This Thing Between Us
Books | Fiction / Horror
3.7
(274)
Gus Moreno
"A surreal excursion into heartache and horror narrated by a man undone by grief . . . Along with allusions to Rod Serling and The Exorcist, there are shades of H. P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, zombie literature and, at least once, A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy . . . You don't want to read this book right before bed." —Sarah Lyall, The New York Times Book Review“This intense cosmic horror with a touch of Mexican American folklore is incredibly creepy and moving.” —Margaret Kingsbury, BuzzFeedIt was Vera’s idea to buy the Itza. The “world’s most advanced smart speaker!” didn’t interest Thiago, but Vera thought it would be a bit of fun for them amidst all the strange occurrences happening in the condo. It made things worse. The cold spots and scratching in the walls were weird enough, but peculiar packages started showing up at the house—who ordered industrial lye? Then there was the eerie music at odd hours, Thiago waking up to Itza projecting light shows in an empty room.It was funny and strange right up until Vera was killed, and Thiago’s world became unbearable. Pundits and politicians all looking to turn his wife’s death into a symbol for their own agendas. A barrage of texts from her well-meaning friends about letting go and moving on. Waking to the sound of Itza talking softly to someone in the living room . . .The only thing left to do was get far away from Chicago. Away from everything and everyone. A secluded cabin in Colorado seemed like the perfect place to hole up with his crushing grief. But soon Thiago realizes there is no escape—not from his guilt, not from his simmering rage, and not from the evil hunting him, feeding on his grief, determined to make its way into this world.A bold, original horror novel about grief, loneliness and the oppressive intimacy of technology, This Thing Between Us marks the arrival of a spectacular new talent.
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More Details:
Author
Gus Moreno
Pages
272
Publisher
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Published Date
2021-10-12
ISBN
0374539235 9780374539238
Community ReviewsSee all
"A man undone by his grief with real life horrors that are met with demonic ones. It was fast paced and it had me hooked from the first page! You get to see the process of him gripping away from reality and trying to figure out how to get back. "
Sandy Lopez
"Ok so this book is a mix of a few things…grieving husband, possible family curse, demonic energy, impasse…I’m not sure I like this book…it doesn’t mean you wouldn’t like it…if you are in a mood for something strange then this book is for you. "
LeeLoo Dallas
"There was so much that disappointed me about this book. It was advertised as horror, but the majority of it was about grief and how we deal with the loss of a loved one, which was not bad but did bring up many painful emotions. There were plot points that were frankly, unnecessary and didn't contribute much to either the grief or the horror/supernatural plot line - describing the graphic death of a dog not once, but twice (yes, the same dog. Don't ask). I was like, ok, maybe it'll get better so let me at least get to the end where hopefully the supernatural bit is explained or dealt with in some way, but no, the book just kind of ended while simultaneously adding more questions about what is going on and what actually happened in the book. Im sure some people like these sorts of open-ended "what is reality? Here's a plot twist that makes you question it without adding anything in the last 10 pages!" types of books, but it was just too much for me and lowkey felt like a waste of time. The main character was also extremely unlikeable imo, he just moved through the story listlessly, letting bad things happen to him without seeming to take any initiative when a problem came up. There was zero growth, healing, or real "effort" to live or make anything get better or fight in him, and while I can get where those feelings are coming from, I want an MC (especially in a book that has horror elements, not just a grief introspective) to maybe be a little better than we may act in an unscripted reality, if that makes sense? Idk, regret finishing it"
Darya 🖤
"I really enjoyed it, but maybe I wasn’t smart enough to completely understand the ending. Definitely a great horror and exploration of grief."
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Zariah Grant
"Maybe I didn’t understand the story enough but I really didn’t like this book. I was hoping for more of a paranormal read from the blurb but this felt like a let down. It wasn’t scary at all. There were many times I was grossed out to the point that I felt sick to my stomach. So if you don’t like disgusting details in stories don’t read this. 2/5 #horror "
Meg
"Strange, captivating, and unique. Difficult to characterize but fun to read. "
Joseph Cupertino
"a beautiful message on grief and longing, reveling in that desperation so synonymous with the loss of a loved one. a definite recommendation for lovers of surrealism and beautiful prose."
Basil
"I almost dropped this book. The beginning starts as this grief-ridden monologue that just seemed to drag on forever. I'm very glad I stuck it out and kept reading because the way everything gradually unraveled was fantastic. The chase scene in the cabin was one of the creepiest feelings I've ever gotten while reading. "
Amanda Null
"Heartbreaking, insanely creepy, and very abstract. As much as I am into horror and psychological books, I believe this novel was a good combination of the two. I enjoyed how it was written in the second person perspective, this immediately grabbed my attention and I could not stop reading. Although it was pretty confusing towards the end, I was still very impacted by the imagery and ominous (along with sad) writing style and details in the book. "
mish
"“The maddening part of the last few months wasn't that you were dead, but that you hadn't been obliterated from the world. I could still sense you. The days were watermarked with your face. Your absence felt less like nonexistence and more like we were both in the same house but in separate rooms, cut off by the flimsiest door. The lock on the door was a riddle, and if I could just figure it out, sequence the right thoughts together, you could come back.”<br/>⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️<br/>This book is an amazingly accurate representation of what grief looks and feels like. Several passages, such as the one above, describe the loss of a loved one so perfectly it almost hurts. Beyond that, this story is also one that delves into realms of horror and surrealism that make this such a multifaceted book that it’s hard not to find enjoyment and intrigue throughout. The overall writing format was also incredibly enticing: having it be a letter from the main character to his dead wife was beautifully haunting, incredibly smart, and completely unlike any other reading experience I’ve had. My only complaint for this one is the ending. While I don’t mind a large dose of weirdness and/or surrealism in my books, this one got a little too weird. I think in an effort to make the ending so over the top, it actually became convoluted and hard to follow (or maybe I’m just not intelligent enough to decipher what I’m sure is a deeper meaning). Regardless, this is an absolutely remarkable book that I highly recommend especially for fans of writers in the realm of Stephen King and Stephen Graham Jones.<br/>"
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Cailin Zoltak
