Review: "The Dangers of Smoking in Bed" by Mariana Enriquez
Rating: ★★★★☆ || Genre: Horror Short Stories
"The Danger of Smoking in Bed" is a collection of horror stories by the Argentinian author Mariana Enriquez and was published in 2022. In it, there are 12 short stories that all take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina—except for one that is set in Barcelona, Spain. Overall, I liked the stories, with "Where Are You, Dear Heart?" and "Meat" standing out to me. Though this assessment of course comes from somebody who's utterly new to the genre of horror and hasn't read much to compare this book to. I thought that most of the stories are more atmospheric and creepy than they are suspenseful, which I, as a certified scaredy cat that is set off even at the smallest jump scare, could appreciate. This way, I could enjoy (if that is the right word to use in this instance) the darker, sometimes creepy themes of the stories without my heart beating out of my chest.
One thing I noticed was how there often weren't any monsters in the traditional sense. Sometimes there were ghosts, or (un)dead children (why does it always have to be children?) coming back, but even then, they weren't going on any killing sprees. They were just ... sort of there, being creepy. Rather, if there were any bad things happening, it was more often than not due to the "depravity" and amoral behavior of regular human beings—despite the constant presence of supernatural elements. I thought this was interesting and gave the stories a sort of chillingly realistic feeling: it's not the stereotypical monsters we necessarily have to be afraid of, but other humans.
Also, I noticed the often rather crass language. I'm used to more fluffy/sexy language from my many romance books, so sometimes the (I believe purposefully) misogynistic descriptions of women or the violent descriptions of sexual practices (especially masturbation) caught me off guard. They were fitting for the stories being told, and a variety of women's perspectives were definitely centered, but they still stood out to me.
I do think I would recommend this book for anybody interested in atmospheric horror and overall creepy vibes, but who also doesn't need much action or suspense. I would just advise to check any triggers, as some stories deal with heavier topics such as depression or imply CSA/pedophilia.
Also...
While I didn't read this book specifically for the Read Around the World-Challenge, I can nonetheless tick Argentina off the list because Mariana Enriquez is from Argentina and most of the book is set there.
Yayy! One down and way too many still to go:D
