Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Reid (I'm Thinking of Ending Things , 2016) is at it again, exploiting readers with plot twists, narrative unease, and explosive conclusions in his second novel. Henrietta and Junior's peaceful rural life is upended by a visit from Terrance, a representative of the OuterMore Corporation, a vast private and governmental partnership exploring space colonization. Junior has been selected as a candidate to travel on the first trip to the stars, and Terrance informs him that the process will take perseverance on his and Hen's part as they prepare for a lengthy separation. OuterMore requires invasive data collective of Junior's psyche, and as the interrogations get more personal, Junior begins to question the meaning of his life, his relationship with Hen, and the true purpose of Terrance's prodding questions. Told from Junior's perspective, this near-future psychological thriller veers from the mundane to the surprising as the story slowly unravels and reveals the underlying motivations of Junior, Hen, and Terrance. Reid has the rare ability to make readers both uncomfortable and engaged, and this drama will surely send them back to the beginning pages to track the clues he left to the surprise ending.--Craig Clark Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In the beginning of the latest nerve-wracking novel from Reid (I'm Thinking of Ending Things), Junior and Henrietta lead a peaceful, solitary life on their farm in the near future. They wake up, drink coffee, go to work, and come home. Sometimes Henrietta plays the piano they found in their house. All of that is interrupted one day by the arrival of the mysterious Terrance, sent on behalf of the space research organization OuterMore to inform Junior he's been longlisted in a lottery for a temporary resettlement expedition into space called the Installation. Junior never applied for the program, and Terrance's appearance knocks them off-kilter, but Junior and Henrietta are able to eventually put it out of their minds-that is, until Terrance returns two years later to congratulate Junior on being selected for the Installation. When Junior expresses worries about being separated from Henrietta and leaving her alone, Terrance unveils the other side of the plan: while Junior is in space, a synthetic duplicate will come to take his place, working his job and keeping Henrietta company. In order to collect data for this duplicate, Terrance moves in with Junior and Henrietta, but as the days go on, Junior starts to believe there is something more sinister at play that Terrance is not telling him. Though the ending falls a little short, Reid proves once again that he is a master of atmosphere and suspense. Readers won't be able to put this one down. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In the near future, a man and his wife are visited by a mysterious stranger offering a chance for previously unimagined adventure, though the true explorationand dangermight be closer to home.Junior and Henrietta live in a dilapidated but cozy rural farmhouse, deep in a sea of canola fields, with only a few chickens for company. Their isolation is both comforting and eerie, a combination Reid pulled off exceptionally well in I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2016). Then a man named Terrance arrives with an outlandish prospect: Junior is on the long list of lottery participants chosen to take part in the Installation, a temporary space resettlement project run by OuterMore. Though Terrance's enthusiasm is palpable, and unnerving, Junior and Hen are understandably leery. With all the cheer of a traveling Bible salesman, Terrance departs, promising to be back if Junior moves up the list. Two years pass in a flash, with Junior going about his job at the mill and Hen sinking into a minor depression of sorts. Like the warning of potential yet probable future disease, dread over Terrance's return settles over the narrative, and Junior and Hen's relationship, which at first seems strong, wobbles. As Junior moves up the list and his departure becomes more certainty than possibility, cracks appear in the marriage; Junior struggles with memories of his past, and Hen confronts her husband with feelings she's kept hidden for years. Terrance's role as observer and cataloger as he prepares the couple for the Installation is claustrophobic yet revealing, and Reid builds to a deeply unsettling climax.As much a surgical dissection of what makes a marriage as an expertly paced, sparsely detailed psychological thriller, this is one to read with the lights on. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
