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A review by andthenweread
Our Share of Night: A Novel by Mariana Enríquez, Megan McDowell
2.0
this book sounded interesting and had overwhelmingly positive reviews, but i had a lot of issues with it.
firstly, the pacing was off. the majority of the plot moved very slowly and it seemed like the writing was purposefully dense and withholding information from the reader.
secondly, there were too many minor characters who became interchangeable and none of them were particularly compelling. even the two protagonists, gaspar and juan, had a complicated dynamic and interesting moments, but i never felt i fully understood their relationship or their motivations.
finally, this book was just too long. i generally love long novels, but this one dragged on and i felt like much of it could have been cut. the plot payoffs in the last few sections came too late, and by around the 400-page mark i was so ready to be done. the "queer subplots and themes" described in the blurb didn't go anywhere either, and a lot of the descriptive body horror elements seemed like mere shock value.
overall, this book was a letdown for me and i don't think i'll be reading more from this author in the future.
firstly, the pacing was off. the majority of the plot moved very slowly and it seemed like the writing was purposefully dense and withholding information from the reader.
secondly, there were too many minor characters who became interchangeable and none of them were particularly compelling. even the two protagonists, gaspar and juan, had a complicated dynamic and interesting moments, but i never felt i fully understood their relationship or their motivations.
finally, this book was just too long. i generally love long novels, but this one dragged on and i felt like much of it could have been cut. the plot payoffs in the last few sections came too late, and by around the 400-page mark i was so ready to be done. the "queer subplots and themes" described in the blurb didn't go anywhere either, and a lot of the descriptive body horror elements seemed like mere shock value.
overall, this book was a letdown for me and i don't think i'll be reading more from this author in the future.