Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez

87 reviews

internalnonsense's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

 Lurid and expansive, this story uses eldritch horror to explore a legacy of exploitation and trauma. We follow a widowed father, Juan, and son, Gaspar, in the wake of the “Dirty War” of 1970s Argentina. From the beginning, we feel the violence that surrounds them—memorials on the side of the road, suspicion of every stranger. Gradually, we find the violence much closer to home. Juan has married into, and Gaspar born into, a cult called “the Order”, which seeks to commune with gods and unlock the secret of immortality. Juan is the Order’s medium to their dark god and will do anything to protect Gaspar from his fate. We see Juan’s escalating paranoia, and the effect it has on the growing Gaspar. Our Share of Night commits to exploring a very true evil, and as such depicts a lot of very dark, violent things (i.e. watch your content warnings). 

The cast is large, and, with a few exceptions, compelling. Juan and Gaspar are undoubtedly the most fully realized two, but we also get moments of unexpected depth from seemingly tertiary or even periphery characters. Ironically probably my least favorite section, I was pleasantly surprised to see 

Rosario, Juan's dead wife and Gaspar's mother, get a POV. It would have been easy to let her be a ghost to the story, let her death be more important than herself, but instead she's fully realized.

I can’t think of a single character present for more than a page that doesn’t have motivation and interiority. It’s impressive to read, but does contribute to the novel’s greatest flaw: pacing.  

While the beautiful prose consistently creates incredibly poignant moments, the overall pacing of the novel is jolting, with the ending in particular feeling more like a sputtering out rather than a climax or an inevitable conclusion. If the final third was stronger, I probably would have forgiven all prior pacing issues, but, as it is, I finished the book disappointed. 

Tonally, however, this story is magical in the darkest possible way. Magic here is synonymous with violence, evil, greed; escalating atrocity weaved horribly with real-world atrocity. The exception to this is that there is an implication that indigenous people (that is, those people who are not colonizers, like the Order is) had their own rituals and power there were not inherently evil, but even then the Order would hunt and corrupt it. Throughout, we’re spoiled with haunting imagery, deep, intricate prose full of feeling, and complex conflict where there is no easy answer or solution. 

My biggest weakness as a reviewer here is that I don’t know much about Argentine history, and this story is fundamentally about the civil unrest of this time. Even in my ignorance, the novel was effective in its depiction, but I still feel like a better understanding of what happened would have made what was rich richer.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Colonisation

All of the content warnings, particularly if you're sensitive towards violence towards children.

nessafurtado's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

It’s literally one of the best books I’ve read in my entire life - made me fall in love with Mariana Enriquez and with horror/ thriller books all over again. Reading a book that doesn’t have the USA or England as a background was refreshing as hell. Just please search for the trigger warnings there’s a lot of sensible content.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting

mispaintedlady's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Absolutely amazing , beyond words how good this story is. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: War

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Dysphoria, War, and Classism

rhiannonafternoon's review

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is a winding and immersive story of Gaspar, a child born out of darkness, with parents who did everything in their power to protect him from the darkness they were forced to be a part of. 
I loved how each piece of the story started somewhere new and uncertain, building on this extensive horror of visions, darkness, and doors. If you love the occult, this is an excellent long read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

buzzabelle's review

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This book had moments where it was hauntingly beautiful, where the author’s prose made me stop and reflect on how well-written a sentence was. And then it had moments where I felt it was dragging and where there was unnecessary violence. Maybe it wasn’t for me, but I just couldn’t get into it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

nathegz's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Minor: Vomit

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Review:

Our Share of Night is the first book by Mariana Enriquez that I have read. Although the plot and the story (mostly) kept my interest throughout its 500+ pages, I struggled to feel emotionally invested in the story. The horror element of the story, while certainly objectively horrifying, failed to scare me. At most, I felt slightly unnerved. The story is well-crafted and comes together nicely, but it did not need to be as long as it is. 

 

The book explores themes of family/generational trauma, relationships, PTSD, war, queer love, and violence. Personally, I did not find the way the story handles these topics to be particularly insightful or original, and I think the book struggles under the weight of all the themes and issues it touches upon. However, I could definitely see someone else connecting to this story on a deeper level than I did, especially if they have a personal connection to the setting or topics.

 

Some of the representation of physical disability struck me as a bit insensitive, but as an able-bodied person I do not feel qualified to speak on that. One thing I do feel qualified to object to, however, is the unnecessary and problematic representation of two individuals who undergo sex changes. These characters are described as undergoing these procedures in order to better worship the god of Darkness, an evil demon, and the narrator notes that people would freak out if they knew how the Order (the demonic cult in the story) had infiltrated the NHS. Given how trans health care is under attack, any portrayal of these procedures as being related to demonic worship is inherently problematic—but what makes me especially angry is that these characters are literally of no importance to the story whatsoever. These characters are briefly mentioned, only to die shortly after their introduction. 

 

 

The Run-Down: 

You will probably like Our Share of Night if:

·      You have a personal connection to the story’s setting or its themes

 

You might not like Our Share of Night if:

·      You don’t want to read a really dark book (please read the content warnings! This book is not for the faint of heart)

·      You dislike morally questionable main characters

 

A Film like Our Share of Night:

Hereditary, directed by Ari Aster (2018). Similarities between these two pieces of media include:

·      Intense horror plotlines that explore grief, family inheritance, and generational trauma

·      Demon cults and possession

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Vomit, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Infertility, Miscarriage, Car accident, Abortion, and Pregnancy

sleaterkenneth's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Vomit

sophmcgraw's review

dark emotional sad slow-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Minor: Gun violence, Homophobia, and Torture

sierra_cucinelli's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

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

4.5

Hard to know where to start with this one… it’s more like a 4.5 rating. It’s an intense read, with unimaginable cruelty- imagined. Politics and cults aside… this is a story about generational trauma and how we often hurt the ones we love while trying to protect them from the pain we know. Lots left to unpack.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Hard to know where to start with this one… it’s more like a 4.5 rating. It’s an intense read, with unimaginable cruelty- imagined. Politics and cults aside… this is a story about generational trauma and how we often hurt the ones we love while trying to protect them from the pain we know. Lots left to unpack.