This Thing Between Us: A Novel

by Gus Moreno

Ebook, 2021

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Publication

MCD x FSG Originals (2021), 255 pages

Description

Fiction. Horror. Literature. HTML: "A surreal excursion into heartache and horror narrated by a man undone by grief . . . Along with allusions to Rod Serling and The Exorcist, there are shades of H. P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, zombie literature and, at least once, A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy . . . You don't want to read this book right before bed." �Sarah Lyall, The New York Times Book Review "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..… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member sturlington
Really imaginative, creepy, suspenseful horror. It's got a bit of everything: ghosts, possession, zombies (people and dogs), rogue technology, creepy woods, folklore, cosmic angst, nightmares, mindfuckery, insanity. And it's short! I could not stop reading it. The ending was... not sure exactly
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what happened there, but I liked it. I will be watching for more from this author.
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LibraryThing member KallieGrace
That was so strange. And creepy. And then my daughter told me her Alexa told her a joke without being asked this morning so now we're looking for an exorcist.
LibraryThing member whitsunweddings
The best contemporary horror I've read since Sara Gran's 'Come Closer', which I was tickled to see the author call out as an influence in his acknowledgements. He's not quite there yet, but I'm seeing flashes of Stephen King at his peak in this. I was spooked! My TV randomly turned itself on while
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I was reading this and I just about had a heart attack. Thrilled to have discovered Gus Moreno and am highly anticipating what he does next!
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LibraryThing member Jonez
3.0

This was recommended to me via the Book Riots Tailored Book Recommendations.

I'm not sure about this one. It is well written, and highly quotable. It is a moving and unambiguous portrait of grief. Culturally I was able to relate to it.

It's weird. I usually like weird, but this one didn't do it
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for me. The weird seemed a bit too fanciful and contrived. The horror didn't really grip me. This is one I'll remember for its depiction of grief, putting so much in words that just seem hard to express when you are deeply entrenched in it. The movement of plot however, is fairly forgetable. Still, I can say I'm Glas I read this. I did take a lot away from it.

**trigger for animal cruelty **
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LibraryThing member Andy5185
Whoa, this is other level creepfest. Big nods to Stephen King’s Pet Sematary and The Shining (both faves) as well as 2001 Space Odyssey and even a little bit of The Exorcist. Net is: this book is flipping scary. I actually felt paranoid in my bed after reading and then found myself up at 5am to
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get back to it because it was making my head buzz so much. I’m still thinking about it and wondering what the heck it all was. Highly recommend to any true horror fan out there that likes freaky stories. And also the cover art is FANTASTIC!
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Awards

Language

Original publication date

2021
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