Things We Lost in the Fire: Stories By Mariana Enriquez

 

Things We Lost in the Fire: Stories

By Mariana Enriquez

Things We Lost in the Fire is a collection of short stories set in post-dictatorship Argentina. Through social criticism, they explore the boundaries of a return to democracy, economic instability, poverty, drugs, violence against women, and criminal pollution through the horror lens. These stories takes place on the borders of the comfortable and the vulnerable. They are sinister and dark alongside the mundanity of everyday life. Argentine history and culture are explored in this horror mostly realistic, though sometimes with hints of the supernatural. Like most horror, the scariest parts are those perpetuated by humanity where the known becomes the unknown.

This is a string collection and exposed me to a part of the world I never think about. The writing is confident with a palpable sense of anxiety on every page. The characters sometimes appear peripherally in other stories besides those they featured in, in unexpected and sometimes horrific ways. Enriquez had me immersed in her world. This is a strong 4-star book.