I'm Thinking of Ending Things

Now an award-winning Netflix film directed by Charlie Kaufman.


‘This is a deliciously frightening novel, Reid has a light, idiosyncratic touch but never lets his vice-like grip of suspense slacken for a second. Once finished, you will be hard pressed not to start the whole terrifying journey all over again.’ Independent



Jake and his girlfriend are on a drive to visit his parents at their remote farm. After dinner at the family home, things begin to get worryingly strange. And when he leaves her stranded in a snowstorm at an abandoned high school later that night, what follows is a chilling exploration of psychological frailty and the limitations of reality.


Iain Reid’s intense, suspenseful debut novel will have readers’ nerves jangling. A series of tiny clues sprinkled through the relentlessly paced narrative culminate in a haunting twist on the final page.


Reminiscent of Michel Faber’s Under the Skin, Stephen King’s Misery and the novels of José Saramago, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is an astonishing and highly original literary thriller that grabs you from the start—and never lets go.


Iain Reid is the author of two critically acclaimed comic memoirs, One Bird’s Choice (winner of the CBC Bookie Award for Best Nonfiction Book of the Year) and The Truth About Luck (named by Canada’s Globe and Mail as one of the best books of 2013). Reid received the 2015 RBC Taylor Emerging Author award. He lives in Kingston, Otario.


‘A slick puzzle…it builds suspense, and delivers its twist without skipping a beat.’ Australian


‘Capped with an ending that will shock and chill, this twisty tale invites multiple readings.’ Publishers Weekly (starred review)


‘A spooky literary thriller that is as beautifully written as it is terrifying…A clever book that touches on themes of solitude and relationships, while reeling you in with a gripping, slow-build plot.’ Canberra Weekly


‘A deviously smart, suspenseful, intense and truly haunting book with a fuse long and masterfully laid.’ LA Review of Books


‘I'm Thinking of Ending Things is an ingeniously twisted nightmare road trip through the fragile psyches of two young lovers. My kind of fun!’ Charlie Kaufman, screenwriter of Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Genre: Horror

"Smart, dangerous and spooky as hell. Iain Reid takes you on a harrowing road trip that keeps you riveted until the final destination." - Brian Francis

"I’m Thinking of Ending Things is an utterly compelling modern Gothic that stakes its claim in the inner precincts of horror. Reid builds tension the way Edgar Allen Poe builds brick walls in his basement." - Wayne Grady

"I'm Thinking of Ending Things is one of the best debut novels I've ever read. Iain Reid has crafted a tight, ferocious little book, with a persistent tenor of suspense that tightens and mounts toward its visionary, harrowing final pages." - Scott Heim

"An addictive metaphysical investigation into the nature of identity, one which seduces and horrifies in equal measure. Reid masterfully explores the perversity of loneliness and somehow also creates a very entertaining thriller. I found myself yelling at the characters to put their feet on the pedal and drive." - Heather O'Neill