This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno

This Thing Between Us 
by Gus Moreno
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thiago has just lost his wife Vera in a terrible accident. Everyone believes that it was just a random tragedy, but Thiago is of a different opinion. Before Vera's death, the couple purchased the Itza, a smart speaker, and very quickly afterward, started to experience some extremely strange and haunting things. Thiago knows deep down that the Itza is related to Vera's death - he just doesn't know how... yet.

This Thing Between Us is a meditation on grief, a horror story, a discussion on race and identity, and an interesting take on the relationship we form with the technology surrounding us. The story begins with Vera's funeral and the book actually reads like a letter that Thiago is writing to his deceased wife. 

This is honestly one of the more unique books I've read this year and I LOVED it. There are so many elements to this story, and it very easily could've felt aimless, but Gus Moreno did an exemplary job giving this story direction and purpose. I loved how honest Thiago's grief is and how strong his love for Vera is. 

This Thing Between Us is definitely a horror novel but determining what kind of horror this is - it's pretty difficult. More than anything, this story is about a haunting. The type of haunting is definitely up to interpretation, though (is it ghosts? demons? PTSD? lost love? who knows!). This is a slow build of a story, and it has proven to be pretty divisive amongst readers. I personally thought it was eerie, creepy as hell, and profoundly cathartic. It really left its mark on me!

If you are open to more experimental books, this one is really intriguing, thought-provoking, and haunting. It moved me in a million different ways. Gus Moreno is for sure an author that I will be following and I'm eager to see what else he comes up with in the future!