The Dangers of Smoking in Bed: Stories

Loss, violence, delusion, fear, and horror exist within the pages of Mariana Enriquez’s first collection of short stories, The Dangers of Smoking in Bed. Set in modern Argentina, the characters who populate these stories are broken or in the process of breaking. Sexual assault, cannibalism, possession by evil spirits, and hauntings are commonplace in this world, and their renderings are graphic. “Meat,” in particular, contains the kind of description that will disturb your sleep and make you look sidelong and lovesick teenagers you pass on the street, terrified of their secret desires.

There are also beautiful moments of poignant observation; as Mechi, in Kids Who Come Back tirelessly searching for answers about missing children, there is a through-line of deep honesty. What are we willing to do to find the truth? Whom will we believe? Whom will we try to save? But, while gorgeously crafted, the stories may prove too macabre for average readers. Simply, these are stories you can’t unread.