ava_lanche's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Hailing from impoverished slums, trafficked children haunt the streets; raped and murdered girls reappear in silence; mothers curse their daughters; girls are possessed and scarred yet no one believes them. Crushed rib cages and torn entrails – anatomical obsessions turn bloody. Here, what is not said is the most powerful.
As with most collections of stories, some pieces are stronger than others. Many of these stories feel a little... unfinished. Some endings are unsatisfactory, which is such a shame, as most of the premises are unusually creative and thought-provoking.
However, "The Well", "Where Are You, Dear Heart?" and "Rambla Triste" were definite highlights. I also liked "The Cart" and "The Kids Who Come Back".
The stories work well together, and create a Buenos Aires that is filled with danger – physical, mental and paranormal. The poisons of the city has taken on a ghostly shape, and the repercussions are felt mostly by the women, whether it's their bodies or their minds that are marked by violence, and whether the sins are committed by people or by ghosts.
Graphic: Transphobia, Self harm, Addiction, Sexual harassment, Rape, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Body horror, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Child death, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Murder, Medical trauma, Death, Alcoholism, Trafficking, Suicide, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Violence, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Gore, and Excrement
librarymouse's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Copious references to and depictions of bodily fluid didn't necessarily add to the horror, but made reading this a bit disgusting.
Graphic: Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Sexual assault, Self harm, Sexism, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Body horror, Excrement, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicide, and Transphobia
Moderate: Abandonment
snowiceblackfruit77's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Suicide attempt, Excrement, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Addiction, Animal cruelty, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
neugrowf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Self harm, Violence, and Suicide
Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Addiction
elchivovivo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Refrescan las voces así: que pareciera que sólo escriben. Que sólo te cuentan.
Mariana crea un imaginario gore entregado de forma tan lacónica y deadpan que resulta, de cierta manera, chistoso.
El horror entra entre risas.
Favoritos:
Spoiler
El desentierro de la angelita.
Pone el tono. Un bebe zombie, deshaciéndose, pudriéndose frente a su pariente, que simplemente la saca a pasear. Los mejores cuentos serán así: terror que ocurre y que no inmuta a las protagonistas, que no supera el terror exiatencial.
El algibe
Terror enserio. Similar a un malviaje de ácido en el que crees que ya te quedaste loco y que ves a la cara el abismo de la aniquilación total de tu vida.
Donde estas corazón y Carne
Alegorías ambas sobre la obsesión. Una libido tan desenfrenada que necesita romper la caja torácica o comerse al objeto amado.
Cuando hablábamos con los muertos , La Rambla Triste y Ni cumpleaños ni bautizos.
Las tres, de cierta manera, sugieren el descomunal poder del más allá malevolente. A veces basta con un roce o una visita única u ocasional para descolocar una vida humana por completa y lanzarla al abismo del horror más profundo.
Graphic: Child death, Slavery, Kidnapping, Gore, Blood, Death, Rape, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Addiction
saj04's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Sexual content and Mental illness
Moderate: Rape, Trafficking, and Addiction
msteasam's review against another edition
3.5
Overall an interesting and unsettling collection.
Moderate: Body horror and Addiction
Minor: Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Transphobia, Child death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape, Child abuse, Death, Self harm, Trafficking, and Excrement
maggies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide, Animal cruelty, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Gore, Rape, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Excrement, Mental illness, Sexual violence, and Vomit
anouk_adriana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Murder, Physical abuse, Child death, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Sexual assault, Vomit, Abortion, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicide, Trafficking, and Violence
annemaries_shelves's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved this collection - Enriquez's writing is brilliant, smooth, and masterful in its control of pacing and tension.
Every story has this creeping sense of unease from both the realistic and speculative elements of the story. She's exploring several different themes around female bodies, violence against children, mental health, family dynamics and history, reckoning with the disappearances that were so much a part of the mid-century Argentinian political landscape, and more. For example, the longest story "Kids Who Come Back" - the basis is exploring the ongoing issue of disappearing children - from murder, human trafficking, runaways, etc. That's disturbing enough, and then when the speculative element is revealed, the tension ratchets up more. In this story, and several others, you can really see how Enriquez is exploring the ramifications and societal processing of events post-dictatorships.
However, maybe it was the hype or I've just read a lot of darker stories, but these pieces weren't excessively dark, disturbing, or true horror/supernatural. Each one just had enough to keep you off-balance and turning the page. Many of the stories also leave you wanting more (in a good way) because they're a little open-ended. I could happily read more of most stories but I was still left satisfied with what Enriquez gave me.
Interestingly the titular story is neither the first one nor the longest, which is uncommon I find for collections.
If you like short story collections with more of a weird, slightly disturbing bent, I absolutely recommend this collection.
I liked each story but the following were my favourites:
- Angelita Unearthed (a stellar first story)
- The Well
- Rambla Triste (this one was so sad and hard to read at times)
- Where Are You, Dear Heart?
- Kids Who Come Back
- The Dangers of Smoking in Bed
Moderate: Child death, Medical content, Addiction, Sexual content, Suicide, Death, Mental illness, Trafficking, and Kidnapping
Minor: Pedophilia