Book Review: Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez

While there are many subgenres within the genre of horror, I think it can be broken down into two basic types of stories:

1. Terrible things happening to terrible people.
2. Terrible things happening to mostly decent people.

I don’t read a lot of horror, and when I do, I prefer that second kind. I need to anchor onto one or more goodish characters who I want to see survive; even if they don’t make it to the end, at least they kept me hoping until the last page. Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez (translated by Megan McDowell) is, unfortunately for me, the first kind.

Don’t get me wrong, I see why this book is popular. If you like books where basically everyone and everything is terrible, it’s probably very compelling. It spans 40 years and multiple generations. It has cults and terrible rich people and political upheaval. And honestly, I feel like we don’t get a lot of genre fiction in translation, so if you’re a horror fan, it’s probably pretty cool being able to read a book in your favorite genre from an Argentinian perspective.

But if, like me, you don’t like hanging out with awful people doing and experiencing bad things, the fact that this book is 588 pages makes it feel like a slog rather than a treat.

Why did I read to the end? Stubbornness, mostly. My spouse and I bought a physical copy and since we’d paid for it, and it counted for some book bingo prompts, and we were reading it together, we pushed each other to keep reading. Probably mostly so we could complain.

I’m not one of those people who thinks all books need a main character who is “likeable.” I can enjoy a book with an “unlikeable” main character, if they’re compelling or have some trait I can identify with. But there are certain things that are a deal-breaker for me. One of those is child abuse, and Juan, who serves as our main character for the first part of this book, is an abuser, as are many other people we encounter.

I just don’t want to have a narrator justify hitting a kid, y’know?

Anyway, the writing and translation both feel pretty solid, if you enjoy that kind of book that spends a lot of time on the mundane. I personally feel that it kind of kneecaps the tension of a horror novel, but I assume for some readers, it just stretches out the dread, making you wonder when the next terrible thing will happen. That said, I actually enjoyed some of the mundane storylines more than the horror. I would probably have been a lot happier if the book narrowed its focus to the 1980s/90s section and gave us more of the Argentinian gay scene and the AIDS crisis.

Ultimately, Our Share of Night is another example of why I don’t give books a star rating. This is a clear book and reader mismatch. I’d give this one star if I did ratings; the fact that the cover is decorated with quotes from high-profile reviews and a faux sticker declaring it “One of the New York Times notable books of the year” shows that for many other people, it’s a five star read.

If you do like horror and you haven’t yet read this book, I recommend seeking out reviews by other fans of the genre who can weigh in better than I can. Alternatively, if your horror tastes align more with mine, stick around because my next review is of a horror novel that worked much better for me.

CWs and TWs: I think this has even more than Victorian Psycho. Off the top of my head: child abuse; child death; parental death; animal death; terminal illnesses; alcoholism; homophobia; sexual content; references to necrophilia; drug use; violence; suicidal ideation and attempts; references to people being “disappeared” by a dictatorship as well as violent response to protests; sexual assault.

Source and Format: We purchased a paperback copy at Ridgecrest Books in Shoreline. Dear lovely bookseller who hand-sold this to us: I’m sorry we didn’t like it; we should have taken your Ocean Vuong recommendation instead, I think.

Reading Challenge Prompts

Nook & Cranny (Card 2): Found in Translation. This is a work in translation. I was talking with a friend earlier this year about how it would be cool if we each tried to read some books in translation from new-to-us countries, so here we go: Argentina! I don’t think I’ve ever read a book from Argentina before.

Brick & Mortar: In Translation. And this is why I stuck with the book, because this challenge ends on the Spring Equinox and I didn’t want to find another translated book I liked better before the deadline.

Physical TBR: As we purchased this book in November of 2024, it counts for the Physical TBR Challenge! At this rate, I am going to be more than halfway done with this challenge by the end of March. Because this book was a slow-motion horror with intergenerational impacts, it only felt right to donate to help another family experiencing the real life slow-motion horror that is Israel’s continuing attack on Palestine. Mohamed and twelve members of his family are trying to survive and escape the country. They are less than halfway to their goal, so please consider donating and sharing.

Reading Challenge Progress

Nook & Cranny (Card 1): 6 of 25, no bingos.

Nook & Cranny (Card 2): 10 of 25, 1 bingo.

Book Riot: 10 of 25.

Physical TBR: 5 of 12.

Brick & Mortar: 23 of 25, 8 bingos.

World of Whimm: 11 of 24, no bingos.