Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Un lugar soleado para gente sombría by Mariana Enríquez

8 reviews

rainbowbookworm's review

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dark mysterious fast-paced

5.0

Un lugar soleado para gente sombría fue mi primera experiencia leyendo a Mariana Enríquez en castellano, y definitivamente no será la última. Escuché el audiolibro, narrado por Mara Brenner, quien hizo un trabajo excelente al capturar la atmósfera inquietante de cada historia—aunque el inglés en las citas sonaba un poco fuera de lugar.

Enríquez sabe cómo hacer que el horror se sienta profundamente real y cercano, con cuentos que van de lo espeluznante a lo francamente asqueroso. Como ocurre en la mayoría de las colecciones de cuentos, algunas historias se destacan más que otras, pero todas logran transmitir esa sensación de peligro latente en lo cotidiano. Una lástima que el audiolibro no incluya los títulos de cada cuento, porque me hubiera gustado mencionar mis favoritos en esta reseña.

Para mí, Mariana Enríquez es una de las mejores voces del horror latinoamericano, y me alegra ver que su obra esté recibiendo el reconocimiento que merece en el mercado anglosajón. Después de esta experiencia, estoy decidida a seguir leyendo sus libros en el idioma original, pues siento que ciertos matices y detalles podrían perderse en la traducción.

En definitiva, Un lugar soleado para gente sombría es una lectura perturbadora e imperdible para los amantes del terror que buscan explorar historias con una perspectiva única y profundamente inquietante.

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zhazhadiamond's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0


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aisling1771's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A stellar collection of short stories. 

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aileron's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5


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macncheese_pdf's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0


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booktribe's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

3.75

Mariana Enriquez is one of my favorite authors of all time and her newly translated horror story collection, A Sunny Place for Shady People, did not disappoint!

Her books are always so atmospheric and her writing is always so gorgeous & engrossing. Her stories always include social commentary, as well as straight horror, so it adds another layer and makes them even more gut wrenching. And I want to give it up for the translator as well, Megan McDowell, because she does an amazing job at bringing these stories to life in English!

My favorite stories were Black Eyes & Face of Disgrace! Black Eyes was TOP TIER! One of the best stories I’ve EVER read! Incredibly scary! The Refrigerator Cemetery, Julie, and My Sad Dead were favorites of mine as well. There were a few that weren’t for me like, A Local Artist & The Suffering Woman, but overall I really enjoyed the collection. There were spirits, murders, body horror, just everything that you’d want in a collection of horror stories!

Thank you Hogarth and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.

~ individual story ratings ~

📖 My Sad Dead: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 A Sunny Place for Shady People: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (cw: drug addiction)
📖 Face of Disgrace: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (cw: rape, suicide)
📖 Julie: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (cw: fatohobia)
📖 Night Birds: ⭐️⭐️ (cw: animal death)
📖 Metamorphosis: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (cw: animal death)
📖 Hyena Hymns: ⭐️⭐️
📖 Different Colors Made of Tears: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 The Suffering Woman: DNF
📖 The Refrigerator Cemetery: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 A Local Artist: DNF
📖 Black Eyes: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (cw: rape mentioned)

average rating: 3 stars
official rating: 3.75 rounded up to 4 stars

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carriepond's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I read and loved Enríquez's full-length novel Our Share of Night when I read it last year. Because I know she is more well-known for her short stories, I was excited to check out her latest short story collection, A Sunny Place for Shady People.

The twelve short stories in this collection have range-- you'll find ghosts and other supernatural elements, body horror, cults, and horror elements that are more grounded in reality but are no less unsettling. As in Our Share of the Night, Enríquez explores a variety of themes, including personal and political violence, classism, misogyny, selfishness, and greed. Although some of the stories worked better for me than others, all of them created a sense of dread and tension that built until the story's conclusion. The opening story, "My Sad Dead," in which a retired physician communicates with ghosts in her neighborhood, was one of my favorites in its explorations of classicism, isolation, and complicity through indifference. "Face of Disgrace" very literally explores the erasure of victims and in  "Metamorphosis," a woman on the cusp of menopause explores body modification in an unnerving bid to regain agency over her changing body. Other stories I liked a lot included "Different Colors Made of Tears," "The Refrigerator Cemetery," and "Black Eyes."

Reading this collection made me excited to check out more of Enríquez's backlist. I recommend this collection to those looking for smart, unsettling literary horror.

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torismazarine's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0


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