This Thing Between Us
Ratings70
Average rating3.8
15
Ratings70
Average rating3.8
It was Vera’s idea to buy the Itza. The “world’s most advanced smart speaker!” didn’t interest Thiago, but Vera thought it would be a bit of fun for them amidst all the strange occurrences happening in the condo. It made things worse. The cold spots and scratching in the walls were weird enough, but peculiar packages started showing up at the house―who ordered industrial lye? Then there was the eerie music at odd hours, Thiago waking up to Itza projecting light shows in an empty room.
It was funny and strange right up until Vera was killed, and Thiago’s world became unbearable. Pundits and politicians all looking to turn his wife’s death into a symbol for their own agendas. A barrage of texts from her well-meaning friends about letting go and moving on. Waking to the sound of Itza talking softly to someone in the living room . . .
The only thing left to do was get far away from Chicago. Away from everything and everyone. A secluded cabin in Colorado seemed like the perfect place to hole up with his crushing grief. But soon Thiago realizes there is no escape―not from his guilt, not from his simmering rage, and not from the evil hunting him, feeding on his grief, determined to make its way into this world.
A bold, original horror novel about grief, loneliness and the oppressive intimacy of technology, This Thing Between Us marks the arrival of a spectacular new talent.
Reviews with the most likes.
I was really enjoying this book until the main character moved to a cabin. From there, I found myself reading very quickly and then eventually skimming.
I enjoyed the passages about the main character's grief, the dialog, and the prose. However, there were a lot of horror ideas, and I felt this book didn't quite know what it wanted to be. It went from techno thriller to ritualistic gore to zombies (sort of?) - there may have been something else that I've completely forgotten about, too. Ultimately, it was a lot in a short amount of time and nothing quite fit. Lastly, there were a few grammatical issues and inconsistencies (for example, their membership was referred to as both “Prime” and “Plus,” the former being correct, I think).
Despite my low score, I'm still going to keep up with this author as I feel he has a lot of potential.
Really connected with Moreno's portrayal of grief. This is a very quick read with just enough spookiness.
This book is on my personal hall of fame shelf now because it emcompasses grief in a way I could just feel it ache in my chest.
