This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno
Publication Date: October 12th, 2021
FSG Adult
272 pages. Paperback.
'This intense cosmic horror with a touch of Mexican American folklore is incredibly creepy and moving.' ―Margaret Kingsbury, BuzzFeed
It was Vera’s idea to buy the Itza. The “world’s most advanced smart speaker!” didn’t interest Thiago, but Vera thought it would be a bit of fun for them amidst all the strange occurrences happening in the condo. It made things worse. The cold spots and scratching in the walls were weird enough, but peculiar packages started showing up at the house―who ordered industrial lye? Then there was the eerie music at odd hours, Thiago waking up to Itza projecting light shows in an empty room.
It was funny and strange right up until Vera was killed, and Thiago’s world became unbearable. Pundits and politicians all looking to turn his wife’s death into a symbol for their own agendas. A barrage of texts from her well-meaning friends about letting go and moving on. Waking to the sound of Itza talking softly to someone in the living room . . .
The only thing left to do was get far away from Chicago. Away from everything and everyone. A secluded cabin in Colorado seemed like the perfect place to hole up with his crushing grief. But soon Thiago realizes there is no escape―not from his guilt, not from his simmering rage, and not from the evil hunting him, feeding on his grief, determined to make its way into this world.
A bold, original horror novel about grief, loneliness and the oppressive intimacy of technology, This Thing Between Us marks the arrival of a spectacular new talent."
In This Thing Between Us, we follow Thiago after his wife's sudden and traumatic death as he now inhabits a world that feels empty with the one person who mattered most to him no longer in it. He struggles with his grief in many different forms, from anger to guilt to many other emotions that I'm sure anyone who's suffered a loss can probably relate to. He eventually moves from his and his wife's home in Chicago to a secluded area in Colorado, but it is here that he ends up having to face his grief and more horrors of the universe.
What I liked: I really liked this book's exploration of grief and trauma. This was obviously a very big part of the overall story and theming, and Gus Moreno tackled it excellently. Thiago pain felt horribly raw, and it very much permeated the entire story and made for the type of story that's not "scary monster" scary, but rather an eerie, cosmic horror, grief-tinged scary that really sits with you deep in your bones. Moreno has deftly executed a thoughtful, compelling story that I had a very hard time stepping away from. I felt so drawn to Thiago and seeing where each day would take him, and eventually what the strange things he was noticing happening meant and why they were happening.
What I didn't like: The ending got a little bit odd--not necessarily in a way that was hard to follow, but moreso just in a sense that it didn't quite fit the overall atmosphere and vibe that I felt the first half to three-quarters of the book had been developing. It just felt very thoughtful and carefully plotted and written, and then suddenly it felt a bit... chaotic? I may have just not loved the direction it took, but it still had some strong parts within the ending that I think worked well and still left the story feeling very meaningful. Also, if the "Itza" part of the blurb is what's making you want to read this book, then just know it's nearly a present role int he story as you might think (it has a large role, but it's not a role that's consistently active throughout the story). The only thing that I didn't like at all and I don't have as much of a silver lining for is that there is a dog death, and it's all pretty quick and sudden and I didn't care for it. Then there's some stuff after the dog event with a "dog" (sorta like what I described in my review for The Nudge) that I also didn't love. So dog lovers, do be aware of this going in.
Overall, I absolutely recommend this as a more slow-paced horror that spends plenty of time exploring our protagonist's mental state and pondering grief, purpose, and more thoughtful ideas. If you're looking for gory, in-your-face horror, then this might not be quite what you're looking for, but I'd still encourage you to give it a try!
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
