a star but I definitely enjoyed the easy breezy writing style and read the book in one day I just didn't care for the ending. FOE by this author is an excellent novel.
Linda S.VICKI HER
I liked this story -- the plot, the characters, the potential. Jumping right in, to my mind, there were two possible scenarios: Penny was suffering from dementia -or- she was suffering from dementia and she was residing at a care facility which was working to increase our lifespan by experimenting on senior people. My gut told me there was no plan by the employees of the care facility to experiment on seniors. I believe Penny was in the beginning stages of dementia when she was removed from her home by the apartment manager. Several examples were given (i.e., not caring for herself or her home, knocking on wall, person watching her from outside, suspicious maintenance man). And after she moved to the care facility, her disease kept progressing. There were many examples of this, both in what she thought was happening around her and the things that were happening to her (i.e., things growing on her and others, turning into someone else, losing time). She was confused, scared and concerned about everything. I know that dementia can be a terrifying disease. I wanted to think there was a plot involved, but ultimately came to the conclusion that the story was really about a woman suffering from dementia who was spiraling downward. So, four stars in my opinion -- one for the characters, one for the plot and its potential, one for the location and one for the nice dust cover. I would have given it five stars, but found it rather frustrating to not get any definitive answers from the author.
