A review by andrewhatesham
Foe by Iain Reid

dark mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25


"You can hold beliefs and not always believe in them."


Foe is a bit mid, I can see why some people were disappointed. With that being said, I did enjoy it. It's what some might call "quietly unsettling." This is NOT a horror or thriller, and it doesn't go into much detail with the sci-fi elements either, but if you read between the lines, that's where it gets interesting. I like the writing style, it's a quick read, and after looking up theories/explanations, I'm satisfied with the ending, which felt slightly anti-climactic at first. 

"No, I say. It’s the opposite. Beauty isn’t fleeting. Beauty is eternal. But . . . I’m not. I’m fleeting. That’s more the point."

I think this has great movie potential, which is kind of the whole reason why I read it. I'm really excited for the movie adaptation that's coming out on October 6th (2023). I'm a reader but I also love movies, and I know the book is almost always better than the adaptation, but I think there's potential for this movie to be an exception. If not better than the book, let's just hope that it's at least almost as good.

Around a year ago I both read and saw I'm Thinking of Ending Things, which was also written by Iain Reid. That book is much better than Foe in my opinion, and I thought the movie was really good too.
Different, but good in its own ways.

"Habitual, comfortable activity is the worst kind of prison, because the bars are concealed. You can never learn anything that way."

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