Our Share of Night, Mariana Enriquez
‘While Enriquez is no stranger to marrying the political with the paranormal, Our Share of Night is truly a flex of her literary prowess, and a testament to her ability to build a fascinating world rich in context.’
Following translations of her short story collections Things We Lost in the Fire and The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, Argentinian author Mariana Enriquez sees her first novel translated into the English language. Our Share of Night is an ambitious saga spanning 700 pages of eldritch horror and familial discord against the backdrop of the Dirty War: a harrowing period of Argentine history that saw state terrorism claim the lives of thousands.
While Enriquez is no stranger to marrying the political with the paranormal, Our Share of Night is truly a flex of her literary prowess, and a testament to her ability to build a fascinating world rich in context. Juan and Gaspar - father and son - find themselves tied inexplicably to the Order, a formidable cult seeking an audience with a divine beast.
When reading Enriquez’s short story collection Smoking in Bed, there was a recurring sense that some of her stories were constrained by the format, lacking the breathing room for their ideas and themes to flourish. No such doubt persists in this novel; Our Share of Night has a slow, pensive burn to its narrative, giving it an emotional weight that pays its dues throughout.
Generational trauma and systemic oppression play as much a part of this story as its more fantastical elements, and they complement one another beautifully. Enriquez has always understood the intersections between horror and reality; how the emphasis on the former can better communicate the latter. The parallels drawn here between the real-life atrocities of the military junta and those of the fictional Order are stark, painting a picture more disturbing than anything the imagination could conjure. Our Share of Night is a bone-chilling behemoth of a book, and another treasure in Enriquez’s trove.
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