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  • We Spread

  • Written by: Iain Reid
  • Narrated by: Robin Miles
  • Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (28 ratings)

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We Spread cover art

We Spread

Written by: Iain Reid
Narrated by: Robin Miles
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Publisher's Summary

The author of the “evocative, spine-tingling, and razor-sharp” (Bustle) I’m Thinking of Ending Things that inspired the Netflix original movie and the “short, shocking psychological three-hander” (The Guardian) Foe returns with a new work of philosophical suspense.

Penny, an artist, has lived in the same apartment for decades, surrounded by the artifacts and keepsakes of her long life. She is resigned to the mundane rituals of old age, until things start to slip. Before her longtime partner passed away years earlier, provisions were made, unbeknownst to her, for a room in a unique long-term care residence, where Penny finds herself after one too many “incidents.”

Initially, surrounded by peers, conversing, eating, sleeping, looking out at the beautiful woods that surround the house, all is well. She even begins to paint again. But as the days start to blur together, Penny—with a growing sense of unrest and distrust—starts to lose her grip on the passage of time and on her place in the world. Is she succumbing to the subtly destructive effects of aging, or is she an unknowing participant in something more unsettling?

At once compassionate and uncanny, told in spare, hypnotic prose, Iain Reid’s genre-defying third novel explores questions of conformity, art, productivity, relationships, and what, ultimately, it means to grow old.

©2022 Iain Reid (P)2022 Simon & Schuster Audio

What the critics say

“I loved this book and couldn’t put it down—a deeply gripping, surreal, and wonderfully mysterious novel. Not only has Reid given us a brilliant page-turner, but a profoundly moving meditation on life and art, death and infinity. Reid is a master.”—MONA AWAD, author of Bunny and All’s Well

“A taut and frightening read, perhaps best called a thriller. But the true thrill is in how so slender a book tackles such big questions—What does it mean to make art? What happens as we near death?—with such grace.”—RUMAAN ALAM, author of Leave the World Behind

“Reid masterfully gets into the psyche of his characters and readers all at once. What a gift.”—ALMA HAR’EL, director of Bombay Beach and Honey Boy

Featured Article: 15 Top Canadian Audiobooks of 2022 for Captivating Listens

There have been plenty of top Canadian books released in 2022, but even in a sea of excellence these listens stand out from the pack. The best of the best? Look no further.

What listeners say about We Spread

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Perhaps misrepresented in write-ups?

Different than what I anticipated based on synopses, not the fault of the story though

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Thought provoking

Never knowing fully what is going on, second guessing, and going no there must be something else. This book is a glimpse of what happens when memory fades

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Reid did it again

I love that I don’t know what actually happened. What was the truth and what was imagined. Brilliant.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Still not sure what to think

If you like a story with a tidy ending, no loose threads, then this is not the book for you. I kept hoping that We Spread would all come together and there would be some tidbit of information that would make you say "Ah, so that was what was really going on." No such luck. While this is not the worst thing in the world, it does mean just a "pretty good" overall rating from me rather than anything higher. I like an ending that at least points in one direction even if it does not take you all the way. The narration is fantastic, no complaint there. The story hits a little close to home if you have an older relative whose memory is not what it used to be. Our protagonist, Penny, seems happy in the end, so that is something.

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