A review by marywahlmeierbracciano
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez

challenging dark mysterious sad 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

5.0

Our Share of Night is an inimitable masterpiece, a stunning work of literary horror.  Enríquez’s storytelling is breathtaking and immersive, with gritty, tightly-woven character relationships which evolve over decades.  At the novel’s center is a pagan cult like that of Argentina’s San La Muerte, which here is guided by heart-stopping nightmares and pure horror.  The book is chiefly, however, a heartbreaking story of father and son, colored by political violence, a culture of fear, and ties that bind.  I didn’t want it to end, and I want to read it again, immediately.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Excrement, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and War

Minor: Cancer, Eating disorder, Racial slurs, Suicide, Vomit, Cannibalism, Alcohol, and Colonisation