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shimmery's review against another edition
3.0
More like 2.5 stars but rounding it up seeing as the reason I didn’t like it so much was more of a taste thing than it being a bad book per say, I think?!
I added this book to an order I was buying to take me up to the amount I had a gift voucher for — that is to say I didn’t look much in to it. I saw it was on the international booker prize longlist and the title made me think it was in the vein of Bonjour Tristesse — ie a novel about a lackadaisical teenage girl — and this was... not that lol.
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed is a collection of short stories of varying depravity. The writing style is kind of fitting to the book I thought it would be, but the stories have a horror/gothic feel. I thought the most effective ones dealt with paranoias of the characters / spirit worlds — darkness hinted at rather than explicitly spelled out — especially when contrasted against everyday teenage life (as in Our Lady of the Quarry, which I found most powerful/memorable).
Admittedly I read from a position of ignorance (I know little about the history and politics of Argentina) and would likely have got more out of it if that wasn’t the case — it did inspire me to google various things as I was reading and on those occasions I could appreciate the stories more.
I added this book to an order I was buying to take me up to the amount I had a gift voucher for — that is to say I didn’t look much in to it. I saw it was on the international booker prize longlist and the title made me think it was in the vein of Bonjour Tristesse — ie a novel about a lackadaisical teenage girl — and this was... not that lol.
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed is a collection of short stories of varying depravity. The writing style is kind of fitting to the book I thought it would be, but the stories have a horror/gothic feel. I thought the most effective ones dealt with paranoias of the characters / spirit worlds — darkness hinted at rather than explicitly spelled out — especially when contrasted against everyday teenage life (as in Our Lady of the Quarry, which I found most powerful/memorable).
Admittedly I read from a position of ignorance (I know little about the history and politics of Argentina) and would likely have got more out of it if that wasn’t the case — it did inspire me to google various things as I was reading and on those occasions I could appreciate the stories more.
astridfilt's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
robyn1998's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this!
I stopped reading horror when I was younger because I found there were a lot of unnecessarily chauvinistic and objectifying perspectives (worst ones for me being Stephen King and Ryu Murakami). It's refreshing to get a clearly very socially conscious female voice. I also love the short story format.
The concepts were all very imaginative and gruesome. My favourite story was probably "Where Are You, Dear Heart?' for how shocking and visceral it was. I like how Mariana Enriquez delves into very taboo subjects without it coming across as exploitative, and also the graphic depiction of female sexuality. Will definitely read more of her work... and women horror writers in general.
I stopped reading horror when I was younger because I found there were a lot of unnecessarily chauvinistic and objectifying perspectives (worst ones for me being Stephen King and Ryu Murakami). It's refreshing to get a clearly very socially conscious female voice. I also love the short story format.
The concepts were all very imaginative and gruesome. My favourite story was probably "Where Are You, Dear Heart?' for how shocking and visceral it was. I like how Mariana Enriquez delves into very taboo subjects without it coming across as exploitative, and also the graphic depiction of female sexuality. Will definitely read more of her work... and women horror writers in general.
paveunpaved's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Not a book with pleasant themes, and not one for the faint-hearted. I really enjoyed how twisted a lot of the stories were, but if you're not a fan of ghost stories then I'd steer clear.
Favourite story: kids who come back
Favourite story: kids who come back
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Addiction, Mental illness, Trafficking, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Pedophilia
Minor: Transphobia
k1ngm0b's review against another edition
dark
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
The book is a compilation of short stories that center around dark and supernatural themes. In my personal opinion, I found that the book was somewhat repetitive in its portrayal of certain character traits, and the narrative style came across as slightly elitist, which made it a bit tedious to read.
moranguinhos's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
bestbeefarm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jess_18's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
a lot of this made me really uncomfortable in places, which sometimes felt unnecessary. however it was written very well and was interesting to say the least.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, Death, Body horror, Blood, Addiction, Self harm, Fatphobia, Child death, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Body shaming, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gore, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Cannibalism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, and Kidnapping
clake99's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75