This Thing Between Us

Gus Moreno's "This Thing Between Us" is a meditation on grief with a dash of weird, cosmic horror. The book follows Thiago, a young Mexican man whose wife, Vera, has just died in a freak accident. The time just before her death and especially after is punctuated with bizarre supernatural occurrences that might be related to an Alexa-like smart speaker they bought not too long ago. I won't give away any details of the plot, but stuff gets creepy and abstract when it's not achingly, poignantly melancholy. Moreno's writing is refreshingly candid, brought to life with specifics that aren't too obvious or too obscure but feel genuine, and Thiago's emotional continuum, which springs between devastating sadness, wistful longing, sardonic black humor, and bitterness, rings truer to real-life loss than nearly any other novel I've read. The book is written in the second person, as Thiago's thoughts caught on paper addressed to Vera, and though this choice isn't entirely necessary, it does add a more intimate, vulnerable edge to everything. "This Thing Between Us" spends most of its time ruminating on grief, but the brief detours into horror are pretty horrific and gruesome, and pretty opaque. Moreno doesn't expend much energy trying to explain the forces at work against Thiago, which apparently pissed off plenty of Goodreads members, but I had no issues at all with all the vagueness. There are dashes of Mexican folklore, witchery, Lovecraftian evils beyond human comprehension, the demons our minds create when we're subjected to extreme circumstances, and various other nefarious elements. And it's partially set in a snowy cabin in the woods, a setting that always sucks me right in. Moreno takes a lot of inspiration from Stephen King and there are very direct homages to his work here. Moreno's writing is relatively terse yet poetic, and so much of his phrasing works so well. It's one of those novels with writing that feels simultaneously very fresh and very readable; you won't get tangled up in complex wordsmithing but you'll find yourself taking mental note of at least a few sentences on each page. It isn't a perfect book -- it feels fairly underdeveloped in spots and some events occur just a little too rapidly -- but it was a wonderful read anyway.

Moreno’s way of describing grief ripped me open and made me ache. Talk about invoking emotion. I’ve often fixated on intrusive thoughts of losing the love of my life, my fiancé, but to read about the man being affected did something entirely different to my heart. It is how I hope I’d be missed. His descriptions of hair stuck in clothing and the kiss goodnight even when fighting was so personal to me, to us, that it just wrecked me. The involvement of his culture was so authentic and done with both a slight resentment and deep respect. Damn you Moreno! Thank you for the tears, as contradictory as that sounds.

While I understand what the author was going for with this story, I feel the first third of the book could have either been condensed down dramatically or focused more on the odder aspects. As such, it was a bit hard to keep going until nearly half way through when things finally started to pick up in terms of pacing. That said, it isn't a terrible story, just feels a little lazy starting off. I do enjoy looking back and connecting dots but it's marred by the long bouts of grieving that felt overdone. While the ending was a bit lackluster as well, it was still interesting. If you got the time and not too much else on your plate, give it a start and see if you want to stick with it. It is worth pushing through though don't expect a big outcome.

I chose this book because it was a different choice for me. It was a suggestion on the "Spooky October" reading list (or whatever it's called). The top 20 psychological, horror, supernatural, thriller, fantasy, etc. I'm not the biggest fan of the supernatural genre anymore, but I used to read them a decent amount. I enjoyed the sample, so I figured I'd give it a try.... I really liked the writing style where he would be addressing his wife throughout and actually wound up enjoying the supernatural aspects. It was more than horror, psychological, and supernatural. It dealt with identity and dealings in death. If you've dealt with losing someone you love, then that may be the best part of this book. He relates mourning, loss, suffering, and the like to the reader so well! It's beautifully done. So much so, I highlighted many paragraphs. A full page or two, even. I suggest trying the sample and seeing where it takes you. I'm not sure what else he's done, but I'll check it out.

Loved it I’ve recommended to a lot of people since definitely in my top 10 this year

Chilling and atmospheric but also a beautiful exploration of grief.

Me pareció entretenido. Te atrapa, te hace sonreír a ratos, te hace sentir inquieto y te hace sentir miedo. Está escrito de manera muy amena que hace que no quieras dejar de leer.

Falta de ideas originales. Hay demasiadas similitudes con otros libros conocidos. ¿Alguien ha visto 'Pet Semetary' o 'Cujo'?

O livro é incrível, a história cheia de camadas, é o tipo de livro que você se pergunta se realmente leu aquilo. Fora que ele faz menções a alguns clássicos, desde o guia do mochileiro das galáxias até o exorcista. É simplesmente sensacional.

A stunning dive into the horror genre, Moreno delivers an engrossing story that keeps you well and truly unsettled. I've read a few horror books, including King, Stoker, and the like. This was the first novel that had me peering from between the pages to scan the room. My google home went off after putting this down in the middle of the night, and I just about bolted. The novel has found its way on my top 10 reads, and Moreno's unassuming prose was a refreshing reprieve from many contemporary novels I've picked up lately. I highly recommend this book to those looking for a contemporary horror novel. I'll be anxiously awaiting his next book.