I went into reading this with no expectations whatsoever, as it was my first of Mariana Enríquez's books, but wow. This collection of short stories kept me wanting more. They were haunting, disgusting, beautiful, and I was fully immersed. "Metamorphis", was my absolute favorite story of all. I would 10/10 recommend this book to anyone, that has a relatively strong stomach. I cannot wait to read "the Dangers of Smoking in Bed" after this.

I had heard many good things about the other fiction collections written by Mariana Enriquez, but this is my first experience reading any of her work. While I’m definitely grateful to have gotten access to this ARC, I’m thinking that maybe I should have started with the others.

The title story is fiction but it is also about the very real death of Elisa Lam and every detail of her case is handled pretty insensitively and in poor taste. She’s practically laid out like a carnival exhibit, something freakish to be gawked at. I think the narrator of the story is supposed to be shitty, but in my mind this doesn’t give Enriquez a free pass. It just felt kind of uncomfortable. She could’ve easily borrowed a few details from reality and changed the character’s
name and the story would’ve been similar. (Perhaps it was meant to be a tribute? But why be so disrespectful?)

There’s another story later on, about a woman who is haunted by a stranger that died of a chronic illness. This was another one that seemed to be a little bit iffy and I couldn’t figure out what she was trying to accomplish with it, aside from using the symptoms of Cancer as body horror. It was sad and it was upsetting and I didn’t enjoy reading it. (Though perhaps that was the point.) I think it had something to do with questioning your own mortality, but there are plenty of other ways to address this.

Something I’ve noticed about her writing style is that it feels disjointed. Enriquez doesn’t stay on topic and the narration often feels like someone telling you a story that moves quickly from one topic to another in a somewhat confusing manner. (Think large, unbroken paragraphs.) I had some difficulty staying focused and following the plot threads. She’s also quite good at writing characters that I would like to push down a flight of stairs, “Death Becomes Her” style. (Not necessarily a bad thing.)

I want to be clear that my reaction is not all negative. Little moments of clever metaphor were peppered throughout, along with an eerie scare or disgusting body horror moment that landed effectively. And there were two stories that stood out above the rest for me as 5-star reads:

“Face of Disgrace” is legit horrifying and sad. It’s also a really beautiful and tragic representation of generational trauma. (And I liked the specific horror references as well.) This was the story that fully made me see the author’s skill.

“Different Colors Made of Tears” is also really good. A great concept and despite its uglier moments I thought that both the metaphors and the blatant imagery were crafted effectively.

There was another story I was pretty fond of called “A Local Artist” that was just the right flavor of unsettling and bizarre but I wanted a bit more from the ending.

I’m giving the collection a 3.5 because of those three stories. I would love to read more like those. I’m still planning to seek out more from Enriquez even though this collection didn’t hit as hard for me as I wanted it to. (Please also note the extremely lengthy trigger warnings, if that’s your thing!)

Thank you to Netgalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

TW: Chronic Illness, Graphic descriptions of real life true crime victim, Substance Abuse, Sexual Assault, Suicide, Domestic Abuse, Fat shaming, Mention of Disordered Eating, Animal death (graphic), Homophobia/Hate Speech, Mention of Holocaust, Mention of Abortion

I'm someone who often has a hard time with short stories because there's not a lot of room for character development or scene-setting, but Enríquez is a writer who always manages to establish a sense of voice, place, and mood within a few paragraphs. This collection of short stories takes the reader through a spectrum of narrators and settings and experiences both real and paranormal. We meet ghosts, addicts, monsters and those who would be monstrous, sons and daughters and mothers and lovers and all their secrets, and people yearning for transformation, for love, for mercy or absolution.

For the most part, I found the stories to be rather uneven; they almost always halt at the edge of an open wound: a moment poised on the precipice of disaster, either awaiting further horrors or trying to leave the terror behind. Very few feel hopeful (“Metamorphosis” is a notable exception), which perhaps reflects Enríquez’s outlook on contemporary life in Argentina. And while there is plenty of the body horror and societal dread that make Enríquez’s writing so compelling, those hard-hitting moments and passages felt a bit isolated due to the shorter story lengths and abrupt nature of a lot of the endings.

When I first finished this collection a month ago, I didn’t know if many of the stories would stick with me, but even now I do still find myself thinking about the first three quite a bit:

• “My Sad Dead” - as the opener, this felt more like a meditation on the nature of ghosts, and I found myself pretty emotionally invested in it.

