This compelling adult psychological thriller, exploring dark relationship dynamics and existential dread, is explicitly not suitable for children or the Wonderlit platform.
This book should never be reached for by a parent for their child. It is an adult psychological thriller that is wholly inappropriate for young readers. The novel, "I'm Thinking of Ending Things", follows a young woman on a tense road trip to meet her boyfriend's parents, a journey that descends into psychological horror and existential dread. It explores mature, disturbing themes of anxiety, identity, loneliness, and suicide. Due to its complex, frightening, and thematically heavy content, this book is suitable only for adults (18+) and should be kept out of the hands of children and teens. It is included on Wonderlit as a safeguard to prevent accidental selection.
Contains scenes of implied and metaphorical violence that are disturbing.
Moral AmbiguityIntense
Features an unreliable narrator and a plot where reality itself is unstable and questionable.
Sensitive Topics
The book deals directly and metaphorically with severe mental illness, including depression, dementia, and psychosis. The resolution is ambiguous but centers on a tragic suicide. The entire approach is secular, philosophical, and deeply unsettling, exploring themes of loneliness, regret, and the nature of consciousness. The resolution is bleak and offers no hope.
Ideal Reader
An adult (18+) who enjoys challenging, non-linear psychological thrillers and philosophical horror. This reader appreciates ambiguous narratives, unreliable narrators, and books that generate a strong sense of dread. This book is definitively not for any reader under 18.
Parent Prep
The entire book is inappropriate for a young audience. Parents should be advised to keep this book away from children. No amount of context or preparation can make this story suitable for anyone other than its intended adult audience. A parent should never be triggered to select this book for a child. This entry's purpose on the platform is as a negative filter to explicitly flag this title as inappropriate for our audience, preventing any confusion with similarly titled but child-appropriate books.
Age Experience
Not applicable. A child or teen exposed to this book would likely experience significant confusion, fear, and distress due to the mature themes, psychological horror, and abstract, non-linear storytelling.
What Makes It Special
Among adult thrillers, it is distinguished by its literary, philosophical approach to horror, focusing on internal, existential dread rather than external threats. On this platform, its differentiator is its explicit unsuitability, serving as a critical example of content to be excluded from our children's catalog.
Read plot summary
The narrator, a young woman, is on a road trip with her new boyfriend, Jake, to visit his parents on their remote farm. The journey is suffused with her internal monologue about ending the relationship. As the visit progresses, time seems to bend, reality blurs, and the narrative becomes increasingly surreal and terrifying, culminating in a disturbing revelation about the narrator's identity and Jake's lonely, tragic life.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
The narrator's field of study and interests seem to shift throughout the book. What do you think this says about her identity and her relationship to Jake?
2
What is the significance of the recurring figure of the school janitor? How does his presence help you understand the book's central mystery?
3
After finishing the book, who do you believe the narrator, the 'girlfriend', truly is? Discuss the clues that point towards her being a real person versus a memory or an invention.
4
The title 'I'm Thinking of Ending Things' has multiple potential meanings. What different interpretations did you consider as you were reading, and which one feels most true after the ending?
