I really loved this book, I was seriously hooked by the description, I love anything along the lines of this novel. So gripping, haunting and mysterious from the very start.

A snapshot of two years in one couple’s life

Junior and Henrietta have lived in an isolated house far away from the congested city. They moved there after marriage, but it’s unclear as to whether it was a formal purchase or whether they just took over an abandoned building. Junior works at a local mill about which we learn very little.

Life on the surface is idyllic, but one evening a stranger arrives. His news turns their cosy world upside down. Junior has been chosen to join The Installation and will be away for years. Hen will stay at home but will be taken care of. Any questions?

Well, I had loads of questions, but neither Junior nor Hen seemed to be asking the right ones. Hen seemed to be in a state of continual, passive acceptance and Junior appeared initially to enjoy acting as a subordinate. This was a frustration, but it also drew me further into the story and left a real desire to learn more and to determine what was actually happening.

The plot seems to be set in a nebulous future epoch as there is reference to driverless vehicles and genetically modified crops but the exact time in the future basically doesn’t matter as the reader is only concerned with the action (or rather inaction) taking place between the three individuals – all others being peripheral to the main plot.

I dislike labels and am not going to attempt to pigeonhole the genre of this book. It has been described in various ways in the hype which always surrounds a book release. Quite simply it’s the story of 3 people. It’s fascinating and worth reading.

PS. I never did understand the significance or intended imagery of the beetles.

mr zorg

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

This book had an interesting premise, and the sci-fi was simple enough so that even those not familiar with the gene would be able to follow the story.

Speaking of the story, it was...a little slow, and a little lacklustre. I kept waiting for something to happen, feeling increasingly annoyed with the characters and lack of direction. And some grammar things annoyed me, until I got to the end reveal and I realised the purpose behind them, quite a clever device actually.

I really struggled getting into this book, it turned out very different from what I had expected, but the end is what brought my rating up another star. Guess this one didn’t really do it for me.

Thank you to Ian Reid, Simon & Schuster UK, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A new Iain Reid novel! When I laid my eyes on this one I was squeeling and doing a happy dance inside my head! I loved his debut novel I'm Thinking of Ending Things and I knew I was going to enjoy this one as well.

Talking about the cover, it immediately impressed me. The house in the middle of nowhere and the bleak look had me sold. Also the description prepared me for an amazing sci-fi mind bender ride!

The story is about a guy who lives a happy life with his wife in the countryside when suddenly a mysterious man enters their lives and things start changing. He starts questioning his relationship with his wife, the man's intentions, their life and also about himself.

I loved the mysterious plot, the bleak atmosphere throughout, the pace of the story(kept me on the edge) and the characters. Every character has an air of mystery around him/her. Although I thought the ending was a little predictable. If only I hadn't guessed it I would have enjoyed it even more. But overall I enjoyed it thoroughly. I'm really glad I read it.

Thank you Simon and Schuster UK and Netgalley for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley for this quite interesting book.

I love books like this one, where a lot of things are not explained. Why are Junior and Hen living like they do? Why are chicken illegal? Why does Junior have to go to the space station?
Although the book is a bit slow at points, and the solution to the biggest question is not difficult to figure out, I had a good time reading this book.

Foe is a surprising read, and one i feel will be best read without a strong sense of plot or direction, and ideally in as close to a single setting as possible. Unsettling, unpredictable and quietly devastating, Foe strikes at the heart of relationships and our sense of humanity. This may sound unlikely in such a short book, but the structure, characterisation and ratcheting of tension all contribute to making this irresistible..

It doesn’t happen very often but when it does it’s such a treat.. I pick up a book and start reading, there’s no effort needed and the words just flow of the page. This is one of those rare books that did just that. I really enjoyed it. Believable? Oh most definitely and so well written it grabbed my imagination straight away. Brilliant.

Foe is not a book I've heard much about. It popped up on my NetGalley dashboard, and I was intrigued by the description.

I've never read anything by Iain Reid before, or even heard of him, so I started Foe with an open mind.

It follows Hen and Junior, living out in the sticks, who get a visitor one night who tells them Junior has been chosen by a lottery to go to space. He has no choice in this matter. Hen will not be going with him. And they have to react to that news.

It's an interesting concept, but for a book where I was wholly unsure how I felt about it throughout, I spent days after finishing it thinking about it.

There are only three characters - Junior, Hen, and Terrance, who comes to break the news to the couple. Yet it's such a character heavy book. Little happens plot wise. They get told Junior is on the long list, then the short list, and they must start preparing. It's very much driven by the characters reactions reactions to this news, the possibility that they would have to spend years apart, the unfairness and injustice of not having choice in the matter, and the intrusion of Terrance in their lives when they're so used to being just the two of them.

