One To Watch in 2019.
Junior and Henrietta are a quiet married couple. They live a comfortable, isolated life on their farm, far from the city lights, but in close quarters with each other.
One day, a stranger from the city arrives with surprising news: Junior has been randomly selected to travel far away from the farm . . . very far away.
The most unusual part? Arrangements have already been made so that when he leaves, Hen won’t have a chance to miss him at all, because she won’t be left alone—not even for a moment. Hen will have company. Familiar company.
I 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.
You can purchase Foe (Scribner) Here.
Happy Reading!
