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wilfredamadeus's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Sexual assault, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Gore, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual violence
carolineuldahl's review against another edition
2.5
Hmm, not really my preferred genre. I had a hard time actually focusing on the stories.
mehsa's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ubellereads's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Hmm, not a favorite but the writing is visceral and hunting. This is a book that challenges, disturbs, and ultimately stays with you.
crows_and_books's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Pedophilia, and Transphobia
robi6icarus's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.75
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.