"Maybe I wasn’t the princess in her castle; maybe I was a madwoman locked in her tower."

I don’t usually read short story collections. It’s not that I don’t like them – I do – but they quite often fail to hold my interest enough to entice me to see them through to the end.

However, this is the second collection of short stories I read within the past year, the first being Deborah Willis’ The Dark and Other Love Stories , which was deep and haunting, but in a very different way. While Willis' collection also seemed to allude to something just beneath the surface, there was also something inherently…tame…about them.

That is not the case with Mariana Enríquez’s Things We Lost in the Fire: Stories . Set in Argentina, this collection of stories is unlike anything I’ve ever read. The stories range in scope of horror – from bone-chilling psychological thriller (“Adela’s House,” “Under the Black Water”) to good old fashion ghost stories (“An Invocation of the Big-Eared Runt,” “The Inn”) to the more realistic and ponderous (“No Flesh over Our Bones,” “Green Red Orange”). Although each story begins with the characters involved in seemingly “normal” situations, it soon becomes clear that something is askew: that there is something lurking right behind them.

However, I was never fully satisfied. I felt like there was a spark missing, something that I was not quite fully able to grasp. Some of it comes from the tension-building of the author – for quite a few of the stories, she built the climax and ended abruptly in ambiguity – but I think it ultimately comes from the feeling that I was expecting more from this collection.

I think the beginning stories were strong and provided a good flavor of the unique scope and writing style of the author – I particularly enjoyed “The Intoxicated Years,” “Adela’s House,” and “An Invocation of the Big-Eared Runt.” However, the second half was weaker, and a good handful of the stories were disappointing, especially “Things We Lost in the Fire” – the anchor and the one I was particularly excited to read because it lent its name to the title of the collection. Instead, it was too metaphorical and vague as to what, exactly, the author was referring.

Which is ultimately unfortunate, because I feel like the excessive ambiguity of quite a few of the stories took away from the overall impact this collection could have had.

That being said, I enjoyed reading something that is out of the realm of what I usually tend to read – a unique combination of horror and short stories set in Argentina.

Overall rating: 3.5 stars for creativity and uniqueness. Rounded down to a solid 3 stars because of the lack of any of these stories really producing a “spark” of excitement; (the stories that got closest were probably “Adela’s House” or “An Invocation of the Big-Eared Runt”).

I won a paper copy in a giveaway book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers, as well as an electronic copy from NetGalley, both through Crown Publishing. I received these copies in exchange for an honest review.

The stories collected in Things We Lost in the Fire are about people in transitionary periods of their lives. Each of the characters in these gritty stories face a realization – a veil has lifted from their eyes – and they find themselves with the obligation to choose to act in response to their newfound knowledge or stay idle. Ultimately these decisions will come to redefine who they are and alter the rest of their lives.

Mariana Enríquez's writing is fretfully grim and unsettling. I'll definitely be on the look out for the next translated Enríquez collection to hit the shelves.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Things We Lost In The Fire: Stories by Mariana Enriquez is a collection of short stories that explore different facets of life in contemporary Argentina. Chilling and dark, these stories absolutely have a Shirley Jackson vibe. Gothic literature at its finest, these are filled with paranormal elements, dark and gloomy setting in the Argentinian slums and broken characters needing to be rescued.

I don’t read a lot of short story collections, but I was completely engulfed in this one. I love how they can be left out and picked up and put down when the mood strikes. However, with this one, the chances of you putting it down are slim.

When the very first story alluded to a human sacrifice, I was obsessed. The stories following continued to deliver wave after wave of unsettling storytelling.

Adela’s House and Things We Lost in the Fire were two of my personal favourite stories.

I am always looking to add diversity into my reading collection and this collection delivered that element; set in the Argentinian underbelly, I loved how this blended horror elements like ghosts and supernatural beings along with realistic horrors in everyday life such as extreme poverty, corruption and even child abuse that is prominent there. As much an entertaining piece of fiction as it is a social commentary, Enriquez critiques and amuses merging realism and idealism. Each ending is completely open and up for interpretation. It would not surprise me to see this collection added to the syllabus of a number of courses for higher education. There is that much depth.