• “A Sunny Place for Shady People” - it’s interesting to me that the title story is the only one that takes place outside Argentina, and although I didn’t really connect with the protagonist, the grief in this story was palpable

• “Face of Disgrace” - the POV shift after the first section was a little clunky, but the spiral into body horror was masterful

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I am someone who doesn’t really like story collections but I’ve heard great things about this authors past releases so I was very excited to receive an e-arc of this from NetGally. I had the best time with this collection, it’s scary and heartbreaking and left me wanting to read more from Mariana Enriquez. I loved the concept of normal women living normal lives until one day they experience something horrific or supernatural that changes everything. The writing is beautiful and addictive, even though it was stories I found myself having a hard time putting it down because I wanted to see what world she would throw me into next. I will be reading Mariana’s backlog asap and picking this up for a re read on publication day!
Thank you NetGally and the publishers for the advice copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

Mariana Enriquez is one of my favorite authors of all time and her newly translated horror story collection, A Sunny Place for Shady People, did not disappoint!

Her books are always so atmospheric and her writing is always so gorgeous & engrossing. Her stories always include social commentary, as well as straight horror, so it adds another layer and makes them even more gut wrenching. And I want to give it up for the translator as well, Megan McDowell, because she does an amazing job at bringing these stories to life in English!

My favorite stories were Black Eyes & Face of Disgrace! Black Eyes was TOP TIER! One of the best stories I’ve EVER read! Incredibly scary! The Refrigerator Cemetery, Julie, and My Sad Dead were favorites of mine as well. There were a few that weren’t for me like, A Local Artist & The Suffering Woman, but overall I really enjoyed the collection. There were spirits, murders, body horror, just everything that you’d want in a collection of horror stories!

Thank you Hogarth and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.

~ individual story ratings ~

📖 My Sad Dead: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 A Sunny Place for Shady People: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (cw: drug addiction)
📖 Face of Disgrace: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (cw: rape, suicide)
📖 Julie: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (cw: fatohobia)
📖 Night Birds: ⭐️⭐️ (cw: animal death)
📖 Metamorphosis: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (cw: animal death)
📖 Hyena Hymns: ⭐️⭐️
📖 Different Colors Made of Tears: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 The Suffering Woman: DNF
📖 The Refrigerator Cemetery: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 A Local Artist: DNF
📖 Black Eyes: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (cw: rape mentioned)

average rating: 3 stars
official rating: 3.75 rounded up to 4 stars

Mariana Enriquez is one of my favorite short story writers. Even though I didn't love her debut novel, I feel like Mariana excels at crafting creepy and fascinating horror-inspired short stories. This is her 3rd short story collection, and boy this one didn't disappoint! My top 5 include: "My Sad Dead", "Face of Disgrace", "Julie", "Night Birds", and "The Refrigerator Cemetary". Overall, I enjoyed ALL 12 stories. Mariana's prose always blows me away. If you love macabre stories, then you will enjoy this collection. I also recommend her 2 previous collections, "The Dangers of Smoking in Bed", and "Things We Lost in the Fire". And the cover art is to die for! Wow.

Thank you, Netgalley and Random House for the digital ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this opportunity! This collection will be available 9/17/24!

Wow. Wow wow wow. Holy mother of gawd. This was everything. I do not care what you are doing on release day. You will do yourself the biggest moment of disservice if you do not go and get this collection of short stories. They are lush, sumptuous stories that entrance and enthrall. Give you caution and heart break break. Simply put they’re perfection

A collection of short stories where the supernatural mixes with the lives of everyday women, A Sunny Place for Shady People is full of emotion. There is joy and grief, laughter and tears, all intermingled with the fantastical. I can't choose my favorite one, but many of them have stayed with me.

Originally I had wanted to review each short story but honestly, I wasn't completely impressed with this one. I liked a few stories, especially more so than other ones - as to be expected with a collection of stories but overall, they fell short. I thought they seemed pretty repetitive and the story about the Cecil Hotel rubbed me the wrong way. There wasn't too much horror but rather just horror elements. I know Mariana Enriquez has huge fans so I feel bad feeling so average about this one but I recommend trying seeing for yourself! I do love the title lol

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Everything felt the same in terms of her past work just mushing into a book. Same concepts and themes, that I wish would have been explored differently. Still a wonderfully written book, but just felt so neutral and bored about it.

