Book Review | We Spread by Iain Reid

After the death of her long-term partner, Penny is resigned to the mundane rituals of old age in her apartment, surrounded by her keepsakes. She is forlorn and lonely but doesn’t see a way out of her situation. But after a terrible accident, she finds herself at a unique care residence. For the first time in a long time, she is cared for, where everything is planned and she only needs to look after herself. But weird things are happening, she seems to lose time and she doesn’t know what is real anymore.

“I wish I had done more. There’s not enough time for me now. I had years and years’ worth of time. It went so fast. It went too fast.”

We Spread brings a subtle hallucinatory horror in the same vein as the author’s previous books, I’m Thinking of Ending Things and Foe. This time, our protagonist is an elderly woman who is losing her grip on time and place. Penny is jarred by the quick turnaround where she is moved to a new care place within days, arranged by her late partner. But soon she is taken by the efficient day-to-day living, where meal times and group sessions are set according to schedules. She is allowed to take her time and rest. Of course, this feeling doesn’t last long. The writing illustrates her confusion and anxiety really well, with an ominous undercurrent in every scene.

The book explores the fears of growing old and the feeling of running out of time. While Penny is regretful that she never exhibited her art, she discovers a sudden verve to paint, which is lovely to see. Penny’s new home and the people she meets allow her to flourish and get into her creative side again. There are interesting ideas here about productivity, legacy, and what makes a life worth living. I do wish certain things were made clearer because Penny’s disturbing experience is open to interpretation. Is her new home sinister, or is she just experiencing the effects of ageing? The book alludes to how growing old can be terrifying, but it can also be a gift.

We Spread is an uneasy, sorrowful book that might give you an existential crisis, but perhaps can also inspire you. Life is short. Do that thing you’ve been wanting to do.

About the author: Iain Reid

Photo by Yiqun Tang