Foe was placed on the Horror Writers Association's 2018 Bram Stoker Awards Preliminary Ballot for "Superior Achievement in a Novel".

[4][5] Foe is set in the near future, and is narrated by Junior, who lives with his wife Henrietta (Hen) on a remote farm.

One night a stranger appears at their door who introduces himself as Terrance from an aerospace corporation called OuterMore.

Terrance announces that Junior has been selected to travel to the Installation, a large space station in orbit around Earth.

Reid said in an interview that the theme of isolation in Foe and his first novel, I'm Thinking of Ending Things comes from growing up on a farm in remote Ontario.

[2] He discussed this topic often with his brother, but when Reid gave him early drafts of Foe to read, his response was, "It's not really about space."

While most of the story takes place in Junior and Henrietta's farmhouse, Reid's exploration of their relationship makes it "a universe full of questions and possibilities.

"[1] Iglesias called Reid "one of the most talented purveyors of weird, dark narratives in contemporary fiction.

"[7] Quamme described Foe as "[a] subtly disturbing horror novel [that] lets the questions it raises hover, unresolved, in the reader's mind.

[8] Reid sold the film rights for Foe to entertainment company Anonymous Content four months before the book was published.

[2][9] In June 2021, it was announced that Paul Mescal (playing Junior), Saoirse Ronan (Henrietta), and Aaron Pierre (Terrance) will star in the film.

[10] As of July 2021, negotiations were underway by Amazon Studios to acquire the film, and by FilmNation Entertainment to secure the international rights.