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• works on a couple of different levels this read

  Works on a couple of different levels this read. On one level its psychological horror, in that it is a very well narrated horror of social disintegration, the protagonist describes the emergence of "express kidnappings" wherein victims are driven to ATMs and compelled to withdraw money with a sort of painful resignation that it hasnt happened to them "yet". This aspect reminded me of the sci fi masterworks series' "Random Acts of Senseless Violence". Then there is the supernatural horror, of ghosts appearing to the protagonist and others in the neighbourhood, murder victims, victims of accidents or misadventure or illness. This aspect reminded me of the movie "The Sixth Sense". What I liked about the supernatural aspect is that there is not too much exposition and explanation, its a plot device rather than the story in its entirety if that makes sense. In this respect it reminded me a little bit of the "Odd Thomas" series by Koontz, although I think I prefer this author's style of writing, the pace and style was much more agreeable and I found it a real page turner and pleasing read. It also reminded me of some other, more obscure trashy occult detective style novels, like "The Lower Deep" but I dont expect as many people would be familiar with those as are familiar with Koontz. I hadnt heard of this author before but I think I would books by them. Great read. Recommended.

• Lesenswert!

  Am Beginn war ich mir nicht ganz sicher, was ich von dem Buch halten sollte. Doch nach jeder weiteren Geschichte gefiel es mir besser. Die Geschichten haben gewisse Ähnlichkeiten - paranormale Begegnungen -, sind aber trotzdem sehr verschiedenen. Manche haben mich sehr berührt bzw. sind lange in mir nachgehallt, was ich sehr schön finde. Ich würde das Buch jedem sehr empfehlen.

• Perfect!

  Received quickly and quality is perfect!

• Amazing read!

  If you liked her other books you’ll like this one too. Truly a fantastic author and these short-story collections are great horror with important elements of social critique.

• Spooks and Crooks

  I already knew what to expect from this Argentinian queen of offbeat horror, a genre I never knew I could stomach since perhaps Chuck Palahniuk in my younger days. So I plunged into this third short story collection and was quickly absorbed by the ghosts and hauntings that the protagonists (most of them young or middle-aged women) encounter and live to tell, set against the mortal evil (which are sometimes more deadly) in the crime-infested slums. Even in the seemingly more affluent suburbs, danger lurks. In the opening story, “My Sad Dead”, a woman and her neighbours are haunted by the spirit of a teenage boy who was killed by his kidnappers when he tried to escape and failed to receive help from their closed doors. In the closer, “Black Eyes”, a social worker and her fellow volunteers encounter two young boys dressed inexplicably in lederhosen who asked to be let into their van after they have finished their rounds of food distribution to the homeless and dispossessed on the streets of Buenos Aires. Enriquez also delves into the true crime story of Eliza Lam, a Canadian woman who drowned in a hotel water tank in the 90s. Videos of her inexplicable behaviour in the hotel lift are still circulating online as the case remains unsolved. In the titular story, an Argentinian journalist flies to Canada to investigate the cult that has turned Eliza Lam into a deity of sorts. It is spine-chilling to say the least. The horror that Enriquez excels at (arguably) is in the unresolved endings, such as in “The Refrigerator Cemetery” where a woman revisits the site of a deadly childhood misdemeanour, or in “A Local Artist”, where a couple visits a forgotten old town and finds themselves quite unable to leave. Within that story, Enriquez also examines the lost histories of rural places. Having read all three collections and her novel “Our Share of the Night” (all translated by the inimitable Megan McDowell), I can safely say that Enriquez is a writer whose short fiction I am firm fan of (when I am in the mood for some disturbing prose).

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