Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez
Finding a new favorite author and why family will be the death of us in any language.
As a person who never intends to commit a crime, I am fascinated with what leads people to do so. True crime gives us a deeper understanding of how and why people do terrible things, while the horror genre often deals with how regular people can become brave in the face of evil - how someone can look death and destruction in the eye and choose not to succumb to its power.
Our Share of Night is about both of these things. It’s about an Argentinian father who will do anything in his power to keep his son from a supernatural cult, and the road which led them there. It felt like a mash-up of Stephen King, Justin Cronin, House of Leaves, and A Little Life.
The novel moves between time periods and perspectives, giving us pieces of the puzzle out of order in the best way. I struggled with the first bit - I do not do well with problematic parents. But as plot points were connected and truths exposed, and I started to understand the true horrors lurking under the surface. This is one of the only 600-page novels that kept my attention until the last sentence.
I have long been fascinated with death, eternal life, the universal spirit, and the depths of human depravity. Our Share of Night is stunning in its ability to capture all facets of human existence - goodness, friendship, darkness, power, love, evil. Some characters are morally black and white, but most of them exist in the gray area, caught between family legacy and the fraught political landscape of a crumbling dictatorship. The line between the occult and religion is worn down to a pencil smudge. Neither love nor denial can save you.
There is no arguing with faith, though. And it’s impossible to disbelieve when the Darkness comes. So, we trust, and we go on. At least, many of us do. Others are sick with doubt.
I loved this book, and I am sad it’s over. It is all the things the back cover says it is - a ghost story, a family story, a supernatural story, a masterwork. I want more of this in 2024. As someone on Goodreads wrote, “i believe in mariana enriquez supremacy.”
🖤 For Fans Of: Shirley Jackson, Paul Tremblay
⭐ Verdict: Worthy of all your time and emotional investment
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See you around the bookshelf!
Natalie
