Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enríquez

40 reviews

emilyseebold's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Suicide attempt, Rape, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Mental illness, Addiction, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Drug use, Police brutality, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Cursing, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Domestic abuse, and Drug abuse

Moderate: War, Vomit, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Pedophilia, Gun violence, and Torture

Minor: Homophobia and Eating disorder

maw's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Hate crime, Eating disorder, Gore, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Suicide, Drug use, and Drug abuse

cangell's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

These spooky tales are dark, gruesome, spellbinding, and will stay with you long after (especially when you turn off the lights at night- looking at you, “Adela’s House”). I binge-read the book in two days because it was impossible to put down. 

Haunted by the specter of Argentina’s troubled past, these stories are a powerful commentary on state violence, the patriarchy, and the everyday horror of powerlessness. They strike a perfect balance of subtext and storytelling, painting a vivid portrait of social upheaval in South America without being didactic or sacrificing the suspense. The stories are violent and brutal (def not for the faint of heart- see trigger warnings), but not for mere shock value.  Horror is having a major renaissance right now and this is an excellent example of the genre at its best.

With any collection, there are hits and misses. I disliked some, like “The Dirty Kid,” because I felt like they portrayed addicts and homeless people in a stigmatizing way, but after reading the entire book, I realize the intention was to highlight the horrors of poverty and society’s indifference to their suffering. The translator did a fantastic job- the language is stunning (though I wish I could read it in its original Spanish because I wonder if the tone of certain things might change). There are so many standouts. The title story is simply spectacular, the crown jewel of the collection. “Under the Dark Water” was another favorite. This is a must read for any fan of literary horror. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Child abuse, Violence, Addiction, Suicide, Police brutality, and Death

ajlct's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicide, Animal death, Child death, Murder, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Mental illness, Ableism, and Rape

librarymouse's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

2.5

This was more engaging than the last of Mariana Enriquez's books that I read, but the removal of womens' agency explored, especially in the last piece, even as done through an attempt to radically assert that agency, was more unsettling than I expect. I also was not a fan of the trope of using disabilities or injuries to define people as monstrous.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Addiction, Classism, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Abortion, Medical content, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Violence, Blood, Drug abuse, Vomit, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Suicide, and Gore

booktribe's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

4.0

📚 The Dirty Kid: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚 The Inn: ⭐️⭐️✨

📚 The Intoxicated Years: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚 Adela’s House: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚 An Invocation of the Big Eared Runt: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (TW: graphic child death)

📚 Spiderweb: ⭐️⭐️✨

📚 End of Term: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚 No Flesh Over Our Bones: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (TW: fatphobia)

📚 The Neighbor’s Courtyard: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚 Under the Black Water: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (tw: suicide, ableist language)

📚 Green Red Orange: ⭐️⭐️✨ (tw: depression, mentions of rape, child SA and death, animal cruelty)

📚 Things We Lost in the Fire: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (TW: domestic abuse, self harm)

Average rating: 3.7 ⭐️’s

I wish a lot of the stories had been longer!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, and Suicide

Moderate: Fatphobia, Ableism, Rape, and Animal cruelty

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Child death, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Child abuse, Drug use, Police brutality, Rape, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, Murder, and Self harm

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Racism, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Vomit, Stalking, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Addiction, Religious bigotry, Torture, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, and War

erma11's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

Strong surrealism vibes, based in Argentina. Dark, grotesque, graphic, and highly interesting. After every short story I was left feeling a little spooked and reflecting on what I just read. Wonderful writing! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child death, Classism, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Murder, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Pedophilia, Violence, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexism, Torture, Addiction, Misogyny, and Sexual assault

mefrias's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

1.0

I honestly just didn’t get it and I was not entertained. I finished the book only because I was reading it for a reading challenge. It wasn’t until the translator’s note that I began to sort of understand the intention behind the stories but still, the themes were darker and more horrifying than I was expecting/ wanting to read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Rape, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Murder

millieinks's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Excrement, Gore, Self harm, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Violence, Death, Murder, Alcohol, Child abuse, Animal death, Child death, Rape, and Blood