Discuss (In person)-This Thing Between Us

(**Please note that this meetup is on the 3rd TUESDAY in May. Our meetup in June, and subsequent discussions will go back to being on our usual 3rd Wednesday of the month.**)

Come join us for a discussion of Gus Moreno's startling debut novel ,"The Thing Between Us."

***

"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."

"[This Thing Between Us is] unsettling, poignant and like the best ghost stories, I found myself telling the bare bones of the story to friends and family, just to see the reaction. It begins in Pilsen, which is exactly right―gentrification is inherently a ghost story, a tale of disrupted lives and new families moving into the homes of people passed over . . . Moreno’s playbook is old and knowing: Our uncertainty about technology can hold very serious heartbreak about what’s lost."―Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune

“This intense cosmic horror with a touch of Mexican American folklore is incredibly creepy and moving.” ―Margaret Kingsbury, BuzzFeed

Please only RSVP if you intend to attend the discussion. RSVPS who are no shows will be noted in the Meetup system.“

Please consider signing up for the waitlist as spots often open up as we get closer to the event.

As a courtesy to other group members, participants are also expected to update their RSVP status if they find that they no longer are able to attend the event. Members who do not update their RSVP status and fail to show up will be dropped from the group.