I wish I'd done more. I had years and years worth of time. It went so fast. It went too fast.

Penny, an elderly woman in her early nineties, has been struggling since the death of her long-time partner. When she has a bad fall after attempting to change a light bulb, it is decided that she'd be better off finishing out her days in an assisted living facility. And, at first, Six Cedars seems a wonderful place - a lovely old home surrounded by woods, with only three other residents. But, before long Penny begins to notice something sinister is going on . . .

"Is there something I don't know about, Jack?"

"What do you mean?"

"Here. Her. This house."

This is a wonderful slow burning psychological thriller. There's a creeping feeling of unease, and the tension is, at times, pretty nerve-racking. It's an engrossing and disturbing read.


"You're protected here from all the dangers of being an elderly woman, okay?"

I will admit, of the three Reid's I've read, this was third place for me--with Foe being first, and I'm Thinking of Ending Things being second. Despite that, this was FANTASTIC. I loved the loneliness evoked, the horror of aging, and the prison it can feel like. Highly recommend.

Deeply unsettling. Reid has done it again. He just doesn’t miss. Never before has aging been seeped in such thoughtful dread.

An absolutely gorgeous commentary on aging and the way we treat our elders. Iain has put the most lovely creepy spin on dementia and end of life,.

4.5/5 stars
"The tragedy of life isn't that the end comes. That's the gift. Without an end, there's nothing. There's no meaning.
Do you see? A moment isn't a moment. A moment is an eternity. A moment should mean something. It should be everything."

The story of We Spread revolves around Penny, an artist by profession, who lives alone in her apartment after the demise of her long-time partner, surrounded by her memories and mementos from a lifetime. A freak accident at home prompts her landlord to shift Penny to Six Cedars Residence, an assisted living facility. Penny initially resents the move and goes reluctantly but gradually settles in, enjoying the company and the fact that the residents are looked after and taken good care of. She even starts painting again. What does seem strange to her is that everyone seems to know about her and the fact that she was planning to take up residence in Six Cedars, a fact that she does not remember discussing with her deceased partner let alone something she had planned for. But it seems that her late partner had made arrangements to that effect. As the narrative progresses, Penny's memories seem to collapse into one another and her reality seems blurred prompting her (and the reader) to question everyone and everything happening to Penny at Six Cedars.

Working in elder care, I can say that this book brought a new perspective to me that really impacted me emotionally and mentally!
Beautifully written, thought-provoking yet chilling and fear-inducing, We Spread by lain Reid is hard to explain. I consider it more of an experience than a read -and an unsettling one at that, touching upon themes of aging, loneliness, advanced age-induced memory loss, and ultimately how we perceive life and death. As we follow Penny through her days at Six Cedars, it is difficult not to feel and share her anxiety, confusion and fear as she encounters the strange incidents and interactions that follow. lain Reid has created an atmosphere that reels you in and suffocates, and yet leaves you questioning and second-guessing your understanding and interpretation of this short, slow-paced yet heavy narrative.

The thing about Iain Reid books is they're not for everyone. They are weird. They are unsettling. They asks uncomfortable questions about people, life, the world. Sometimes they make you squirm with anxiety while you're reading them. If that doesn't sound like fun to you, I totally get it. But if you don't mind sitting in those bouts of unease, you will come out the other side having read something really unique and wonderful.

In WE SPREAD, Penny is an old woman grappling with all the depressing things that come with getting old. It's so painful to read her thoughts about getting old, to see what's happening to her mind and body and what is becoming of her life. So when she has the opportunity (question mark?) to join a long-term care community, she is excited to be surrounded by people like herself, and to once again discover a purpose for life. But after awhile she begins to question whether things are as shiny and bright as they seem or it just her old age rearing its ugly head again?

Iain writes with such precision and simplicity, yet nearly every word packs an emotional weight. If you've ever really struggled with the idea of aging and getting old, this probably won't make you feel any better about it. However, that doesn't make this worth skipping...in fact I think the opposite is true. I think it's important to ask the questions found in this book and really think about what it's like to grow old and start to truly break down in all senses. I think FOE still reigns supreme as my number one pick of Iain's books, but this is a close second and I will definitely revisit the finished copy I had to buy.

**Thank you to Net Galley & Scout Press for the free review ebook**

This book is a masterpiece.
So thought provoking and absolutely disturbing. I read this in one day and immediately wanted to read it again. Everything Iain writes, I will buy. No questions asked. Thanks for the ARC!

In this creepy, atmospheric thriller, an elderly woman named Penny finds herself with no family or friends to rely upon. Suddenly, she's moved to a mysterious nursing home where the workers and tenants aren't quite what they appear...

Reid is absolutely phenomenal at the eerie slow burn! His books are always shorter and fast paced, but the thrilling moments have the perfect pacing and the characters are always just fleshed out enough to keep you reading, but not enough to make you super attached to them. I loved how Reid took different perspectives on aging and dying and illuminated them in this equally depressing and terrifying novel. This one will keep you thinking for sure!