Overall, I loved these stories and would recommend them highly!

This collection of short stories was dark and unsettling, which was exactly what I was expecting it to be. It was wonderful, and really made me feel something. Highly recommended!

The atmosphere created in many of these stories was nothing short of haunting, everything seems normal in the beginning, but then you notice some things that are a little off, a little dark. Things We Lost in the Fire was a journey into the surreal. The stories are set in modern day Argentina with a diverse cast of characters and stories.

Before reading this, I actually didn’t know much about Argentinia’s history and culture so this book was a learning experience. I was intrigued by some common themes that I had noticed from story to story and decided to do a little research. I found that many of the stories took place in the 1980’s and 1990’s, a decade after an event called “The Dirty War,” a period of state terrorism during the Cold War. I find this bit of information important in understanding some of the common themes or recurring character types in the story. Several have groups of military officers that take on intimidating roles which is the first and most obvious link to a country still dealing with the after effects of a police state. Many of the characters are apathetic to the suffering of others, often choosing not to interfere and walking away when confronted with obvious abuse. Meaningful relationships are noticeably difficult, and it’s no surprise when the people are so devoid of empathy for their fellow man. Drug addiction is rampant and living conditions are relatively poor for most. There is also a deep fascination with the macabre, with several characters becoming very visibly obsessed with the idea of death.

One of the things that the author did very well was building tension over the course of the stories as the plot develops, making the reader feel anxious as they witness each character’s descent into settings or situations that seem beyond human comprehension. There were a few stories that particularly stood out among the rest. My very favorite was also the first in the collection which gives the book a strong start, The Dirty Kid. It sets the tone for the rest of the book and left me asking so many questions after it was finished.

Other notable stories were Adela’s House, which was perhaps the most well developed story with characters that I wanted to read more about. It also helps that it was the haunted house story, which is one of my favorite genres in horror. The most frightening story of the collection though, and arguably one of the only truly scary stories, was The Neighbor’s Courtyard. While I couldn’t wrap my head around the narrator’s logic and got really annoyed with how she chose to do things, it was the one story that made my toes curl and made it difficult for me to sleep that night.

The only issue I took with the stories was that they became a tiny bit predictable in that they all followed a pattern. You’re introduced to characters and get a glimpse of their personalities, their thoughts, and their every day lives. They come close to things that are dark or dangerous, and there is usually a quick and sometimes very descriptive horror twist at the end, leaving readers at some cliff hanger. Not every story ended this way, but many of them did. This sort of story telling makes the whole book feel like one big appetizer that never delivers the full course meal. Some of the stories could’ve used more time to develop the plot and characters. A complete story can be told even in short story form, which is something that I felt was missing.

Besides all that, the anthology was just plain wonderfully written. The translation seems to have been done well and there are several Spanish words still woven throughout the stories, keeping the feel authentic to the setting. Enriquez manages to make the macabre themes in the stories feel almost romantic, drawing readers into for a glimpse of a world not quite like our own. Things We Lost in the Fire grabbed my attention from the first story and kept me captivated to the very last page.

Things We Lost In The Fire is Mariana Enriquez’ short story collection set in Argentina and featuring characters, mostly female, as they deal with supernatural occurrences that reflect the reality of a culture steeped in tradition, not all of them good.
The first story is about a woman who inherits a family house in a bad part of town and finds herself surrounded by criminal and drug activity and all that surrounds that lifestyle. A homeless child in particular, a five year old who she refers to as Dirty Kid because she doesn’t know his name, makes her rethink her choices, but not before he scares her out of her mind with tales of patron saints and the sacrifices that people make to improve their lives.
Story 2 follows a teenager who is slightly obsessed with her best friend and against her better judgment, decides to help the friend seek revenge. Their mission takes them to The Inn (the title location) where they hear sounds and see things they cannot explain, especially with everyone else refuting the history that the inn used to serve as a torture chamber generations prior.
The third story, Intoxicated Years, is about some teenaged girls in codependent relationships, experimenting with drugs and using relationships as commodities. Their drug induced haze creates the perfect backdrop so it is unclear whether the ghostly elements are real or hallucinated.
…and so on and so on until we get to the final, title story, which describes women engaging in burning – ritualistic self destruction as a response to centuries of repression. Just one more thing we lost in the fire.
Some of the same elements were repeated in several of the stories – flickering lights (fires) or blackouts (absence of fires), which probably happens frequently in a third world country but that lends itself to creating the environment for these kinds of stories and beliefs to flourish. When I was a child, I remember gathering with others around a bonfire or lantern on the nights when the electricity was out, and hearing ghostly stories then too. And while I don’t seek out paranormal literature now, I appreciated the author’s use of this literary devices as a vehicle to carry her social commentary. But it wasn’t until I got to the end of the collection that I appreciated all that the fires represented – safety, passion, excitement, heat, light, fellowship, danger, destruction, obliteration.

