Foe - by Iain Reid (Paperback)

About the Book

"We don't get visitors. Not out here. We never have. In Iain Reid's second haunting, philosophical puzzle of a novel, set in the near-future, Junior and Henrietta live a comfortable, solitary life on their farm, far from the city lights, but in close quarters with each other. One day, a stranger from the city arrives with alarming news: Junior has been randomly selected to travel far away from the farm...very far away. The most unusual part? Arrangements have already been made so that when he leaves, Henrietta won't have a chance to miss him, because she won't be left alone--not even for a moment. Henrietta will have company. Familiar company"--

Book Synopsis

*Now a major motion picture starring Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal*

A taut, psychological thriller from Iain Reid, "one of the most talented purveyors of weird, dark narratives in contemporary fiction" (Los Angeles Review of Books).

Severe climate change has ravaged the country, leaving behind a charred wasteland. Junior and Henrietta live a comfortable if solitary life on one of the last remaining farms. Their private existence is disturbed the day a stranger comes to the door with alarming news.

Junior has been randomly selected to travel far away from the farm, but the most unusual part is that arrangements have already been made so that when he leaves, Henrietta won't have a chance to miss him. She won't be left alone--not even for a moment. Henrietta will have company. Familiar company.

Told in Iain Reid's sparse, biting style, Foe is a "mind-bending and genre-defying work of genius" (Liz Nugent, author of Unraveling Oliver) that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.

Review Quotes

"Reid is a master storyteller with a knack for absorbing prose. Most of the action takes place in the microcosm of the couple's house, but Reid writes about the relationship so well that it becomes a universe full of questions and possibilities." -Los Angeles Review of Books

"An ingenious work of psychological horror, Foe will disturb and shock you with its eerie blend of existential dread and atmospheric thriller." -Book Riot

"Reid is remarkable for delivering hypnotic, twisty plots and taut prose in a short novel." -New York Journal of Books

"Reid is at it again, exploiting readers with plot twists, narrative unease, and explosive conclusions in his second novel... [he] has the rare ability to make readers both uncomfortable and engaged, and this drama will surely send them back to the beginning pages to track the clues he left to the surprise ending." -Booklist (starred review)

"Such an ambitious work risks being muddied. Reid, however, brilliantly executes his vision... With Foe, Reid has written a page-turning novel that will entertain you and have you questioning the very foundation of your existence at the exact same time." -BookPage

"Foe is a tale of implacably mounting peril that feels all the more terrifying for being told in such a quiet, elegantly stripped-down voice. Iain Reid knows how to do 'ominous' as well as anyone I've ever read." -Scott Smith, author of The Ruins and A Simple Plan

"Reid proves once again that he is a master of atmosphere and suspense. Readers won't be able to put this one down." -Publishers Weekly

"Reid builds to a deeply unsettling climax. As much a surgical dissection of what makes a marriage as an expertly paced, sparsely detailed psychological thriller, this is one to read with the lights on." -Kirkus Reviews

"I'm not sure that humans have hackles, but something was creeping up my spine as I read this book, and I welcomed the shivers of shock and delight.... A mind-bending and genre-defying work of genius." -Liz Nugent, author of Unraveling Oliver and Lying in Wait

"Spare, consuming, unforgettable. Foe is a dark arrow from a truly original mind. Page by eerie page, Iain Reid pulls the known world out from under you, and leaves you trapped inside a marriage's most haunting question: can I be replaced? This is a book that seeps into your bloodstream--and crowns Iain Reid the king of deadpan, philosophical horror." -Claudia Dey, author of Heartbreaker

"From the opening page, you'll have an uneasy feeling as you settle in to Iain's Reid's brilliant new novel, Foe.... A masterful and breathtakingly unique read. I can't stop thinking about it." -Amy Stuart, author of the #1 bestseller Still Mine and Still Water

"I couldn't put it down. It infected my dreams. A creepy and brilliant book." -Zoe Whittall, Giller shortlisted author of The Best Kind of People

About the Author

Iain Reid is the author of four previous books, including his New York Times bestselling debut novel I'm Thinking of Ending Things, which has been translated into more than twenty languages. Oscar winner Charlie Kaufman wrote and directed the film adaptation for Netflix. His second novel, Foe, is being adapted for film, starring Saoirse Ronan, with Reid cowriting the screenplay. His latest novel is We Spread. Reid lives in Ontario, Canada. Follow him on Twitter @Reid_Iain.