A review by savvylit
The Houseguest: And Other Stories, by Amparo Dávila
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
The hype is true: Amparo Dávila was an absolute master at building dread. Her stories have often been compared to those of Shirley Jackson and that comparison is valid. Like Jackson, Dávila wrote stories that are rooted in real domestic scenes and something is just a little... off. That being said, Dávila's voice is still distinctly her own and deeply rooted in the culture of her native Mexico.
Each story in The Houseguest is a perfect example of psychological horror. Where Dávila shines the brightest, though, is in her ability to capture a very specific female fear of male obsession and violence. In several stories in this collection, the true domestic terror isn't mysterious but rather all too familiar: a former lover, an obsessed friend, a stranger on a bus. The latter story featuring the stranger on a bus is one I won't soon forget. That character's fear was so palpable that I instantly adopted it as my own.
Each story in The Houseguest is a perfect example of psychological horror. Where Dávila shines the brightest, though, is in her ability to capture a very specific female fear of male obsession and violence. In several stories in this collection, the true domestic terror isn't mysterious but rather all too familiar: a former lover, an obsessed friend, a stranger on a bus. The latter story featuring the stranger on a bus is one I won't soon forget. That character's fear was so palpable that I instantly adopted it as my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death, Stalking, Violence, Murder, Infidelity, and Child abuse