What I Liked:
Attractive cover
Complex characters
The stories got better once I understood the political and social commentary that lurked behind the plot.

What I Didn’t Like:
Some of the stories felt a little too short for me to get invested in the characters
Graphic depictions and disturbing situations described sometimes in too rich detail

There were 12 stories and I rated them individually and averaged the scores so in the end, I gave the entire collection a 3.5 star rating, although a couple of them were a 4 or better.

This was definitely not what I was expecting it to be! I didn't think this collection of short stories would be so dark and supernatural, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. While some of the stories spooked me out big time, I loved how macabre and eerie Argentina felt as a whole - not just the characters, but also the towns, houses, rivers, etc. Enriquez managed to give life to things that don't think or feel, which made for an excellent reading experience. Wouldn't recommend to those that are easily queasy - some scenes are a bit graphic and disturbing - but if you can stomach some weirdness then read away.

Short stories are my jam and this book is my new favorite. I absolutely LOVED Things We Lost In The Fire by Mariana Enriquez. Talk about a batch of creative and captivating stories that will haunt you for days.

Set in Argentina, this book depicts modern day in a dark and twisty manner using history and myths to ground it. Topics such as life, death, relationships, poverty, feminism are explored against disturbing, eerie, and horrific monsters, ghosts, and the supernatural. It all makes for quite a suspenseful and terrifying read - and I LOVED every minute of it. Enriquez knows how to create a story that engages her reader with her sharp and creative writing, relatable characters and unique storytelling. She is a force and her book is fierce.

My favorite stories were, Adela's House and The Inn. One's a tale of revenge and the other is about a seemingly abandoned house. Both are riveting and spooky - they linger in your thoughts and imagination for quite some time. I loved the eerie feeling that came with reading this book - it made for such a fun experience.

I would happily recommend Things We Lost In The Fire to fans of short stories and fans of horror/thrillers - you will LOVE this collection of short stories!!

Thank you to NetGalley and to Random House for the review copy.

Wow! I am not generally a big fan of short story collections, but this collection is exceptional. These are your nightmares, your fears, your crazy dreams all rolled up into 12 stories. Some are simply horrible, but seem too unreal; while others are terrifyingly too real.

If you like short scary stories with an Argentinian flair, this debut by Mariana Enríquez may be just what you are looking for.

Each of these stories feels like the beginning of something. They're all well-written, with compelling narratives and interesting characters. Each story could be the setup of a great horror story. Only, that's it. That's all most of them are: beginnings, with no endings, no explanations, no hints of closure. The author just seems to throw in bizarre and disturbing details almost at random. In some rare cases the ambiguity wasn't terrible, but in most of these stories it's simply annoying, like the author had no idea what to do with her own idea once she'd gotten it down on the page.

I'm giving this three stars because I did enjoy reading these and I finished it rather quickly, and there were certain aspects of some stories that were deliciously creepy, particularly the ones that granted you a peek into the psychological disturbances in the characters' minds. If Goodreads would let me, though, a more accurate reading would be 2.5 stars, and grudgingly.

