Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enríquez

44 reviews

soymagu7's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Brilliant horror short story collection. Mariana Enriquez is a master of the short story writing, in such few pages she packed a punch. Made me shiver, made me laugh, made me gasp. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Suicide, and Police brutality

arenitadeplaya's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Suicide, and Violence

tashmoustache_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, Violence, and Murder

annabelle42688's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Please check the trigger warnings ⚠️ 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

emilyseebold's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Gun violence, Pedophilia, Torture, Xenophobia, Vomit, Trafficking, and War

Minor: Eating disorder and Homophobia

maw's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

cangell's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.5

These spooky tales are dark, gruesome, spellbinding, and will stay with you long after (especially when you turn off the lights at night- looking at you, “Adela’s House”). I binge-read the book in two days because it was impossible to put down. 

Haunted by the specter of Argentina’s troubled past, these stories are a powerful commentary on state violence, the patriarchy, and the everyday horror of powerlessness. They strike a perfect balance of subtext and storytelling, painting a vivid portrait of social upheaval in South America without being didactic or sacrificing the suspense. The stories are violent and brutal (def not for the faint of heart- see trigger warnings), but not for mere shock value.  Horror is having a major renaissance right now and this is an excellent example of the genre at its best.

With any collection, there are hits and misses. I disliked some, like “The Dirty Kid,” because I felt like they portrayed addicts and homeless people in a stigmatizing way, but after reading the entire book, I realize the intention was to highlight the horrors of poverty and society’s indifference to their suffering. The translator did a fantastic job- the language is stunning (though I wish I could read it in its original Spanish because I wonder if the tone of certain things might change). There are so many standouts. The title story is simply spectacular, the crown jewel of the collection. “Under the Dark Water” was another favorite. This is a must read for any fan of literary horror. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, and Police brutality

ajlct's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Suicide, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

librarymouse's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

2.5

This was more engaging than the last of Mariana Enriquez's books that I read, but the removal of womens' agency explored, especially in the last piece, even as done through an attempt to radically assert that agency, was more unsettling than I expect. I also was not a fan of the trope of using disabilities or injuries to define people as monstrous.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Abortion, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

booktribe's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

4.0

📚 The Dirty Kid: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚 The Inn: ⭐️⭐️✨

📚 The Intoxicated Years: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚 Adela’s House: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚 An Invocation of the Big Eared Runt: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (TW: graphic child death)

📚 Spiderweb: ⭐️⭐️✨

📚 End of Term: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚 No Flesh Over Our Bones: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (TW: fatphobia)

📚 The Neighbor’s Courtyard: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚 Under the Black Water: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (tw: suicide, ableist language)

📚 Green Red Orange: ⭐️⭐️✨ (tw: depression, mentions of rape, child SA and death, animal cruelty)

📚 Things We Lost in the Fire: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (TW: domestic abuse, self harm)

Average rating: 3.7 ⭐️’s

I wish a lot of the stories had been longer!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, and Suicide

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, and Rape