Iain Reid is one of my very few one-click authors, so I was so happy when I was able to get an e-ARC. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher!!

If you've seen my other reviews of Reid's books, you know that I'm a huge fan. Truly. He's one of my all-time favorite authors. I love the way his writing morphs with each book, adding just the right amount of feeling to make you keep reading.

Although I think it's hard to compare his work, and I know most authors wouldn't want their work constantly compared, I do think that overall, the readability is one of the most distinct attributes of his. The pacing, the storylines- they're all so neatly and brilliantly constructed that you'll likely read them all in one sitting.

I will say that this one was harder for me to get through than the others, but that's not Iain's fault. In fact, it means that he did his job incredibly well.

This story follows an older woman as she embarks on her journey to a facility. She's confused at first, as she doesn't remember making plans to stay there. As the story progresses, you don't really know what's happening, evoking a sense of dread deep in your bones.

Is this her mind slowly deteriorating, or is there something truly sinister about the facility?

Because it's told through Penny's point of view, we never really know.

As someone with a grandparent going through this loss of memory right now, it was an incredibly hard read for me, and it took way longer than any other book normally would. But there was a beauty in it, for sure.

I would definitely recommend this book, although I'm not sure I would recommend this be anyone's first book of Reid's.

I was first introduced to Reid's work with the book, Foe, and loved that one. He has the ability of writing really emotional stories, and this book confirms that. While I didn't connect with the actual story as much, I thought the writing was beautiful and haunting. You never know where he is going to take his reader, but it's almost certainly going to be thought-provoking. *Advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

A short but extremely compelling read. Iain Reid scares me with the way he is able to capture the human condition. This book made me feel weird but in a good way? It’s hard to even explain how this is to make you feel, but I enjoyed it!

We Spread is the latest psychological thriller by Iain Reid, and boy, is it a doozy. This time around, Mr. Reid explores dementia and old age. Through Penny's eyes, we experience what it is like to forget to accomplish mundane household chores, forget the names of things, and lose time. If that isn't scary enough, we also experience life in a long-term facility. As Penny succumbs to more lost memory, all we can do is sit, watch, and wonder if we are getting the complete picture. After all, Mr. Reid is an expert in misdirection or at least making you think it is misdirection. After yet another intense novel, Mr. Reid is quickly becoming a must-read author!

This book was so interesting. The first half had me in tears as Penny adjusts to her life as a widower, alone in her apartment. Then the book switches into a totally weird, mind messing situation. And I loved it.

Aging is scary and this book captures it perfectly.

This book is perfect for fans of literary fiction.

This is a phenomenal story! I would classify this as an "coming of old age" light horror. The story is beautifully written and the ending was so mesmerizing. I am so glad I took a chance on this novel. At first I was unsure if I should try it. It is my second book by Iain Reid. I think I enjoy this writing style quit a lot!

Thank you #NetGalley to sending me #WeSpread

Iain Reid always does such a good job writing stories that unsettle the readers and this was no different. At first, I was unsure about this novel, since it's being marketed as a horror but there was nothing very "horror" about it, but as the story went on it definitely got there. The horror is absolutely very slow burn. The author does a really great job writing a slow decent to madness, and the theme of it being around aging was really impactful. This novel had a few very good lines about society's fear of aging, simply just "getting old", and dying. I'm really looking forward to reading more from this author.

From the author of I’m thinking of ending things, comes this new story. I was hesitant it wouldn’t be as good but luckily I really enjoyed this book. The writing is spectacular and the plot was interesting and engaging enough to keep me on my toes and interested the entire time throughout the read. I would highly recommend this one!

This was horror of a different realm. A more realistic horror about the fear of growing old. Valid for many people as their greatest fear. This was incredibly well written and brought me to tears near the end.

This book was not at all what I was expecting. It was a nice surprise. I enjoyed reading this! I love how creative and unique Iain is.

Iain Reid is a master of the psychological thriller. Things are never what they seem. Great characters and a plot that has you going in many different directions.
I have read all of his previous novels and this one is just as good. For those that want a bit of horror and a good unraveling, We Spread is perfect. Loved it!

4.5 stars

WTF.

So here we are. Following Penny, an artist/widow, and losing the ability to care for herself as an elderly person. Enter the long-term care residence that her late partner chose years prior for her future care (she does not remember this decision). While she initially feels a kinship with the other residents, it isn't long before the care center starts to feel....shady. Something is clearly going on here.

WELL. That was quite a ride. The summary I gave doesn't do this story justice. I was completely sucked in and befuddled in the absolute best way possible. If you're looking for something that wraps up nicely with a cute little bow, this is not the book for you. If you enjoy books that make you struggle philosophically and leave you with some huge existential questions, pick this up. It's pretty incredible.