I always find it difficult to rate and review short story collections. I rarely see the overarching theme of them all, if there is one. I usually end up rating them based on the average of stories I liked in the collection. This one, for what my lack of ability means to you, did pretty well.

I love horror and I love how artists and creatives use it to work through the stuff that humans live through. Grief. Trauma. Abuse. Stagnancy. Mental illness. I love it and its creative license it affords people. With its grotesqueness and its gore and its shock value.

A Sunny Place for Shady People isn’t the scariest thing I’ve ever read. There were some stories that made me cringe, some scenes that made me anxious. But overall, to elevate the topics they explored at their core, the stories and their level of horror worked.

My favorites were My Sad Dead, Face of Disgrace, Hyena Hymns, Different Colors Made of Tears, A Local Artist, and Black Eyes. A Local Artist and Black Eyes were, in my opinion, the scariest. They were also my favorite of my favorites.

Thank you, Random House, for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mariana does it again! Despite not being the biggest horror fan, I would gladly endure any scaries that may inevitably invade my mind for Mariana Enriquez— I just love her style of writing and how chillingly atmospheric (and playful, even) it can be. This was a solid anthology of short stories, filled with nuance, terrifying relevancy, and thought-provoking emotion; as always, while not every tale hit the bullseye for me, a majority of them did and I would happily recommend it - and, really, any/all of Mariana's previous works - out to anyone looking for something unique, something different, and something unforgettable.

3.5⭐️

Mariana Enríquez's short story collection is a haunting exploration of the macabre and mysterious. With themes ranging from horror to urban legends and gothic tales, Enríquez delves deep into the dark recesses of human nature and society. Each tale delves into the dark underbelly of contemporary society, revealing the supernatural and grotesque lurking beneath the surface. Her vivid, evocative prose captures a sense of dread and fascination, drawing readers into eerie, unsettling worlds. Each story is a testament to her skill in blending the supernatural with the gritty realities of life.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Random House, and Mariana Enríquez for the opportunity to read and review "A Sunny Place for Shady People" prior to its publication date.

Beautiful, playful, hyper-relevant. As always, Enriquez commands the shorter form with depth that may take a few reads and double takes to really scratch. Her characters are as urgently human as ever, and the immersion in American legends surprised and refreshed me as a fan. Thank you NetGalley and Hogarth for the ARC!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for an ARC of A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enriquez in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

I recently completed this captivating collection of urban legend-style narratives. The stories become increasingly chilling in the most thrilling way. I wouldn't advise reading them at night. They will undoubtedly prompt you to reevaluate everyday choices and keep you on edge. These stories will live in your mind for years to come.

Mariana Enriquez packs an emotional punch within these short stories and brilliantly uses gothic and horror themes to provide social commentary on Latin America. A great short story collection for horror fans.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the digital galley in exchange for my honest review.

Mariana Enriquez does it again with her third collection of horrific short stories. These are the standard I hold all other collections to.

Grateful to NetGalley and Random House for letting me read these stories a couple months early, they're timely as they are thoughtful, truly terrifying and tragic. This is also the only collection of stories I've rated as high. I've consistently loved Mariana's ability to hold me in a place of total suspense while highlighting crucial socioeconomic issues and this was no exception. A Sunny Place for Shady People feels like Mariana at her best -- but of course when isn't she? An easy 5/5

A Sunny Place for Shady People is the latest short story collection by Mariana Enríquez to be published in English, in a translation by Megan McDowell, who had already translated earlier volumes by the author.

Readers who are familiar with the style, approach and concerns of Enríquez will find themselves in very recognisable territory. As in her earlier books, contemporary Argentina serves as a setting to the author’s brand of weird fiction. It is a setting haunted by societal ills, syncretic occult rituals, criminality and violence – but also marked unexpected oases of beauty. Against this backdrop, Enríquez reworks tropes of traditional Gothic fiction (haunted houses, uncanny children) as well as elements of urban horror typical of scary movies and popular culture. It is a mixture which I find very effective. However, I did get the feeling that Enríquez has found a successful formula and keeps revisiting it. In fact, if I have a reservation about this latest collection it’s that this volume does not really present any development when compared to previous works by the author.

3.5*

https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/2024/07/A-Sunny-Place-for-Shady-People-Mariana-Enriquez.html

The kind of creepy that seems into your bones like the cold...
Mariana Enriquez has created a book of 12 stories that will push your ability to read a book alone.
Commentary on forced migration, marginalized people, the plight of women and political and sociological criticism is couched within some of the scariest ideas I've read. Set in sunny Argentina, this is a chilly addition for your Fall horror reading!#randomhouse #asunnyplaceforshadypeople #marianaenriquez #argentina #horror

i really enjoyed all these short stories. this was my first book by this author and i wasn’t disappointed

thank you netgalley for the e-arc!

These short stories evoke Stephen King in his prime. They range from a little spooky and thought-provoking, to downright terrifying. The level of character and scene illustration is done with such efficiency yet fully fleshed out; each story is tight, and no word is wasted. A+++

“The night is dark and full of terrors”

In her most recent collection, Enríquez brings readers twelve new short stories full of supernatural horrors. Many of the stories focus on death and the aftermath, transformation of the human body and spirit, and female pain and suffering. The stories were unique but the tropes became slightly repetitive.

