A review by mstall_
Our Share of Night: A Novel by Mariana Enríquez, Megan McDowell

dark 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

I have been left breathless. 

When I crack open a horror story, I expect the usual: a few heart racing scenes, chills, maybe a tough night of sleep. I expect the horror element to be front and center and any semblance of a plot to be left in it's shadow. I do not expect to be moved, yet Our Share of Night moved me. I will be thinking about this story for years. I want to immediately start the book over again.

Juan Peterson is fleeing Buenos Aires with his 6 year old son Gaspar on a road trip in 1981. At this time, Argentina is embroiled in a dictatorship and it is dangerous to be traveling, or really just looking a little out of place. The story starts off with understanding the brutality of Videla's dictatorship: hundreds of people have been killed or "disappeared" and the air is thick with despair and fear. Since the death of Gaspar's mother, he and his father are hoping to seek shelter with Gaspar's immensely rich and powerful grandparents up north.

However, Gaspar's mother and therefore his grandparents are all part of a secret, demonic cult called The Order. The Order worships an entity called The Darkness and the Darkness can only speak through a medium -- Juan. Being the medium takes a serious toll on the health of the person, and Juan already struggles with multiple heart issues. He is preparing to die any day.

As the story unfolds we see not only the scope of the Order's power but also the scope of it's brutality, even for it's own members. Juan is desperately tying to keep Gaspar from being the next medium and enduring the horrors of the Order and the Darkness. Juan will do anything to keep Gaspar safe, even if it means sacrificing himself.

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez is literary horror at it's very finest. At 600 pages, this is a powerhouse of a book that will ask you to wait patiently, stay dedicated, and obey, for the absolute payoff of being invited deeper and deeper into the world of Juan and Gaspar. The book is broken up into five parts, none of which have true chapters. Some parts are long and laborious and you feel like you just want to quit and yet something keeps you working for the next line, the next page, the next reveal. And what a pay off each reveal is -- every detail in this book is important and the further you go, the deeper you get the more you are able to make out the shape of what is forming. It is phenomenal writing and exquisite storytelling.

Be reminded that this is horror story about a cult, so expect cult horror. Body horror, child abuse and death, violence against women, just to name a few. There are also some depictions of gay men passing away from AIDs and while not related to the cult horror aspect itself, the AIDs crisis in the 80s and early 90s was very much a horror of it's own. 

Our Share of Night is a 5/5 star read for me. I will be re-reading this book as often as I can.

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