Reading I Gave You Eyes and You Looked Toward Darkness was like being pulled into a dream you’re not sure you want to wake up from—equal parts haunting, poetic, and piercingly alive. Irene Solà doesn’t just tell a story; she evokes a world that feels mythic and immediate, rooted in land, memory, and the unspoken things passed down through generations.

The structure itself is fluid, more like a tapestry than a straight line. Voices shift, time bends, and you start to realize that this book isn’t meant to be consumed passively—it asks you to listen, to feel, and sometimes, to sit with not fully understanding. But that ambiguity never feels like a trick. It feels earned. Organic. Beautiful, even in its darkness.

The characters—human and otherwise—don’t just inhabit the story; they become it. There’s a deep sense of connection between people and place, grief and joy, the visible and invisible. It’s as much about presence as it is about absence—what lingers after someone is gone, what the earth remembers when we forget.

I found myself rereading certain passages just to sit with the language. It’s lyrical without being precious, emotionally raw without ever tipping into melodrama. There’s a quiet power in how Solà writes—something that gets under your skin and stays there.

This isn’t a book that rushes to explain itself. It unfolds on its own terms, and you either go with it or you don’t. I did—and I came out the other side feeling moved, disoriented, and strangely comforted.

If you’re drawn to stories that blur the line between the real and the surreal, that center landscape and language as much as plot, this one is a gift. It’s not an easy read, but it’s a deeply rewarding one.

This book is one of the strangest things I've ever read, and I LOVED it. Set over the course of one day, we know our lead is about to die, we meet the women that came before her in a book that transcends all expectations. WOW.

Reading I Gave You Eyes and You Looked Toward Darkness felt like stepping into a deeply poetic and meditative space. Solà’s prose is rich and evocative, inviting reflection on themes of loss, identity, and the fragile nature of human connection. The narrative unfolds in a way that’s not always linear or straightforward, which requires patience but rewards with moments of real emotional clarity.

What stood out most to me was the author’s ability to blend the lyrical with the profound—there’s a haunting beauty in how the story explores darkness without ever feeling bleak for the sake of it. It’s a book that lingers in the mind, gently pushing you to consider the unseen and unspoken parts of grief and memory.

At times, the pacing felt uneven, and the abstract nature of some passages made the story less accessible, which might not suit everyone. But for those willing to engage with its layers, the novel offers a thoughtful, haunting experience that I found both challenging and rewarding.

Thank you to Netgalley and Graywolf Press for the ARC!

I Gave You Eyes and You Looked Toward Darkness is a haunting and vibrant novel set in a Catalonian farmhouse where the line between life and death blurs. As an impossibly old woman lies dying, the spirits of all the women who have lived in the house prepare for her arrival, unraveling centuries of stories filled with dark deals, laughter, and loss. Irene Solà crafts a mesmerizing tale that weaves together folklore, history, and the supernatural.

What a strange little book! The writing style is very distinct and I really enjoy it but I think both the content and the repetition of various descriptive words will not be for all readers. At various points this felt a bit like a fever dream and I felt myself trying to place where we were in the story and how to process all of the information about the family. I really enjoyed the way the book was split into sections by time of day. Overall a really enjoyable read and I think it’s something I’m going to have to pick up again soon! It wasn’t a long book but it was definitely immersive! This reminded me of how I felt when I first read One Hundred Years of Solitude!