A review by booksnpunks
A Luminous Republic by Andrés Barba

3.0

A really interesting concept for a horror and I found it really well written and constructed. It almost played on the gothic in how it was a retrospective tale told from a man’s point of view about his dead wife and then reveals the deep and haunting secrets of an old town. I felt as though stylistically it was fantastic but in terms of enjoyment I never really got hooked and it took me a while to finish it despite it being so short. I reminded me a lot of the Turn of the Screw in how my experience analysing the book was a lot better than reading it, and I feel like this one is exactly the same especially with some of the overlapping gothic themes. The horror in it was really subtle and I can’t get over how well the creepiness was done through the form of the narrative alone. I would recommend this if you’re looking for a new and unique Spanish gothic novel but bare in mind that I don’t think it’s super captivating but rather needs to be experienced for its dedication to the genre.