A Sunny Place For Shady People by Mariana Enriquez, This is a short story collection written by an Argentine author whose anthology definitely lives up to the hype. From the first story with Dr. Emma to the family who has a tradition of melting faces all the way to the refrigerator cemetery is packed with little hooks that grab you and suck you into a story that when it’s over you will be wishing could’ve been longer. I can honestly say I have never read short stories with so many characters I felt like I knew in some I was even rooting for despite some of the horrible things a few of them did lol! I will not batter you with overwhelming praise for this book I will just say if you love strange macabre stories with a touch of paranormal then you’ll more than likely love this book as much as I did.#NetGalley, #RandomHouse,#MarianaEnriquez,#ASunnyPlaceForShadyPeople,

A Sunny Place for Shady People is a set of stories that have death, addiction and Argentina in common. The first story, 'My Sad Dead' was a stream-of-consciousness take on Argentinian society from the perspective of a sixty year old doctor, who is a mother and also a reluctant medium. "...And ghosts are a little like that. They seem human, they seem smart, but they’re really just a sliver of a person that is compelled to repeat itself." I wanted an entire full length novel with Emma as the main character.

The second story, same name as the book, is a fictional account of a reporter's research into the true bizarre death of Elisa Lam at the Cecil Hotel in LA. I'm fascinated by her story myself so this was a nice backdrop. The macabre events surrounding her body being discovered drowned and decomposing in the water tank atop the hotel, that guests had been drinking and bathing in, has spun off a wide variety of opinions from mental illness to the supernatural since her death in 2013.  Mariana Enriquez uses Elisa's story to extract themes for her own tale here. It was more of a treatise on making peace with a past and passed love, as well as lasting friendship. Does this author have a love affair with the streets? I think so. It's a common setting among all these stories and I appreciate her attention to detail. "[He] was copper, and copper’s golden tone fades over time and leaves greenish stains on the skin. That’s what our time together was, only the stains wouldn’t leave my skin like the ones from copper rings do. I couldn’t get rid of them."

There are 12 stories in all and even though there is a lot to love about these stories there are also a lot of potential triggers. So be aware of that if it's an issue. These stories are a nice mix of philosophical, social and paranormal commentary and I liked each one. The writing could've been a bit more polished but they were good. Creepy kids always freak me out. If you're a fan of gritty, depressing but original paranormal tales try this collection.

Lately I’ve found myself reading whatever it is I’m reading for reviewing purposes to my four month old son. As someone that read and loved Mariana Enriquez’s previous short story collection, I figured her lyrical prose would soothe my baby when he was fussy, so I read it aloud to him, as he is too little to know what the words mean. It worked, he fell asleep, but as I finished the story I found my husband sitting next to me, as immersed by Enriquez’s words as I was. I finished the story, and my husband immediately asked me “what the hell are you reading?”

I was thrilled to get to share one of my favorite Latin-American authors with my husband. Mariana Enriquez has some absolute bangers of stories in this collection, weaving unimaginable horror with gorgeous prose. Some of the stories had me completely dissociate, others had me enraptured. A very solid collection from an incredible writer. I really enjoyed this collection, although The Dangers of Smoking in Bed will always be my favorite, I think.

This collection consistently took my breath away. Mariana Enríquez is a master of slow, contemplative horror. There is almost no spectacle or violence, and only brief glimpses of what might be the supernatural. Instead, each story investigates the horrific in an almost meditative way. The writing is beautiful, (credit to the translator Megan McDowell as well), and the stories definitely share a tone or an ethos, a deliberate nature that really excels at getting sneakily getting under the skin, flaying you before you even notice the cut. Just because I describe them as slow, maybe even languorous on occasion, doesn’t mean they don’t have action. There is always a sense of movement, along with pops of excitement and a constant sense of threat or danger that makes each story remarkably compelling.
I truly enjoyed every story in this collection. Their content is different enough that each feels unique, even though many look at issues of prejudice, inequality, and the oppression of societal expectations. However, since they do all share, for the most part, a similar tone, reading this collection straight through can feel just a little repetitive. That said, there is nothing in this collection that necessitates they all be read together, and they are well-served by taking your time with them and letting each settle into your bones.
I want to thank the author, the publisher Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This short story collection by Mariana Enriquez is a masterclass in horror, delivering a dark, intoxicating array of tales that you won't be able to put down, no matter how unsettling they become. Each story is a journey into the eerie and the bizarre, from a woman whose face slowly disappears, sealing off her senses, to a young girl who finds solace in the cold touch of the dead. Enriquez’s genius lies in her ability to craft narratives that are both creepy and deeply meaningful, pushing the boundaries of horror in creative and unexpected ways.

As someone well-versed in horror, I found myself constantly surprised, never quite able to predict where each story would lead. The collection is filled with supernatural elements—family curses, haunted houses, and unsettling local legends—yet it also dives into the real horrors of our world, touching on themes of homelessness, drug abuse, and Argentina’s political history. The mix of these elements makes for a reading experience that is as intellectually engaging as it is terrifying.

