This Thing Between Us

A Novel

De: Gus Moreno

Narrado por: Robb Moreira

A widower battles his grief, rage, and the mysterious evil inhabiting his home smart speaker in this mesmerizing horror thriller from Gus Moreno.

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.

A Macmillan Audio production from MCD x FSG Originals.

©2021 Gus Moreno (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

2021, NPR Best Book of the Year

2022, VCU Cabell First Novelist Winner

2021, NYPL Best Books of the Year

Phenomenal

Phenomenal book! What an engrossing story of grief and despair. I highly recommend this book.

Confusing and Slow

Really wanted to like this book; however, I think I may have missed the point. There were several times that my husband and I had to ask each about where the character was, was he dreaming or hallucinating, and the general plot of the story.

Grim and Muddy

The story plays with some interesting ideas, and has some intriguing set pieces and moments, especially in the latter half, but the concepts it plays with feels muddy. The source of horror felt, to me, ill-defined.

The narrator’s performance was strong though.

Also, trigger warning for depression and suicide.

A beautifully written, lonely Odyssey

A genuinely creepy ghost story (or maybe possession story?), that explores the complexities of relationships, and the pain of loss and loneliness. The language is beautiful, and funny, and heartbreaking. And the narrator is spot on. I had to relisten to a couple sections because my mind wandered, but that's probably more about me than the book. I loved it.

personal, Beautiful, haunting

I loved this book from the first page. it's a personal work of grief and bizarre horror.

Not what I expected.

At every turn this book became something different.
It starts out as am extremely personal view in to the grief of the main character then shifts in to almost lovecraftian horror filled with chaos. 100% reccomend a listen and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Not terrible, not great

Themes: Grief. Generational trauma. Broken families. Marriage. Class. Gig economy. Technology.

Author Gus Moreno opens his story with a funeral, getting right to the heart of the main theme: grief.

Leading with the grief trope is a smart device (get it?) for Moreno, who expertly paints the picture of a man profoundly overwhelmed with gruff and guilt. The story becomes a winding road of bad juju, malfunctioning technology, generational trauma, and a dash of brujería.

If you like suspense and lonely cabins in the woods, this audiobook is perfect for you.

Good fiction but reads like a letter, not a story.

This was recommended to me from TikTok, it’s a good short read, but I have to be honest that I would’ve preferred a more in-depth story instead of the single person sounding like they’re reading a letter narrative.

Definitely could’ve focused a little bit more on the horror and haunting, but overall pretty good.

An unrelenting haunting that will have you revisit reading it, it's that good.

the element of barriers for our main character in this book seems to grow longer as the book continues but it emphasize a very really reality of grief, loss, and the challenges one faces to reidentify oneself. the book wraps up all that crap in a beautifully gutrenching horror story that will linger with you to revisit much like the main character. a fast past and creepy read to enjoy if you desire a lil cosmic horror with a well developed character and story line.

Amazing prose, ending a bit of a let down.

The story is written and told beautifully. It made me emotional listening to the passages about grief.

I felt the ending was a bit of a let down, personally. Which is why I’m giving the story only 3 stars.