Things We Lost in the Fire

Things We Lost in the Fire is a haunting literary short story collection by Mariana Enriquez and translated by Megan McDowell. These stories range from dark social critiques to others that feature overt horror elements. Each is populated by dynamic complex characters who are both totally believable and fascinating. Ranging from haunted houses to body horror to cosmic, this is diverse collection of tales set in the author's country of Argentina. Themes of poverty, mental health, queerness, and patriarchy were prevalent in this volume, making it highly relevant for readers of all backgrounds. I loved how these stories explored multiple sub-genres and also all seemed to have something to say. This is definitely a more complex and literary collection than what I typically read, and I'm not ashamed to say that there are several stories here that I think I need to reread before I'll have a chance of really understanding them. I did notice that some of the stories seemed to just end, or otherwise lack a conclusion or overall story arc that I found completely satisfying, but this may be an issue more with my understanding than with the writing. Although the audiobook narrator, Tanya Eby, did a great job...I think I might have gotten more out of this by reading visually. My favorite stories in this collection were The Inn, Adela's House, Under the Black Water, and Things We Lost in the Fire. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️