Favorites were Adela's House, Spiderweb, The Neighbor's Courtyard, and Under the Black Water. Adela's House is an example of a story where the ambiguity worked well. Spiderweb isn't much of a horror story at all, or any kind of story really - nothing much happens, but I enjoyed the characters and their interactions. The Neighbor's Courtyard features a character who might be crazy and a kind of eldritch abomination, the only story to really give us a clear glimpse of horror, though I wish there had been some closure. Under the Black Water is almost Lovecraftian in some ways, and I liked the vague sense of cosmic horror conveyed.

Overall, though, there were too many loose ends here for me to truly enjoy these stories.

I haven't decided if I will review this for my site, it would barely fit within the context of what I usually review. However, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to others.

Things We Lost in the Fire is an awfully dark collection of short stories. These macabre stories are all set in contemporary Argentina. Many stories have a touch of unreality -- suggestions of ghosts and other worldly beings. But the point of these suggested apparitions is to emphasize the horror of some aspects of contemporary Argentinian life -- extreme poverty, violence, drug addiction and crime. Often the central characters are middle class young men and women exposed to Argentina's dark underbelly -- and the hovering question is whether what they have seen is real or an apparition. Despite this common device and touch of unreality, the stories are very diverse in their characters and setting. I particularly liked a few of the longer ones:

-The Dirty Kid -- about the narrator's obsession with a street kid who disappears in her neighbourhood.
-Spiderweb -- about a women who goes on a trip with her unpleasant husband to visit a cousin
-The Neighbor's Courtyard -- about a disgraced social worker keeping an eye on a potential child in distress in a neighbour's yard
-Things We Lost in the Fire -- about a burn victim who holds audience in the subway

I recommend this to anyone who likes short stories and looks to literature to gain insight into different parts of the world. Don't be deterred by the surrealism -- it adds to the richness of these stories without overwhelming the narrative.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

In the past couple of years, I've gained a new appreciation for short story collections. The quick narratives make for easy reads during my brief reprieves from the hustle and bustle of life. They also are the perfect cure for a reading slump. It is much easier to finish a short story than a full-blown novel. As I've delved into more short stories, I am consistently pleased with the level of detail and development that some of them achieve. Beyond the satisfaction that comes with reading these short works, short stories have introduced me to new authors. From acclaimed Pulitzer winners like Adam Johnson to indie authors like Eric Shonkwiler, short stories have turned me into a fan of authors who I would have otherwise never read. After reading Things We Lost in the Fire, I'm excited to add Mariana Enriquez to that list.

Enriquez draws upon the history and legends of Argentina to compose a collection of stories that balance on the edge of myth and reality. In The Inn, my favorite story of the group, two girls are struggling to come to terms with their sexual orientation. Beyond the difficulties that their relationship brings, one of the girls is facing a new challenge at home. Her father was a model employee as a tour guide for a local inn. That's why the girl finds it so hard to believe that the owner fired him. Thirsting for revenge, the two girls decide to break into the inn and enact a plan that will have long-lasting implications on the establishment. Unbeknownst to them, more sinister entities are at play.

I really enjoy the way that Enriquez combines supernatural elements into these portraits of Argentinian life. The people in her stories are all facing different challenges that are only made more difficult by the fact that they live in the slums. The problems that the characters face, crumbling relationships, poverty, disability, all touch upon universal themes that are easy to relate to. By giving these stories a tinge of fantasy, Enriquez adds a sense of urgency and suspense to what would have otherwise been rather pedestrian tales. There is no denying the unique voice and place that fill the stories in Things We Lost in the Fire. With this collection, Mariana Enriquez makes a bold statement about who she is as an author and the kind of writing we can expect from her in the future.

Dark, creepy and nightmarish.......each short story has it own creepy crawly end!

Read it.....but not before bed! (insert evil laugh)

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

These short stories are strange and dark. The descriptions are vivid, the characters unusual, and the stories - - well - - to me, most of the stories didn't really have much of a plot. The writing is good, though, and what there is of each story made me want to know what happened next. They just all felt so unfinished.

