Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez

18 reviews

dfrancis's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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? No

5.0

This is probably one of my favorite books I’ve read in 2023. Despite it being so long, when I finished, I wanted even more. The writing/ translation is great. The characters are complicated and interesting. Not for the faint of heart, but so worth it. A beautiful and terrifying mix or horror, fantasy, and history. I recommend this to everyone who enjoys horror or occult type books. It’s truly a masterpiece 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Death of parent, Child death, Murder, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Torture, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Cursing, Homophobia, and Classism

jacob_dion's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Abandonment, Blood, Alcohol, Grief, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Self harm, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, and Vomit

hlouie8's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, and Torture

mirissab's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Please give me more fiction with history, occultism, and queerness. I struggled reading this--a balance between binging and lingering on each chapter, each page. I still have questions but maybe they are never meant to have an answer. It was beautiful, haunting, and layered. Selfishly, I want more from this world, this undeniably tragic yet enchanted universe.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, War, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Child death, Gaslighting, Grief, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Medical content, Alcoholism, Classism, Colonisation, Gore, Violence, and Body horror

Moderate: Homophobia, Addiction, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Abandonment, Bullying, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Vomit, Drug use, and Medical content

kathburke's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Death, Drug use, Torture, Grief, Child abuse, Colonisation, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Violence, Car accident, Confinement, Classism, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Body horror, Child death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Genocide, Gore, Abandonment, Addiction, and Alcohol

fiz23_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Torture, Violence, Grief, Classism, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Self harm, Body horror, Child death, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Death, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Ableism

gtierk's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

It might be insane to say an already 600+ page book should have been longer, but the resolution felt a little rushed to me. Information comes slowly (you won't understand some major plot points until ~400 pages in) but, at least for me, satisfyingly. Not for the squeamish, as mutilation and child abuse are depicted extensively throughout the novel, but an interesting reflection on fate/free will and the legacy of class and violence in Argentina following the military dictatorship 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Suicide attempt, Death, Death of parent, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Gore, Child abuse, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Torture, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Car accident and Abandonment

Minor: Cannibalism, Animal cruelty, Homophobia, and Animal death

mispaintedlady's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Absolutely amazing , beyond words how good this story is. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Blood, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Mental illness, Torture, Terminal illness, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Murder, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm

Moderate: War

Minor: Dysphoria, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Animal death, Car accident, Classism, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, War, Medical content, and Alcoholism

quillreads's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• 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

2.25

Review:

Our Share of Night is the first book by Mariana Enriquez that I have read. Although the plot and the story (mostly) kept my interest throughout its 500+ pages, I struggled to feel emotionally invested in the story. The horror element of the story, while certainly objectively horrifying, failed to scare me. At most, I felt slightly unnerved. The story is well-crafted and comes together nicely, but it did not need to be as long as it is. 

 

The book explores themes of family/generational trauma, relationships, PTSD, war, queer love, and violence. Personally, I did not find the way the story handles these topics to be particularly insightful or original, and I think the book struggles under the weight of all the themes and issues it touches upon. However, I could definitely see someone else connecting to this story on a deeper level than I did, especially if they have a personal connection to the setting or topics.

 

Some of the representation of physical disability struck me as a bit insensitive, but as an able-bodied person I do not feel qualified to speak on that. One thing I do feel qualified to object to, however, is the unnecessary and problematic representation of two individuals who undergo sex changes. These characters are described as undergoing these procedures in order to better worship the god of Darkness, an evil demon, and the narrator notes that people would freak out if they knew how the Order (the demonic cult in the story) had infiltrated the NHS. Given how trans health care is under attack, any portrayal of these procedures as being related to demonic worship is inherently problematic—but what makes me especially angry is that these characters are literally of no importance to the story whatsoever. These characters are briefly mentioned, only to die shortly after their introduction. 

 

 

The Run-Down: 

You will probably like Our Share of Night if:

·      You have a personal connection to the story’s setting or its themes

 

You might not like Our Share of Night if:

·      You don’t want to read a really dark book (please read the content warnings! This book is not for the faint of heart)

·      You dislike morally questionable main characters

 

A Film like Our Share of Night:

Hereditary, directed by Ari Aster (2018). Similarities between these two pieces of media include:

·      Intense horror plotlines that explore grief, family inheritance, and generational trauma

·      Demon cults and possession

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Self harm, Violence, Grief, Terminal illness, Torture, War, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Ableism, Blood, Child death, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, and Mental illness

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual violence, Suicide, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Gun violence, Police brutality, Sexual content, Animal death, Classism, Infidelity, Alcohol, Drug use, Suicide attempt, and Vomit

Minor: Abortion, Cancer, Car accident, Infertility, Addiction, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

sophmcgraw's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Drug use, Gore, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Death of parent, Murder, and Blood

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Confinement, Abandonment, Car accident, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Torture, Gun violence, and Homophobia