Each tale is imbued with just the right amount of detail, ensuring that the stories are fleshed out and satisfying, without ever feeling overly long or dull. There’s a perfect balance here; the stories are short and sweet, yet their impact lingers long after you’ve turned the last page.

Among the many standout pieces, "Metamorphosis" is a personal favorite—a twisted and unforgettable exploration of a woman reclaiming her body in the most unique and chilling way. It haunted me for days, a true testament to the power of Enriquez’s storytelling.

Despite my initial hesitation, having been less enamored with Our Share of Night, this collection won me over completely. Each story is distinct, yet the recurring themes tie them together into a cohesive and compelling whole. While some stories inevitably stand out more than others, there is something to appreciate in every single one.

This collection has not only reignited my admiration for Enriquez’s work but has also inspired me to revisit her earlier collections like The Dangers of Smoking in Bed. I eagerly anticipate whatever she creates next. My gratitude to Granta Publications for providing this ARC via NetGalley—this is a collection that will stay with me for a long time.

I remain in awe of what Mariana Enriquez can do with a short story. Each story tows the line between horror and heartbreak, delving into poverty and human monsters to illustrate an unsettling view of the world outside Enriquez's window. Her use of first person, rather than getting tired and overused, becomes clear as the right way to tell each story where it's employed. It's exceedingly rare that I pick up a collection and find that each entry has something to say, value to contribute to the overall product, but that was the case with Things We Lost in the Fire and it's the case again with A Sunny Place for Shady People. Some of my favorite entries included "Julie", "The Refrigerator Cemetery", and "A Local Artist."

A Sunny Place for Shady People
Mariana Enriquez
September 2024


Ok, so ...

Unfortunately, this collection wasn't for me.

I absolutely loved this authors previous collections, but this one just didn't land. I felt there was a repetitive nature to the stories, and it became more apparent to me during the second half. I did find more enjoyment in the first several stories than I did the rest, though I had issues with those as well.

I don't love how the book is marketed either. I feel it's setting up expectations of themes being explored that I personal didn't notice... Unless things went over my head... But it didn't feel that way... Many of the stories seemed to end before they were finished. I'm all about ambiguity, but I don't love having to fill in more than half a story with my own imagination in order for it to make sense or feel completed.

Enriquez's writing is as beautiful and descriptive as always.
And some of the body horror in these stories is truly stomach churning. But the positives just didn't outweigh the negatives for me.

But again, these are just my opinions based on preferences and expectations that may be much different than yours.

I'd encourage you to read it yourself, and see what you think; especially if you're a fan of Mariana Enriquez. But I'd say just go in prepared for a collection that feels very different than the others.

I never read reviews before writing my own, but I happened to catch one as I was pulling up the novel on Goodreads to write my own review, and it mentioned not liking how there are instances where disability and diseases are used to incite fear. And I hate to say it, but I have to wholeheartedly agree. It made me uncomfortable.

Also, I've just gotta say ... the Elise Lam story felt a bit exploitative to me, personally.

2.75 / 5

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for an ARC eBook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the e-aRC of this upcoming title.

Let me summarize this by giving descriptive words for how this made me feel.
Unsettling
Frantic
Anxious
Spooked
Dark
Watched


Mariana Enriquez is a tour de force and no one can convince me otherwise.


4.75 stars

I love this author. She is a magnificent story teller. This collection, honestly, just had me wanting more. The stories are short and well crafted. The horror element is on pointe. I honestly love some of her earlier collections a bit more, but I still think this is a phenomenal addition to her body of work.

I definitely recommend this and I will continue to read all of this author's books.

A Sunny Place for Shady People is a fantastic short story collection following an array of different characters in a variety of creepy and disturbing scenarios. Through twelve different stories, Enriquez gives the readers glimpses into Argentinian life while exploring occult and horror themes.

I enjoyed the collection and absolutely see myself revisiting these stories, although some of them worked more for me than others. Enriquez has a great voice and this is my first time reading her work, so I will be exploring her previous titles too.

Of the dozen stories, the one that has stayed in my brain the most is Different Colors Made of Tears, which comes about halfway through the book. Our narrator (in the majority of the stories, we don't know the name of the person who's telling them) meets an old man named Noah who is selling his deceased wife's designer clothing and jewelry to the thrift store where she works. However, when she takes them to the store, horrific injuries happen to the wearer. This was a fascinating take on abuse and the literal scars it leaves behind not just to the person who experiences it, but those around them.

I recommend the collection to anyone who is looking for a unique take on horror. Thank you very much to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy.