Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Les dangers de fumer au lit by Mariana Enríquez

137 reviews

jzmnz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Classism

mondovertigo's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-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? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Excrement, and Trafficking

Moderate: Incest and Suicide

Minor: Alcoholism and Vomit

elwirax's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

1.5

I genuinely do not understand why this was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. It also took me way too long to read despite being a short story collection. 

These short stories highlighted many real life horrors in the world such as pedophilia, child trafficking and rape, suicide and self harm. While I tend to enjoy sociopolitical horror, the way certain themes were explored felt less like thoughtful commentary and more like shock value. 

The stories were packed with misogyny and 'kids who come back' used problematic transphobic language. I suppose that this was used as a tool to present bias and prejudice as a horror of the world and highlighted the idea that the narrator's are just as 'monstrous' as the events happening. I am not insinuating that these are the author's beliefs, merely that it can be harmful to readers. 

Overall, not a very good literary horror collection, either in terms of plot or writing. 

Angelita Unearthed: 2 stars
Our Lady of the Quarry:1 star
The Cart: 1 star
The Well: 2.5 stars
Rambla Triste: 2 stars
The Lookout: 2.5 stars
Where are you , dear heart: 1 star
Meat: 2 stars
No birthdays or baptisms: 1 star
Kids who come back: 0.5 star
The dangers of smoking in bed: 1 star
Back when we talked to the dead: 3 stars

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, and Excrement

Minor: Sexual content, Transphobia, and Trafficking

sadlytriste's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

It was my first time reading a collection of short stories and my first horror book, and I found the experience quite enjoyable. Immersing myself in one story at a time was a unique experience, but some of the stories were so compelling that I couldn't resist reading more. It felt like a fantastic foray into the world of horror literature. Mariana Enriquez's writing style is captivating and enthralling, keeping me eagerly anticipating what would happen next with every page turn. Mariana Enriquez skillfully delves into a wide range of themes, including witchcraft, curses, trauma, and forbidden desires.

Among all the stories, "Meat" and "Kids Who Come Back" were my favorites. However, I should note that the stories can be pretty vile, so if you don't like that, you should probably avoid it. Overall, I would rate the collection 4 out of 5.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, and Murder

laran_s's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

1.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, and Trafficking

rowanelisa's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury

emziesreads's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense

4.0

Meat. Gorgeous writing, excellent storytelling, plus horror.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicide, Violence, Blood, and Cannibalism

libraryoflanelle's review against another edition

2.0

This was my first Mariana Enriquez and I did not like it. I figured some of the language use could have been down to translation issues, this being an earlier work and/or a one off but sadly that does not seem to be the case. I do not often review books that aren't ARCs so did not immediately review this one, despite having issue with it. I CANNOT recommend this book. The writing style and some of the stories were very much my vibe but the repeated use of inappropriate language and a whole lot of fatphobia cannot go unmentioned. Below are some examples along with TWs for those who feel similarly to me or who appreciate the heads up.

 

Some NOPE quotes with TWs (pg numbers from UK edition):

 
TW: Inappropriate slavery reference

“I claimed mental exhaustion, and they understood; "You've been working like a s***e," they told me.” Pg 8 

 
TW: Fatphobia

“Maybe if he saw how ugly her body was she had some really tubby legs, which she claimed were because she'd played hockey when she was little, but half of us had played hockey too, and none of us had those big ham hocks. Plus she had a flat ass and broad hips, which was why jeans never fit her well. If he saw those defects (plus the black hairs she never really got rid of maybe she couldn't pull them out down to the root, she was really dark), maybe Diego would stop liking Silvia and finally pay attention to us.” Pg 16 
 
“A girl was walking ahead of her, somewhat unsta ble, with jeans too low and tight on her hips so her flaccid belly spilled out from under her short shirt a roll of chalky, stretch-marked flesh that would have been easy to hide with a long, baggy shirt, but the girl clearly wasn't worried about aesthetics.” Pg 57  

TW: Transphobia

“but carefully, because she didn't want any cops to see her, and she didn't want to ask the tr*****s for money, because they beat up girls like her.” Pg 132 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Pedophilia, Self harm, Transphobia, Violence, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Rape, Suicide, and Kidnapping

passionatelyperusing's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Sexual content, and Suicide

goldbs's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury