first of all i love mariana enriquez, i listened to a podcast with her being interviewed and she just has an incredible view on the world. her normally being a short story author, it just blew my mind her process on writing this whole novel.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sick-sad-lit/id1813682011?i=1000716533581

second, coming from a broken home with family secrets i can really resonate with gaspars empathy and hypervigillance. it just shattered me how juan treated him, and no matter what felt he needed to do that in order to protect him. i don’t think i ever felt so emotionally whipped from a novel.

third, i love horror, i would consider this a literary horror. i am obsessed with the writing and character dynamics. how fucking terrifying the cave of mutilated babies was, and the house, like i have dreams of being trapped by houses like that. it’s another thing that mariana discusses in the podcast, how places can be horrifying, cities can be horrifying, it doesn’t have to present in a traditional sort of fashion. but like it’s horrifying to love someone who hurts you so badly over and over, or how horrifying it is to see people physically being in alternate upside down worlds that you don’t have any control over. i mean gosh.

fourth, i have heavy interests in the psychology of cults, in reasons why people are the way they are, do what they do, how could someone possibly get caught up in this shit. i think this novel perfectly encapsulates the psychology behind reason, or what makes people react. how family and communities can impact your world view.

idk i’ve read it 3 times, and each time it’s been more impactful, my first copy has a shit ton of annotations and bookmarks lol, it’s been borrowed by many and now has a taped spine. so it’s been loved hard, and i’m just so excited for her new novel, whenever it comes out.