We Spread by Iain Reid

This book develops on the theme of helplessness and ageing. We have a woman, alone at home, thinking back on her life. She lived with a man who seemed to have many facets, some of which we will come to know over the course of the book. After multiple days of being alone, she starts to hear things which may or may not be real. After hurting herself, and luckily being found in time (another scary plot point), she is carted off to an old age home which has already been paid for. She is part of a small select group of people being taken care of by just two people. One is the owner of the establishment, and another seems too much under her thumb to be an ordinary nurse. It seems very jolly, to begin with, the food is probably the best part. It is only when she starts to want independence or do something by herself she starts to face walls. She is afraid she is being gaslit, and things get significantly worse from then on. I liked the writing. The book was not long, but as with many such books, there is a level of vagueness that surrounds the actual ending and the reasons behind it all. I am not a fan of such endings. I know it is a good discussion point to imagine how much of the events we witnessed were true and what the point of it all was, but to me, reading the book by myself, it was not as much of a bonus. The book has an ominous atmosphere throughout, and the writing keeps us guessing as to the reality of what we are being shown. I would recommend it to fans of this genre. I think people who like this genre would better appreciate the ending. I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.