A couple of my favorite stories were “My Sad Dead”, the opening story, which is about a woman developing a spiritualistic ability to communicate with ghosts after her mother passes; and “Julie”, a story about a woman finding acceptance while her form grows larger and her spirit friends grow louder.

Enríquez has a unique gift of vividly painting Argentinian landscapes, inviting readers in to the beauty and the grittiness of the surrounding neighborhoods, and it is one of my favorite aspects of her previous work. Most of the stories here, also, take place in Argentina but as some other readers have commented, they feel Westernized for her American readers (even I felt it as someone living in California). The strongest example of this was the titular story which takes place in Los Angeles and managed to make me feel incredibly uneasy but not in a good way. In this story, Enríquez exploits the Elisa Lam case for the sake of a short story, describing her corpse as “rotten and swollen” and it felt incredibly unsavory and in very poor taste.

These stories were certainly entertaining though I found myself wanting more depth from a lot of them. Enríquez is often associated with ambiguity when it comes to her short stories but many of these simply felt unfinished or rushed to end.

Lots and lots of body horror to be found within these pages; mutations and abnormalities of the skin and body, turning people into “monsters”. It seemed like this collection was more focused on gross-out factor rather than the brilliant, Shirley Jackson-esque style—the subtle, creeping dread and paranoia—of Enriquez’s first collection “Things We Lost in the Fire” which may be the preferred mode of horror for some readers but not me.

While I enjoyed many of the stories in this collection, I clearly found a lot of qualms with them as well. It wouldn’t be the piece that I recommend readers to start with if they are wanting to get into Enríquez’s work or Latin American horror.

Thank you Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review! Available 09/17/2024!

Summary: A diabolical collection of stories featuring achingly human characters whose lives intertwine with ghosts, goblins, and the macabre, by “one of Latin America’s most exciting authors” (Silvia Moreno-Garcia)

Review: Perfect spooky fall read. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Mariana's writing is raw, strong and shocking... in the bestest of ways.

She also portrays Latin people in a very real light. I feel represented! Which is always a beautiful thing.

These short stories are a great introduction to Latin American horror, and to Argentine horror in particular. Most are focused on women--women who are threats, women who haunt, women who escape, women who listen to the dead, each one unique and fascinating and chilling. Many of the stories focus on agency, while others examine family trauma; all demonstrate Enriquez's deft and evocative writing, There is a lot of body horror, so fi t hat's not your thing you may not enjoy these, but for most horror fans, these knock it out of the park.

First of all, thanks to Netgalley and Random House/Hogarth for letting me read an eARC of A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enriquez. A Sunny Place for Shady People was the first short story collection by Mariana Enriquez I read, and I have to say it was absolutely incredible. All 12 of the stories slowly simmered with dread and unease. I especially loved Night Birds, and it's a blend of terror and fantasy as you deal with the possibility of a mind unraveling. Highly recommended for readers who love horror and dark fantasy.

In A Sunny Place for Shady People, Mariana Enriquez crafts narratives that blur the lines between reality and the fantastic, channeling a sort of raw, punk-infused literary version of say, kooky dreamer Remedios Varo's bizarre surrealist visions. But where Varo's paintings offer enigmatic, haunting cosmological qualities, Enriquez's stories present a more visceral, earthier, street-level take on the surreal. The characters often come across as emotionally distant, and this coolness amplifies the otherworldly atmosphere throughout the collection. It's as if they're slightly removed from their bizarre circumstances, mirroring our own sense of disorientation as readers. Enriquez's prose is sharp and unflinching, describing surreal and often disturbing scenarios with a matter-of-fact tone that packs a punch. From urban ghosts to body horror that defies explanation, each story pushes our imagination to its limits, much like Varo's paintings, but with an edgy, contemporary twist. The characters' emotional distance might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's this very quality that allows Enriquez to dig into deeper themes of societal dysfunction, historical trauma, and personal alienation. The surreal elements aren't just for show - they're powerful metaphors for the often inexplicable nature of human experience. A Sunny Place for Shady People isn't a cozy read, but it's definitely a compelling one.

I’d already call myself a Mariana Enriquez fan and I liked these even more than her other short stories i’ve read. Very strong collection. Each story felt attention grabbing. 4.5 stars.

4.5, I really enjoyed this, it did not let down my very high expectations. I really enjoyed and gave 4 stars to The Dangers of Smoking in Bed and have been waiting for another short story collection from Enriquez since. Overall I think the the collections are similar enough for fans of the first to be able to enjoy this one as well, but I do think they are different enough to be unique and worth the individual reads. A Sunny Place for Shady People took "disturbing" and ran with it and I mean that in the best way possible. It was beautifully grotesque and off-putting which was my favorite thing about Dangers of Smoking in Bed so I am very happy that this one was even more so. I think this one was more consistent and I really enjoyed most of the stories. My personal favorites would have to be Julie, Metamorphosis, and Different Colors Made of Tears though.

I now understand why Mariana Enriquez is one of Paul Tremblay’s favorite authors. Every story in this collections a banger. They all wind around to something horrific and end leaving you so frightened that you don’t know if you can take another one. I like the themes she seems to focus on: parenthood, intergenerational conflict, bad decisions turning into worse decisions. Plus lots of body horror! This is as good as a short story collection can get. Can’t wait to read more of her work.