This book took me a long time to read. I was on two 6 hour flights and thought, 'Why haven't I finished this book yet? Then I realized it's over 600 pages long. This was a very bizarre story told in different time periods with different characters perspectives. It wasn't that hard to follow but I felt it could have been cut by 1/3. There were some characters' backstories that were not needed to understand what was going on with the main characters and plot. This is a supernatural horror story along the lines of 'Mexican Gothic', but more disturbing and gross.

Argentinian father and son duo Juan and Gaspar are married to a rich woman whose family belongs to a cult called 'The Order'. This cult believes that by sacrificing children and willing volunteers, they will achieve eternal life. Juan is a conduit to 'The Darkness', which is a power that turns him into a monster that performs the sacrifices. When Juan's wife Rosario dies mysteriously, the Order is determined to find him and Gaspar to ensure that 'The Darkness' continues. Part One of the book explains the process of the cult, and Juan and Rosario's roles. Then there is a whole section that goes into how they met, their college life, and his first experience with the darkness. When Juan becomes ill, The Order tries to import his essence into his son Gaspar, believing he has inherited the power from Juan.

There are a lot of disturbing parts of this book involving tortured children, body parts, and mass graves. Some of these sections are references to Argentina's 'disappeared persons' during the revolution that opposed the junta. Many of those were killed and put into mass graves. So the author alludes to that atrocity.

The writing was well done here and beautiful in parts:
"He took Gaspar’s face in his hands, leaned down to look him in the eyes, and caressed his hair, the box on the ground between them, and he said, you have something of mine, I passed on something of me to you, and hopefully it isn’t cursed, I don’t know if I can leave you something that isn’t dirty, that isn’t dark, our share of night."

However, the book just needed to have more structure and flow to make it more engaging to the reader. I'd heard great things about this authors' prior book of short stories so expected more from this one.

I ... want to chalk this up to a story lost in translation because I enjoyed Enriquez' short story collection so much and this ... what was this? There was so little emotion in the text, it felt like reading a textbook about a fantasy book.

The book is broken up into six parts and each part follows a different character/time period and kind of builds off of the other parts - and at first I thought that was really neat! It was almost like reading a short story collection but everything was connected, but that marvel was soon lost on me once I had to read two chapters in a row that were so slow paced so so ..... seemingly about nothing. <spoiler> I'm talking specifically about Rosario's chapter where she realizes that the Order is not exactly what she grew up thinking it was 20% into her part and then we still have to follow her around London as she's making this realization time and time again like girl ... we get it moveon.org let's get the plot moving </spoiler>. Gaspar's chapters were the only ones that were truly ... engaging to me and maybe its because he was so in the dark that it actually gave the story a feeling of mystery ... intrigue ... flavor ...

I think the overall demon shape-shifting cult-secret society plot was so corny but I did like how the demon shape-shifting soul-transition was an allegory (?) of generational trauma. Seeing Gaspar slowly turn into his father as a young adult was HARD to read but I was also like okay I see what you're doing here. He is becoming his father in the worst way and in the story its like psychic shit but in reality that shit just happens you know? I'm always down for a horror allegory about real life situations.

All that being said ... I really don't know how to rate this book but because I only enjoyed 2.5 parts, I feel like it's only fair to rate it 2.5 stars (rounded up to 3).

Thank you Netgalley for an early copy! Sorry it wasn't a hit!

I wanted to read this book because Paul Tremblay has recommended the author so much. This story is so beautifully written and Mariana has such a unique voice. She has created such a fantastic world and did a wonderful job jumping back and forth between time to tell the different narratives of the characters.

At times I hated Juan for how he treated Gaspar and just wanted him stop being a jerk. But by the end you realize how he weaved everything together to help him.

The descriptions of the locations made me feel like I was really there in another country and could see the sights and smell the smells.