3.5 Stars. Twelve macabre short stories set in Argentina. It's very dark and disturbing.

Tens of thousands of Argentinians were disappeared or killed during the Dirty War (~1976 to 1982), the military junta's brutal campaign against left-wing dissidents. While not overtly mentioned, the horrific tales in Things We Lost in the Fire are intertwined with Argentina's dark past. Past atrocities refuse to stay buried, always lurking in the back of the collective mind. These stories take place on top of mass graves. These stories feature police brutality, depression, drug addicts, poverty, self-harm, and children deformed by pollution. The shrines to saints on every corner make all of these horrors feel even more haunting.

Many of the characters are resigned to the awful events they witness. Some of them end up not helping those in need, either because of lack of resources or helping could lead to worse consequences for themselves. In "Green Red Orange," a man withdraws from the world and gets immersed in the deep web, where the worst of humanity is viewed as entertainment. Most of the characters are stuck in unhappy relationships. They resent their partners, but can't bring themselves to leave.

Except for the first story, my favorites were in the second half:

The Dirty Kid - A middle-class woman thinks the homeless boy who lives across from her home is the victim of a savage murder. She can't rest until she finds out if it's true. She regrets doing so little for the boy, despite witnessing the terrible conditions he lived in every day.

An Invocation of Big-Eared Runt (read it at link) - My favorite! A man who leads murder tours is fascinated by a long-dead child murderer. At home, he resents how his wife transformed into a different person after the birth of their child. The quiet ending left me feeling uneasy about this family's future.

No Flesh Over Our Bones - A woman becomes obsessed with an abandoned human skull.

Under the Black Water - A district attorney investigates the case of two teenagers murdered by police officers. Months later, a witness tells her one of the victims has resurfaced. There's no way he survived, so she goes to investigate. When she arrives and sees all the shrines have disappeared, you know it's about to get terrifying! The nearby river's pollution is bad, but it might be covering for something even worse.

Things We Lost in the Fire - After a rash of domestic violence, women begin setting themselves on fire. The old women's conversation at the end chilled me to the bone.

Honorable Mention:
The Neighbor's Courtyard - A depressed social worker sees a chance at redemption when she spots a chained boy in her neighbor's courtyard. I loved how the details of this story unraveled. It went from realistic to crazy at the very end, so I'm not sure what to think of this one!

I loved the mix of history and horror. My favorite stories were those where the line between real life and the bizarre was the most blurred. Enríquez was masterful at creating a creepy atmosphere and building tension. I could feel the knot in my stomach getting tighter as each story progressed. My biggest complaint is that many of the stories felt incomplete. The tension would reach a fever pitch and then it would just end. There were moments in each story that I loved, but many times I was left with a ton of questions and no theories to ponder. If you enjoy supernatural tales and the dark and twisty characters of Gillian Flynn or Roxane Gay (Difficult Women), you might enjoy this short story collection. I recommend reading it in the dark!

I received a copy of Things We Lost in the Fire from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever walked through a really empty house? One that has been vacant for a long time and has no furniture to provide any sense of occupancy. After a while a house like that loses the smell and feel of people. There is an emptiness there that you can feel. An abandonment. If you walk through such a house at night you can really feel it—a palpable presence that hovers around you and is created by the absence of people, a sort of wrongness. As you walk through rooms you have a sense of being watched or even followed. Each room you walk in you almost expect to find something there. You may think you see something out of the corner of your eye. You expect a hand to grab your arm as you turn a corner.

Some of these stories are like that. They evoke a wrongness, an unnaturalness in the common-place. Stories like The Dirty Kid, The Inn, Spiderweb, End of Term, or the deliciously creepy No Flesh Over Our Bones. But in this house other rooms are not empty, not at all. Stories like Adela’s House and An Invocation of the Big-Eared Runt bring us face to face with real supernatural horror and insanity (or perhaps possession).

My two favorites, The Neighbor’s Courtyard and the Lovecraftian Under The Black Water, slam the door behind us and leave us no escape from the monsters waiting within--from the dead who still dream and from creatures that should not exist. These two stories are real shockers.

Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enriquez is a highly recommended collection of 12 ominous and dark short stories set in contemporary Argentina.
These stories capture the superstitions, instability, violence, and strangeness that can pervade everyday life in Argentina and turns this into more ominous stories. It will be surprising when you start the first story and see it morph into something completely different, setting the tone for the whole collection. Peculiarities and aberrations abound among the settings of these stories. Some will shock, some will horrify, and some will leave you looking around wondering what is really lurking nearby in your neighborhood.

The stories include:
The Dirty Kid: A woman becomes obsessed with a homeless pregnant woman and her son who live by an abandoned building across the street.
The Inn: A haunted tourist hotel was built on a former police barracks.
The Intoxicated Years: An account of the increasing drug use of five friends.
Adela’s House: An abandoned house may be more than it seems.
An Invocation of the Big-Eared Runt: A tour guide for Buenos Aires murder sites resents the attention his wife shows their newborn.
Spiderweb: A broken down car helps a disintegrating marriage to crumble.
End of Term: A girl is self-mutilating.
No Flesh over Our Bones: An anorexic woman finds a human skull in the street and attaches human qualities to it.
The Neighbor’s Courtyard: a woman is sure a neighbor has chained up a young boy.
Under the Black Water: A polluted river may hold more than it seems.
Green Red Orange: A man secludes himself in his room, seeing no one in person.
Things We Lost in the Fire: Women are self-immolating in protest of domestic violence.

The stories are all well written, although, naturally, I did enjoy some more than others. They manage to capture life in Argentina and the belief among the citizens, as well as the violence, crime, gangs, etc., especially against women. The stories are open-ended, with no real explanation or conclusion, leaving you to wonder what will happen next. This is a wonderful collection.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Hogarth.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2017/02/things-we-lost-in-fire.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1917486543

Macabre and often grotesque, Things We Lost in the Fire is a short story collection which puts a literary spin on the horror genre, as Mariana Enriquez's beautiful prose compels you to explore the darkest corners of contemporary Argentine society. In a collection that ranges from ghost stories to psychological horror, at times the distinction between these two horror sub-genres isn't entirely clear-cut. To what extent is this horror real, and to what extent is it a psychological manifestation? These stories are characterized by a sort of toxic obsessiveness, and Enriquez never shies away from showing less than desirable aspects of human nature. Each story is fueled by a tense urgency that pulls you in and leaves you wanting more - but this was part of the problem, for me.

There's a sort of dissatisfying ambiguity to these stories that I found myself constantly wishing Enriquez would go a bit further. The open endings work at times, and add to the uneasy atmosphere (Adela's House and The Inn are good examples), but at other times the ambiguity serves only to frustrate. I was sure I would end up giving this collection 4 stars at first, waiting for that one story that would wow me and justify the high rating, but I kept finding story after story to suffer from that feeling of incompleteness.

Favorites were: The Intoxicated Years, The Dirty Kid, The Inn, An Invocation of the Big-Eared Runt, and Adela's House. Least favorites were: Under the Black Water, Things We Lost in the Fire, Spiderweb, and Green Red Orange.

Ultimately: recommended to horror fans who (1) aren't easily triggered - there is some seriously disturbing stuff in these pages - and (2) don't mind ambiguous endings. Enriquez's strength is the unsettling atmosphere that she so expertly invokes; this collection is really for readers who are willing to enjoy the journey rather than spend the whole time looking for answers.

(3.5 stars)

I've resolved to read at least one short story every day this year, so I've been on the lookout for story collections and was excited to check out this book by an Argentinian writer. (The stories were all translated from Spanish.)

Mariana Enriquez is a fascinating writer. Her prose is very compelling and well-wrought. Her stories are drawn from really interesting places and ideas. For the most part the stories felt fresh and new, which is exciting to read in a collection.

What kept me from rating the collection higher is that most of the stories don't have an entirely cohesive feel. A good short story is clever and wrapped up tightly. Many of Enriquez's stories were interesting and the prose was great, but they often seemed to be missing something. That said there are some fantastic stories in the collection that were finely constructed. My favorites were: "Adela's House," "An Invocation of the Big-Eared Runt," and "Things We Lost in the Fire." Overall I'm glad I read this one and am interested in checking out more of Enriquez's work in the future.