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The Dangers of Smoking in Bed

Mariana Enriquez author Megan McDowell translator

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Granta Books

Published:3rd Feb '22

Should be back in stock very soon

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed cover

A city seethes with murderous intentions, family betrayals and morbid desires in this masterpiece of contemporary Gothic.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 'Beautiful, horrible... the most exciting discovery I've made in fiction for some time' Kazuo Ishiguro 'Smoky, carnal, dazzling' Lauren Groff Welcome to Buenos Aires, a place of nightmares and twisted imaginings, where missing children come back from the dead and unearthed bones carry terrible curses. Thrumming with murderous intentions, family betrayals and morbid desires, these stories shine a light on a violent city gripped by urban madness; giving voice to the lost, the oppressed and the forgotten. Lucid and darkly poetic, unsettling and otherworldly, these tales of revenge, witchcraft and fetishes are a masterpiece of contemporary Gothic and a bewitching exploration of the dark inclinations that threaten to lead us over the edge. 'I loved these twisted, lustful whispers in the dark' Daisy Johnson 'Queen of Latin American gothic' Financial Times

After you've lived in Enriquez's marvellous brain for the time it takes to read The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, the known world feels ratcheted a few degrees off centre. Smoky, carnal and dazzling -- Lauren Groff, author of Fates and Furies
I loved these twisted, lustful whispers in the dark. There is serious power in this writing -- Daisy Johnson, author of Sisters
A weird and wonderful exploration of contemporary horror - cities falling apart, society turning on itself, the loneliness of the internet age. But more than that: these stories are fun. Wild, triggering, sinister, button-pushing fun -- Lisa McInerney, author of The Glorious Heresies
Rotting little ghosts, heartbeat fetishes, curses and witches and meat: each of these stories is a luscious, bewitching nightmare. I adore this book -- Kirsty Logan, author of The Gracekeepers
Enriquez's work: tainted rivers, corrupted streets, spoiled meat, slain children, deeply registers the horror of known commonplace. She writes her stories, based in the atmosphere of truth, with a darkly descriptive poetic turn -- Patti Smith
Enriquez is a mesmerizing writer who demands to be read. Like Bolaño, she is interested in matters of life and death, and her fiction hits with the full force of a train -- Dave Eggers, author of The Circle
Spine-tingling but stunning... these glittering, gothic stories are a force to be reckoned with, and Enriquez's talent and fearlessness is something to behold * Financial Times *
Brilliantly unsettling... Tricking us into waiting for a ghost to "put out its head", Enriquez surprises us with real horror -- Chris Power * Guardian *
Reminds us what a remarkable and twisted instrument [Enriquez's] imagination is... A heady brew -- Jane Graham * Big Issue *
When it comes to book reviewing clichés, the word "haunting" is surely one of the tattiest, yet Mariana Enriquez's newly translated short story collection restores to that tired adjective all its most mysterious, fearful strangeness... an arrestingly original talent -- Hephzibah Anderson * Observer *
A twisted mix of nightmarish desires and ink-black gothic... that will leave you shaken but secretly rather thrilled. Everything about these tales feels shockingly alive... Darkly comic * The Times *
[Mariana Enriquez] reaffirms her claim to the title of queen of Latin American gothic * Financial Times *
[A] spine-tingling, luminous collection whose enthralling characters all dance across the spectral line between our world and the beyond -- Best books of 2021 * Oprah Daily *
Argentinian writer Mariana Enriquez is a highly persuasive cinematic and visceral spell-caster with an apparent desire to plant immovable nightmarish seeds in the brains of her readers... The Dangers of Smoking in Bed showcase[s] her extraordinary imagination * Big Issue *

ISBN: 9781783788217

Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 12mm

Weight: 151g

208 pages