Foe

Since the title of a book is the author's personal domain all I will say about this one is that it could have been better. The title, not the book. This is one chilling, dystopian scenario and I hope I never live to see it's existence.
I am not sure if this story fits the Sci-Fi genre or not and that category is not one that appeals to me. That aside, I was enthralled with the plot and, dare I say it, could not put it down. It's a short tale, almost a Novella really, but it makes up for that in a punchy, clipped style. Really, it wouldn't have wanted to be any longer for it does it's job quickly.
There's no embroidery, no nuance, and the action mostly takes place in a single location. You won't get the twist until the very end, trust me; I like to think I can solve these mysteries well before the end but this one had me.

I worried, I fretted; as I approached the end Junior hadn't left on the mission; where can this be going? But then...

Well that was my kind of book! I LOVE books that screw with your mind a little bit and as soon as I started reading Foe I knew that I was going to enjoy where it was going. I think it would make an extremely good episode of 'Black Mirror"!

Henrietta and Junior are a married couple who live on their remote farm sometime in the future. A stranger, Terrance appears at the door and informs them that Junior has been randomly selected to travel far, far away for an unknown period of time. He doesn't have a choice in the matter, and to combat Henrietta's loneliness, they are going to leave her with some company while he is away.

I just have to talk about Reid's writing. I absolutely loved it! Very, very clever! He has a way of using phrases and punctuation to add an eeriness to the atmosphere and make it totally and utterly engrossing!

Although it is a relatively short book, he builds up the tension really gradually until you are at the edge of your seat!

All of the characters were fabulous. I really enjoyed how there were only three central characters and you couldn't really trust any of them! I really enjoy reading about characters like that!

I have read some reviews that said this book made them think deeply about relationships and marriage. I must admit I didn't experience this "deep thinking" like others seem to have done. Maybe it also depends on your mood while reading, perhaps I wasn't entirely in a contemplative mind. But I can appreciate how it brought about strong emotions in others. There is something about the almost haunting atmosphere.

Although I found the book to be incredible, I still only rated it 4 and not higher. Which is still amazing! But to me, the twists were predictable. I appreciate the writing and the tension and all the amazing things this book has to offer, but I knew what was going to happen, and I much prefer to be totally shocked.

However, that is the only negative thing I have to say about it. It was a fabulous book! Amazing writing! I'm going immediately to buy his previous book "I'm Thinking of Ending Things". I can't wait to read everything he has ever written!!!

Would I recommend Foe?
Yes! If you enjoy fabulous, eerie writing, a bit of psychological-screwing-with-your-mind, and a touch of sci-fi, you will enjoy what Foe has to offer!

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia and the author via Netgalley for a copy of Foe to read in exchange for my honest review.

Intriguing plot, and different story to what I normally read. Great story, and really glad I gave it a try.

Initially I found this novel a slow and even awkward but gradually I warmed to the characters, especially Junior and even his elusive wife Henrietta (Hen) with her many changing moods. There were also so odd writing styles that had some characters speaking without inverted commas to indicate speech. However it’s not until the end that the truth emerges and all makes sense.
As I indicated the book was slow to start but soon had me intrigued and by the end I felt that I had in fact enjoyed reading it and also has some aspects to ponder upon as the story raises many interesting issues such as cloning, are we ever satisfied with what we have, the complexities of human relationships etc etc.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher Simon & Schuster (Australia) for an ebook copy to read and review.