Book Review | Foe by Iain Reid

Sometime in the near future, Junior and his wife, Hen, are living a quiet life on a farm. Until the day a stranger drops by with news. There’s a mission, and Junior has been selected to travel. He will go alone, leaving Hen behind. But the stranger reassures both of them that Hen will be alright. She will not be left alone. In fact, she will have a companion, one who she knows very well.

What will she miss about me when I’m gone?

Tight and suspenseful, Foe is a straightforward horror unlike the author’s previous mind-bending book I’m Thinking of Ending Things (which I loved). But it is still very effective. There is a distinctly science-fiction feel to the setting yet space is only alluded to, never shown. Technology is mentioned but doesn’t take precedence to the story. I was prepared to read about space travel so when I realised the entire story would take place on a farm, I had to adjust my expectations. Happily, my expectations were not only met but surpassed.

I really loved the writing, which is simple but sophisticated. The chapters are short so that I had to stop myself from racing through the story. From the moment the stranger stops by the house, there is a feeling of dread. It’s awful when an interloper comes into your life, especially when he may not be who he seems to be. Each scene is layered with an eerie sense that the stranger is hiding something. It made me anxious but I was also dying to know what happens!

But essentially, this book is about Junior and Hen. They are characters with long histories that are revealed bit by bit, with surprising results. They appear to love each other, but the words they speak are not always a reflection of their true feelings. The situation they find themselves in pushes them into asking hard questions. Like, what it means to love someone you no longer recognise. I thought the reveal is meaningful and loaded with emotion. There is a clear, cathartic resolution. Reading Foe made me think about the meaning of being human and the cost of living a life that you desire. Highly recommended.

About the author: Iain Reid

Photo by Joshua Earl