A review by plannedandplanted
Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enríquez

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I’m not usually one for horror stories or short story collections, but I actually really “enjoyed” this. There were a lot of typical, spooky horror elements. But many of the scariest things were derived from real-world problems like poverty, police brutality, sexism, and stigma against mental health. There was a lot of covert information about Argentina dispersed through the stories that was fascinating to learn. 

I thought all of the stories were paced well and were easy to jump into. The translator did a fantastic job — the writing was easy to understand but still was descriptive and poetic at times.