A review by gellyreads
The Houseguest: And Other Stories by Amparo Dávila

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

4.0

Moses and Gaspar 3/5. Meh. Cats are dicks. But it was kind of funny. 

The Houseguest 5/5. I love women killing! This is a story that should be taught! Really gave me Jackson Hitchcock vibes. 

Fragment of a Diary 3/5. Men are gross. I know that's the point, and that should make me like it more, but I struggled to connect to it. 

The Cell 3/5. Huh? I struggled to connect to this one. 

Musique Concrete 5/5. Holy moly! This made me say "OMG" out loud as I was reading. My favorite in this collection! 

Haute Cuisine 3/5. I am dumb and it was creepy. What are they eating? I had to make my partner read it to tell me it was lobster. But it haunted me. 

Oscar 4/5. Creepy, but good ending. Less memorable than others in this collection, but a bit more fun. 

End of a Struggle 5/5. Again, felt like this one was a bit less memorable than others, but it was really well written. It was chaotic and def Vertigo inspired. 

Tina Reyes 5/5. This is the perfect portrayal of female terror. My second favorite in this collection. 

The Breakfast 5/5. The ending got me. I love the tension and the setting. You also can sense the family dynamics pretty well from this glimpse of their life. 

The Last Summer 2/5. I struggled to follow and care about the characters in this one. My least favorite of this collection. 

The Funeral 4/5. This was kind of beautiful and kind of predictable, and a little bit reminiscent of "Struggle" to me, but enjoyable nonetheless. 

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