I enjoyed following Gaspar from his childhood into adulthood and felt like I got to know him in a way that I don’t normally get to with other characters in books. The author did such a fantastic job with this. I’m looking forward to reading more of her.

A wonderfully dark and twisted story of a family living in and escaping from a dark order. Mariana Enriquez weaves political upheaval and instability into this story seamlessly. The violence is sudden, sporadic, and inevitable. Always shocking. The darkness surrounds and consumes the characters within the story, and encompasses the entire country. And yet this is still a tale of a small family trying to do what's best for themselves and each other even when completely submerged within this darkness.

Ended up being a dnf for me. I have been trying for over a week now and the writing style isn’t working for me. It’s a shame because this sounds like it could be good, but I won’t be continuing with it, won’t post on Goodreads since I couldn’t finish it

3.5 stars.
This book was very dark and unsettling. The premise really caught my attention, which made me excited to read it. While slow at times, the story was very genre-bending and I found myself constantly wanting to know what was going to happen next. The writing was fantastic; Enriquez is quite the talented author. While I enjoyed the story, I kinda found myself wanting more from it, especially since I loathed many characters. Overall, it was a good book and I think my rating would benefit from a second read at some point.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know what I was expecting from a book about a demonic cult, but there were definitely some nasty, horrific things that caught me off guard.

Overall I really enjoyed it, especially the way the story was broken up. It's told in six parts, each part taking place in different years and primarily focusing on different characters. These parts aren't in chronological order, and the further you get, things that happened earlier (or later) in terms of the story start to take on a different meaning.

There were some parts that felt a bit slower than the rest, but they didn't stop me from wanting to find out what was going to happen next.

This book was quite long and slow, so it was hard to keep interested at times. I did put it down and read another book because I wasn't getting into it, but came back and finished it.

The characters weren't very relatable.

The cult aspect was interesting. The book overall is pretty dark.

Definitely an interesting read

Our Share of Night is a very dark and morbid tale of the ties between family members. We meet Juan and his young son Gaspar, both deep in grief after the death of Rosario, Juan's wife and Gaspar's mother who died in a car accident. The two of them set out on a road trip to travel to Rosario's family home. The family is part of a secret society called "The Order" who have searched for years for the secret to eternal life. Their attempts to ferret this out involves grotesque rituals, maiming members and killing others. Juan has a terminal heart condition that is exacerbated by his work as a medium for the Order, where is is able to connect with the Darkness. He is trying to protect his son Gaspar from being enlisted in future Order rituals. This book is quite lengthy, but the reader gets viewpoints from Juan, Gaspar as he ages, and even Rosario prior to her death. Much of this book is about the lengths we will go to protect family that may look at least on the surface may be causing them harm. It is a tough read- there is a lot of violence and gore. We see different examples of how parents interact with their children as part of the Order.

Enríquez continues to dazzle with her penchant for horror. I enjoyed her short story collection prior to this, and continue to be invested in what strange tales she spins next.

Thanks to Hogarth (Random House) via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

Deeply unsettling and, at times, nearly unfathomable in its grotesque violence, <i>Our Share of Night</i> by Mariana Enriquez is an epic horror masterpiece that explores an incredible range of themes-- colonialism, capitalism, inherited family trauma, and the corrupting influences of power and wealth.

The novel is divided into what I would consider four main parts, spanning nearly four decades between the 1960s and late 1990s, with most of the plot focusing on the years just before and just after Argentina's transition from a military dictatorship to a democracy. The first part opens with what I would consider our two main protagonists, Juan and his then-six-year-old son Gaspar, on a trip to the family home of his wife, Rosario, who died unexpectedly and suspiciously. Juan is a medium for a cult called The Order, which worships a violent god they call The Darkness in hopes of being granted immortality. The Order has chapters throughout the world, including the Argentian chapter, which is controlled by Rosario's family, who basically bought Juan when he was a child. Juan has been used and abused by the family for decades, and at the beginning of the novel, we learn that Juan is trying to do everything in his power to keep Gaspar, who has started to demonstrate the same abilities, from befalling the same fate. From there, the novel moves forward in time to when Gaspar is around twelve years old, then back in time to when Juan and Rosario were teenagers and young adults, and then forward again, ending when Gaspar is around the same age-- early twenties.

