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A review by jasmeaniethebookish
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez
4.0
A young father and son set out on a road trip, devastated by the death of the wife and mother they both loved. United in grief, the pair travel to her ancestral home, where they must confront the terrifying legacy she has bequeathed: a family called the Order that commits unspeakable acts in search of immortality. For Gaspar, the son, this maniacal cult is his destiny. As the Order tries to pull him into their evil, he and his father take flight, attempting to outrun a powerful clan that will do anything to ensure its own survival. But how far will Gaspar's father go to protect his child? And can anyone escape their fate? Moving back and forth in time, from London in the swinging 1960s to the brutal years of Argentina's military dictatorship and its turbulent aftermath, Our Share of Night is a novel like no other: a family story, a ghost story, a story of the occult and the supernatural, a book about the complexities of love and longing with queer subplots and themes.
I have no idea how to start reviews ever, so here we go!
I was so excited to read Our Share of Night because it feels like everyone has been posting about it lately (and the cover. Judging a book by its cover is great fun), with most of the reviews being overwhelmingly positive. I thought this book was beautiful, even with its darker subject matter. While I’ve read my fair share of horror, I don’t know that I’ve ever read literary horror like this. I can’t think of any real comparisons aside from a *tiny* bit of House of Leaves.
There are trigger warnings aplenty, so you may want to keep that in mind. I’d list them, but it would be faster for you to assume they are all present.
I did find this novel to be a bit long and drawn out in areas, but never so much that I’d consider leaving the story behind. The characters are all pretty horrible in interesting ways, while the war and other hells work to illustrate the chaos ever present in the background. It’s a lot, but discomfort is essential sometimes.
I think the patience you invest in this book pays off in the beauty of Enríquez’s writing.
Thanks so much to Edelweiss and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
I have no idea how to start reviews ever, so here we go!
I was so excited to read Our Share of Night because it feels like everyone has been posting about it lately (and the cover. Judging a book by its cover is great fun), with most of the reviews being overwhelmingly positive. I thought this book was beautiful, even with its darker subject matter. While I’ve read my fair share of horror, I don’t know that I’ve ever read literary horror like this. I can’t think of any real comparisons aside from a *tiny* bit of House of Leaves.
There are trigger warnings aplenty, so you may want to keep that in mind. I’d list them, but it would be faster for you to assume they are all present.
I did find this novel to be a bit long and drawn out in areas, but never so much that I’d consider leaving the story behind. The characters are all pretty horrible in interesting ways, while the war and other hells work to illustrate the chaos ever present in the background. It’s a lot, but discomfort is essential sometimes.
I think the patience you invest in this book pays off in the beauty of Enríquez’s writing.
Thanks so much to Edelweiss and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!