The Dirty Dozen, with Iain Reid

Iain Reid's debut novel I'm Thinking of Ending Things (Simon & Schuster Canada) is already gathering rave reviews. Known for his non-fiction, Reid is dipping into long form fiction for the first time with I'm Thinking of Ending Things, a tense, atmospheric page-turner that explores a complicated relationship and which has drawn comparisons to the likes of José Saramago and Lionel Shriver. Kirkus Reviews gave the book a starred review and praised it as "preternaturally creepy".

We welcome Iain to the site today to take on our Dirty Dozen series, where writers give us a glimpse into their lives, histories, and personalities by sharing twelve facts about themselves. Iain tells us about his whistling abilities, her favourite part of the grocery store, and rocking out with his mom.

1. I played clarinet in the band at school.

2. My brother has worked with NASA.

3. For a while, I worked doing odd jobs at a horse farm.

4. I'm an exceptional whistler.

5. Did Win Butler win the MVP of the NBA All-Star Celebrity game this year? I think he did, right? It would be interesting to play him in a game of one-on-one.

6. I still like to buy (and eat) boxed cereal, which it seems to me, has fallen out of favour with most. The cereal aisle in the grocery store is one of my favourite aisles.

7. I've never owned a smart phone.

8. I've thought about this a lot, so feel confident saying that Miss Vickie's are still the best chips on the market. Regular and Salt & Vinegar are, by far, the best flavours. (The chip aisles is also one of my favourites.)

9. The first rock concert I went to was to see AC/DC with my mom.

10. A summer task I had growing up was to dig out the sheep barn, which is a task I don't miss.

11. Haying, I think, is the hardest job at a horse farm; cutting grass is the easiest.

12. I make very, very good breakfast sandwiches.

Iain Reid is the author of two critically acclaimed, award-winning books of nonfiction, One Bird's Choice and The Truth About Luck, which was one of Globe and Mail's best books of 2013. Reid’s work has appeared in a variety of publications throughout North America, including The New Yorker, the Globe and Mail, and the National Post. In 2015, he received the RBC Taylor Emerging Writer Award. I’m Thinking of Ending Things is his first novel.