This is the first I've read of Enriquez, and what an incredible introduction. This book is immense in all senses of the word-- it's more than 600 pages, it acts as an allegory in so many different respects, and each part almost acts as a different kind of horror novel. In Part I, we are introduced to this violent cult, and see first-hand The Darkness, which is a real supernatural entity that enacts violence on the cult members. Part III, which is the second major part, focuses on Gaspar and his preteen friends and their obsession with a creepy house in the neighborhood. Part IV, which takes place in London and gives us a lot more insight into the cult's history and operations, has kind of a dark academia feel to it. And then the last part ties everything together, with elements of everything that precedes it.

Enriquez weaves together so much, so expertly. The whole time I was reading, I could see all these plot threads, and I was so eager to see how they would all come together, but then there would also be plot points that I thought were done, only to have Enriquez circle back and bring something back in a way that I couldn't have imagined, which was really cool. She also covers so much ground with the themes the novel explores, political and personal. At its core, though, this novel really focused on the powerful and wealthy and the lengths they were willing to go to maintain that power, and the vulnerable who were exploited and harmed as a result. And we also see the ways that the vulnerable also perpetuate harm and trauma on each other. Juan and Gaspar's relationship is really compelling--it's dysfunctional and traumatic in so many ways, even though Juan thinks of himself as doing whatever it takes to save Gaspar, even if that includes inflicting harm and abuse on him.

I think fans of horror and fans of literary fiction that explores themes like political violence and colonialism will find a lot to appreciate in this novel. But seriously, do some research on content warnings before reading so you can make an informed decision on whether you're up for it. Because some of what I read in this one is probably going to haunt me forever.

Thanks to the publisher for an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

After loving this author's short story collection, I was eager to read the first full length novel by them. While this is classified as horror, I felt it read more like a sweeping family epic. Unfortunately that is not my preferred genre.

My biggest challenge with this book was the length. It's really, really long and it felt exhaustive to get through. The writing is actually quite elegant but it was just so long to get through. I liked pieces of this novel, particularly some of the cultural elements and family dynamics but I didn't connect with the narrative as much as I hoped I would.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with a digital galley in exchange for my honest review.

This book has a very long, slow start. I love the short stories I have consumed from the author, but I was unable to find a way to hold my interest on this novel or connect with it’s characters. It’s also a little unclear what the novel is actually about.

I’m hoping to pick it up again for a second chance one day.

Plot: 4
Characters: 4
Writing Style: 4
Cover: 4
Enjoyment: 3.5/4
Buyable/Re-readable?: Maybe. I'll explain at the end, since it may or may not be a spoiler.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Violent child abuse (physical, emotional, psychological), human sacrifice, torture, kidnapping, caging children, dismemberment, suicide, disappeared, genocide. I don't always include these but felt it prudent this time. I was able to get through the book, and this may help others as well, because I was reminded of the fantastical setting regularly, therefore making it easier to remember this was a work of fiction and fake.

This story is told in third and first person POVs, and divided into six parts (I would say that, for the most part, the characters had different voices but not always, it's curious) -
▫ Part 1, Jan 1981 - Juan and Tali.
▫ Part 2, Jan 1983 - Jorge Bradford (it had a lot of run-on sentences), only one 'chapter'.
▫ Part 3, 1985–86 - Gaspar, Pablo, Adela, Vicky. Run-on sentences as well, some that work, some that are frustrating. The kids are around 12 here and Juan is 34. The second half gets, I don't know, odd? Like, it almost drags.
▫ Part 4, 1960–1976 - First POV, Rosario Bradford and about Juan during youth. She's 11 and he's 8 at some point. She tells a story set in 1919. A time jump occurs where Juan is 15, and then about to turn 18 in another. Gaspar is two at some point, and it ends with Juan 24, Luis (his brother) 30.
▫ Part 5, 1993 – First POV of journalist, Olga. 7 years since a significant disappearance. It's written like one of her stories, includes interviews.
▫ Part 6, 1987–97 - Told through Luis, Vicky, Gas, Pablo, Steve/Esteban. Gaspar is 14 at some point, 18 at another. Pablo is 23.The book ends with Gaspar being 25.

