English language
Published Dec. 21, 2023 by Crown/Archetype.
A young father and son set out on a road trip, devastated by the death of the wife and mother they both loved. United in grief, the pair travel to her ancestral home, where they must confront the terrifying legacy she has bequeathed: a family called the Order that commits unspeakable acts in search of immortality.
For Gaspar, the son, this maniacal cult is his destiny. As the Order tries to pull him into their evil, he and his father take flight, attempting to outrun a powerful clan that will do anything to ensure its own survival. But how far will Gaspar’s father go to protect his child? And can anyone escape their fate?
Moving back and forth in time, from London in the swinging 1960s to the brutal years of Argentina’s military dictatorship and its turbulent aftermath, Our Share of Night is a novel like no other: …
A young father and son set out on a road trip, devastated by the death of the wife and mother they both loved. United in grief, the pair travel to her ancestral home, where they must confront the terrifying legacy she has bequeathed: a family called the Order that commits unspeakable acts in search of immortality.
For Gaspar, the son, this maniacal cult is his destiny. As the Order tries to pull him into their evil, he and his father take flight, attempting to outrun a powerful clan that will do anything to ensure its own survival. But how far will Gaspar’s father go to protect his child? And can anyone escape their fate?
Moving back and forth in time, from London in the swinging 1960s to the brutal years of Argentina’s military dictatorship and its turbulent aftermath, Our Share of Night is a novel like no other: a family story, a ghost story, a story of the occult and the supernatural, a book about the complexities of love and longing with queer subplots and themes. This is the masterwork of one of Latin America’s most original novelists, “a mesmerizing writer,” says Dave Eggers, “who demands to be read.”
4.3/5
Really well written, but often bleak and raw. I enjoyed the build-up, even though it felt somewhat drawn out at times. The end, however, felt rather rushed, and abrupt.
There is also a fair share of cruelty and violence against young children, which was difficult to get through, and deserves a trigger warning.
So sad for this DNF, especially at 200 pages in. But with 400 more pages to go, I couldn’t do it. I mostly enjoyed the first part despite the meandering plot. The characters engaged me as well as the mystery of the cult. There’s some fantastic, horrific stuff. I honestly have no regrets about reading that first part.
There’s a brief second part and then in the third part I lost steam. There’s a time jump, the focus shifts to a group of kids, and the plot progress comes to a halt. When I read a long paragraph about Gaspar’s geography homework I was like… what are we doing?? If this book had been like 200, 300 pages shorter it would’ve worked for me so much better.