Like I mentioned, I spent a large portion of this book being unsure what I thought of it. I wasn't convinced by the characters, I wasn't sure where it was going to go, but I sure wasn't disappointed once I'd finished. I don't want to say too much and spoil it, but if you are reading this and feeling a bit off, I implore you to carry on. It's the kind of story that stays with you for a while. The writing is easy and wandering, there was never a point while reading when I thought I would put it down and give up on it. Every issue I thought I was having with this book was soon resolved as I kept reading.

I rated this 4 out of 5 stars. It's tagged as 'horror' on Goodreads, but I wouldn't agree with that. It's a science fiction, mystery, almost a thriller, very unsettling and skin crawling at times. I'll definitely be keeping this author on my radar, and will be checking out his debut novel 'I'm Thinking of Ending Things.'

I received an advanced readers copied in exchange for an honest review. This book was very unusual, not quite what I was expecting. However it is an enjoyable sci-fi thriller. You kind of see what’s coming, the characters are a little black-and-white, but the conceit is interesting so the book works. 3.5 rounded up

As with his I'm Thinking of Ending Things I would strongly recommend that, if possible, you read this in a single sitting - it's a short read, lots of dialogue and internal thoughts so that the number of words is likely fewer than the number of pages indicate. Not that this is a flimsy book in terms of themes and 'plot': it's just that Reid is a writer who doesn't feel the need to explain or expostulate, and the story takes place between the lines, as it were.

This doesn't quite match his previous book for me which was an outstanding 5-stars: this one is... not predictable, but more transparent - I could see where it was going from quite early on. And that's fine because this is more than one of those books which are all about the twist and double-bluff.

While Ending Things was supremely creepy, this one is full of a dark humour while also working in a space which asks questions about marriage, about gender expectations, and about what it means to be human. The quirky range of references that was running through my mind while reading this included the X-Files, The Stepford Wives, The Machine and Never Let Me Go.

A bravura piece of writing that crams in more thought than many books three times its length.

You get a certain feeling of ill ease from page one of this book. You know something is wrong in this story set just a little into our future, but like the main character you have a problem working it out!
And that is why you have to keep reading.
The sensations it caused reminded me of reading 1984, or Brave New World, if you like that kind of thing then this is a pleasant little tale for you.

was such a huge fan of “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” which was scary and beautiful and thought provoking and left me dazed for days that I entered into “Foe” with not some little trepidation.

I was both delighted and perturbed (because here we go again) to find that Foe was simply another incredible piece of writing from Iain Reid – different themes but the same quirky, unsettling vibe, the same ability to mess with sense and perception, to leave you as a reader feeling nervy yet challenged in your thinking.

What this author does best, a bit like the King, is to imbue the most innocuous seeming narrative with a feeling of menace, the thought that there is something there just out of reach, waiting to pounce. Foe is absolutely immersive, plays on your mind and ultimately asks a very human question, one that digs deep into our sense of self and our perception of others.

It was a fascinating premise to wrap that question up in, the rythym of the storytelling is unique, the sense of place divinely executed and the characters are both odd yet undeniably real.

I won’t say more. Foe, like I’m Thinking of Ending Things, is a small, beautiful literary delight, poetically crafted and wonderfully thoughtful.

Loved it. I’m following this author for the rest of my life. Done deal.

Highly recommended.

What does it mean to be human, to have agency, free will and self determination? I found Foe to be deeply affecting and quite upsetting in the end. It felt like a cruel trick had been played on me.
Junior and Hen live a quiet, settled, life on a farm in a rural location. One evening, a man drives to their farm with surprising news. Junior has been chosen for a special assignment far away. He has no choice but to go. The new arrival, Terrance, presents the opportunity with evangelical zeal.
Cracks appear in Junior and Hen's marriage, as Junior waits to leave. It becomes clear that they don't know each other as well as they think. Junior bases his happiness on things staying as they are, without questioning what Hen would like.
As creepy Terrance spends more time at the farm, the atmosphere intensifies. Nothing will prepare you for the shocking denouement, as troubling as it is brilliant.

My very first five star review
Wow ,original and very unique therefore five stars ,takes a lot to find a refreshing new take and this does that , a fab ,quick read I read it in two days and cdnt put it down ,I was so intrigued with no real ideas of where we were heading ,it reminded me of something that u wd see in a black mirror episode
Great concept leaves u thinking and wondering ,who is who
Could really picture the isolated home they live in and could really get a feel for their marriage
Have had in my wish list the first novel for quite awhile and will Defo be ordering that .
Can’t wait for the next novel ,it can’t come quick enough ,I have myself a brand new fave author right here
Thanks so much netgalley and publishers. I will post on amazon as soon as I am able as tried but not released yet so it hasn’t let me
Keep writing Ian!