The author chose to use quotation marks but also omitted them throughout - ex: We’re leaving, he said as he shook him gently. I am not a fan and very curious as to why they chose to do this? Things included are: the Order, the Ceremonial, mediums/priests & priestesses/shamans, invocations, demons, occult, sex magic, blood magic, sacrifices, saints, deities, tarot, Cults of the Shadow, initiates, Brujería, imbunche, ghosts/memories/echoes, psychic-like connections, talismans, and even some real world things, such as The National African Company, war in Argentina, etc.

This book won't be for everyone, from the trigger warning content, to the writing style, to the sheer strangeness. When asked what was the book about, I could only say it's weird. It's a wild, wild ride that has enjoyable moments and others less so. It's like...supernatural horror with real world war elements and an interesting magic system. Sort of, heh.

With regards to it being re-readable, this is my SPOILER WARNING!!

SPOILER WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The ending leaves room for a possible sequel. If no such plans come to fruition, then this is a one-and-done book, given the dark, heavy content and kookiness. However, if another installment comes out, one may want to read the first book as a refresher of events that occurred, though I might just remind myself through spark notes or something. We'll see. And if another doesn't come, then I wish we had gotten a better wrap up for certain characters. A lot of unanswered questions, or at least, not answered in a fully satisfying manner. 3 and a halfish stars.

This book truly defies categorization, a decade-spanning long swallow of a heady cocktail mixing politics, cult horror, generational trauma, exploitation, entrapment, and deep, pervasive darkness.

Perfection. It’s a mixture of genres but it’s enthralling. Very much gothic horror and obsessed with the writing. Very well translating.

In-laws are so much worse when they’re demonic! Follow Juan, a medium, whose wife recently died and who has served as a vessel for this dark order since he was a child. Now he wants to escape and keep his son as far away from them as he can.

This one has a lot of pages, but its physical intimidation is easily made up for with its incredible characters, dialogue (through an incredibly unique avoidance of most dialogue tags) and a variety of different haunts, both emotional and metaphysical.

If you liked Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones, you may enjoy the similar rural feel with droves of humanity and emotion.

Pretty Brutal.

Mariana Enríquez's Our Share of Night follows a father and son trying to survive trauma and the clutches of a cult. Part family drama, gothic tale, coming of age story, and supernatural horror, this novel is complex and compelling.

This was my first time reading something by Mariana Enriquez and I was a little nervous because all I ever heard was the hype. I was totally wrong, though. Our Share of Night was FANTASTIC. Was it weird? Yes, definitely. Did I understand everything that happened? Probably not but I still enjoyed every bit of the ride. I cannot really describe what this book is about but I'm going to definitely recommend this to everyone I know. I also cannot wait to read everything Mariana Enriquez has written.

What a talent! I will read everything Enriquez writes. Engrossing, exciting, thrilling--I love being in her worlds.

I'm so torn on this book. It is beautifully written, but I also found it overly meandering. I'm a big fan of character-driven and character-focused books, but Our Share of Night doesn't do it for me. I think perhaps this one is too long for what it is, given how descriptive and overly wordy it is. The book does deserve and warrant length, but there were many places where I would have edited it down. That's not to say that it isn't very well written. It may just be a case of this one not being for me. I will say, the book is absolutely horrifying in the most amazing way. Really really well done horror. It will make your skin crawl.