The dangers of smoking in bed

A little girl unearths some bones in the garden that turn out not to be from an animal; the bucolic summer scene of girls bathing in a natural setting turns into a hell of jealousy with disturbing consequences; a despised beggar sows misfortune in an affluent neighborhood; Barcelona transforms into a disturbing stage, marked by guilt and from which escape is impossible; a ghostly presence seeks a sacrifice in a spa; a girl feels a fetishistic attraction to sick hearts; a rock star who died atrociously receives a tribute from his fans that goes beyond imagination; a boy who clandestinely films couples making love and women in high heels walking through the streets receives an offer that will change his life.

In the twelve superb stories that make up this volume, Mariana Enriquez displays a whole repertoire of classic horror story resources: spectral apparitions, witches, seances, caves, visions, the dead returning to life... But, far from proposing a mere archaeological revisit of the genre, she reworks this material with her own radically modern voice. Following the thread of the best tradition, she takes it a step further, with stories that delve into the sinister lurking in the everyday, unfold a murky eroticism, and create powerful images that leave an indelible mark.

Those who discovered Mariana Enriquez with Things We Lost in the Fire now hold an earlier book, in which the universe of a writer who connects with modern masters of horror literature such as Shirley Jackson, Thomas Ligotti, or her compatriot Cortázar, is already perfectly outlined. Enriquez peers into the most hidden abysses of the human soul, into the submerged currents of sexuality and obsession...