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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
Probably the most comprehensive horror book I’ve ever read - moves from Lovecraft to King to reportage to short story to revenge narrative with such grace that i can’t believe this is all from the same book - the characters are all super engaging and incredibly well woven into Argentinian history: magic and history as horror.
good lord that book felt long.
things picked up in the final part (ironically enough, it actually felt a bit rushed in the final fifty pages) but this was such a slog for me. not at all saying it was bad - I especially wonder if I would've appreciated it more if I had more political/historical context about Argentina - but I felt like I was being held at arm's length constantly. things that were probably meant to be mysterious or abstract often felt deliberately vague and disjointed and made it real hard to keep pushing through 700+ pages.
that said, there were some truly fantastic moments of spookiness and I did enjoy the final 150-ish pages a lot more - though I probably would have enjoyed them more if the previous 550-ish pages had been less alienating. oh well!
things picked up in the final part (ironically enough, it actually felt a bit rushed in the final fifty pages) but this was such a slog for me. not at all saying it was bad - I especially wonder if I would've appreciated it more if I had more political/historical context about Argentina - but I felt like I was being held at arm's length constantly. things that were probably meant to be mysterious or abstract often felt deliberately vague and disjointed and made it real hard to keep pushing through 700+ pages.
that said, there were some truly fantastic moments of spookiness and I did enjoy the final 150-ish pages a lot more - though I probably would have enjoyed them more if the previous 550-ish pages had been less alienating. oh well!
Lo oscuro de lo real, de lo vivo, de lo humano. Y lo mágico de la oscuridad, de lo que no se entiende, de todo aquello a lo que nos aferramos.
Juan, Gaspar, Stephen, Rosario, Adela... todos esos personajes sin ser dueños de sus vidas y al mismo tiempo capaces de transformar realidades y discursos. ¿Acaso no todos somos eso? ¿Posibilidades infinitas y limitadas al mismo tiempo?
La transversalidad de la novela de Mariana Enríquez es maravillosa. Como en una novela larga (en páginas y en el tiempo que transcurre en ellas) logra plasmar disntintas realidades a partir de la cotidianidad y también del horror. Habla de los muertos, de esos que se encuentran y se siguen encontrando en ese y muchos otros países; de esos que mueren con el estigma en el cuerpo, por una enfermedad excluyente e incurable porque es redituable para el sistema.
Mientras leía las últimas páginas mi cabeza se mantuvo con la paleta de colores de "Suspiria" de Luca Guadagnino y se agradece. Se agradece cómo los relatos de lo místico juegan entre sí. Los tonos de esa oscuridad de más que negra tiene diversas tonalidades de piel.
Juan, Gaspar, Stephen, Rosario, Adela... todos esos personajes sin ser dueños de sus vidas y al mismo tiempo capaces de transformar realidades y discursos. ¿Acaso no todos somos eso? ¿Posibilidades infinitas y limitadas al mismo tiempo?
La transversalidad de la novela de Mariana Enríquez es maravillosa. Como en una novela larga (en páginas y en el tiempo que transcurre en ellas) logra plasmar disntintas realidades a partir de la cotidianidad y también del horror. Habla de los muertos, de esos que se encuentran y se siguen encontrando en ese y muchos otros países; de esos que mueren con el estigma en el cuerpo, por una enfermedad excluyente e incurable porque es redituable para el sistema.
Mientras leía las últimas páginas mi cabeza se mantuvo con la paleta de colores de "Suspiria" de Luca Guadagnino y se agradece. Se agradece cómo los relatos de lo místico juegan entre sí. Los tonos de esa oscuridad de más que negra tiene diversas tonalidades de piel.
dark
tense
slow-paced
Throughout this book I alternated between a rating of 2 or a 4. It just depended on the section of the book.
We learn that Juan can converse with the darkness, an evil entity. The Order is using Juan as a medium to learn how to gain immortality from the darkness. We learn this pretty early on in the book.
Now, we spend the next 400 pages alternating timelines with different POVs. Rosalia’s was actually my favorite as it seemed the most gripping for me.
The things this book does well:
-the atmosphere was intense, and I felt the heat and the sweat.
-the writing was violent and elegant at the same time. Really well done.
-the parts that were engaging were REALLY engaging.
-the history regarding the dirty war, the uprising and unrest in Argentina.
The things I personally didn’t like:
-this was just too long. It really dragged on, and I think it could have been edited down a bit. Like there was so many lulls that I was close to dnfing a few times.
-the ending was rushed. I spent 550 pages reading up to this moment, and this is the ending? I think we deserved more
It needs to be said there is a lot of child abuse, violence, murder, and mentions of rape. So you might want to proceed with caution.
We learn that Juan can converse with the darkness, an evil entity. The Order is using Juan as a medium to learn how to gain immortality from the darkness. We learn this pretty early on in the book.
Now, we spend the next 400 pages alternating timelines with different POVs. Rosalia’s was actually my favorite as it seemed the most gripping for me.
The things this book does well:
-the atmosphere was intense, and I felt the heat and the sweat.
-the writing was violent and elegant at the same time. Really well done.
-the parts that were engaging were REALLY engaging.
-the history regarding the dirty war, the uprising and unrest in Argentina.
The things I personally didn’t like:
-this was just too long. It really dragged on, and I think it could have been edited down a bit. Like there was so many lulls that I was close to dnfing a few times.
-the ending was rushed. I spent 550 pages reading up to this moment, and this is the ending? I think we deserved more
It needs to be said there is a lot of child abuse, violence, murder, and mentions of rape. So you might want to proceed with caution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Rape, Murder, War
3.0 Stars • "Our Share of Night" by Mariana Enriquez is a haunting tale that combines elements of horror, supernatural, and historical fiction. Set against the backdrop of Argentina's turbulent past, it follows a father and son, Juan and Gaspar, as they navigate a treacherous journey to escape a powerful and dangerous cult known as the Order.
The Order is obsessed with immortality and will stop at nothing to achieve it, even if it means sacrificing innocent lives. As Juan and Gaspar uncover the dark secrets of the cult, they must confront their own inner demons and make difficult choices to protect each other from the evil that pursues them.
#OurShareOfNight #MarianaEnriquez #Bookstagram
The Order is obsessed with immortality and will stop at nothing to achieve it, even if it means sacrificing innocent lives. As Juan and Gaspar uncover the dark secrets of the cult, they must confront their own inner demons and make difficult choices to protect each other from the evil that pursues them.
#OurShareOfNight #MarianaEnriquez #Bookstagram
Mariana como siempre maravillosa, no tengo palabras. Que genia. Es una novela atrapante, impredecible (a mi parecer). Dentro de la fantasía y la ficción los personajes me resultaron tan reales, no los odias, pero tampoco los amas, los entiendes. Me gustó que la historia se fuese construyendo como si fuera un rompecabezas, a veces llegaba a sentir que los capítulos eran historias aisladas entre sí, pero cohesivas.
I will come back to it! But go into it expecting A Little Life or The Goldfinch pace for a family drama - less plot-heavy, supernatural horror.
Not interesting, more sexual than I realized, and based on reviews this one is disturbing so I will be skipping.