Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Our Share of Night: A Novel

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Our Share of Night: A Novel by Mariana Enríquez, Megan McDowell

66 reviews

lilly_dav_reading's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Fascinating, terrifying, chilling, layered, and long as hell yet I couldn’t put it down and when I did finally put it down- I would think about it until I could pick it up again.
I took away a star because I was a little disappointed with the ending. I would have liked to have seen Gaspar be able to heal from his pain and trauma. Will there be a second??

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drivera55's review

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challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

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kneecole's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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alexfrankfiction's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad slow-paced

Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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shay43geek's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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ka_cam's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.5

A gripping horror read- fast because I didn’t want to put it down. Also, very dark. The setting and descriptions of time, place, energy and ethos of various setting was very well done, especially for translation. I appreciated how I really got a feel for how ‘normal’ the very traditionally abnormal (hyper-wealthy multigenerational death cult and spirits/spirit worlds) world was for various characters, and their distinct experiences of it as medium, clairvoyant child of medium, elder, child, follower, other etc added to the sense of reality. Went a bit on/could have been a bit shorter but a compelling read. Check the content warnings tho, not for the faint of heart!

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crocus_and_clematis's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

5.0

TLDR; gripping read that demands contemplation and leaves a lasting impression.

Reading “Our Share of Night” was like getting sucked into a black hole. The narrative, with it’s long, circular sentences, has a gravitational pull that refuses to release it’s grip. It’s the kind of horror which permeates your very being, dragging you along by the ankle, refusing to let go. With lots of poignant reflections on privilege, grief, trauma, and ancestral burdens, this is a book which will have you questioning how far is too far to go to protect the ones you love.

Central to the book is the harrowing dichotomy between the love between Gaspar and his father and the incredible violence inflicted by the father on the son. It’s a painful portrait of wounds that never truly heal, of transgressions that surpass the bounds of forgiveness. Yet, beneath the brutality lies Juan’s desperate attempts to shield Gaspar from the horrors of the Order and the evils he and his mother had to endure. As more and more of Juan’s secrets and crimes were revealed throughout the book, I found myself asking if he was right. If he should have done differently. If he had a choice.

The characters are complex and achingly human. None are wholly virtuous, but none irredeemable (except, perhaps, Gaspar’s grandmother). They are flawed beings, navigating through life in search of meaning, connection, and immortality. In this world, the Darkness takes away just as much as it gives, and no one is wholly innocent.

The fact that all the violence, the plotting, the abuse takes place among the backdrop of the immense societal and cultural changes taking place in the 60’s and 80’s only deepens the feeling of apprehension running throughout the book. The monster isn’t just the Darkness with its open, panting maw, it’s the military dictatorship disappearing people in the 70’s, it’s the siren’s call of London’s nightlife in the 60’s, it’s the AIDs epidemic claiming the lives of vibrant young men in the 80’s. This is a book which spans multiple decades, and multiple evils.

The ending is equal parts satisfying and sad.

While Gaspar survives and Juan’s decades-old plans come to fruition,

the lingering question persists: at what cost? the lingering question persists: at what cost? This is not a book to be rushed through. There were multiple points I found myself putting the book aside so I could reflect. Even so, it demands your attention; the prose is gorgeous, the narrative equal parts horrifying and hopeful, the characters deep and real. It’s a masterpiece, weaving together violence and beauty in equal measure, dragging you in like a hand hiding in the Darkness.

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