
Member Reviews

This collection is everything to me. Mariana has been a firm autobuy ever since Things We Lost in the Fire.
This takes us on a folkloric journey through Buenos Aires with some supernatural city stop offs along the way to the smaller creepier towns. She writes small town people so well and I think that’s where the true horror soles from for me.
‘Black eyes’ is a firm favourite of this series. And genuinely gave me the spooks.

Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. I was really intrigued by the synopsis and the things that I'd heard from other readers but I just didn't 'get' it. I spent a lot of my time confused or not interested. I didn't quite understand the point of some of the stories. It may have been more of a me issue than the book, I'm not sure.

Her stories keep getting better and better! After having read her previous short story collections, its amazing to see how her writing is progressing. The first two were great, but this one is even better, characters are more developed, plots have more detail, and the horror is even more unsettling

I love Mariana Enriquez's unique voice so I was really interested to get into this one and I was not disappointed. A Sunny Place for Shady People is every bit as intriguing as the cover suggests.

One of the better selections of short stories. I love how Enriquez writes about death and the supernatural, but weaves them into every day life. Always so disturbing but makes you really examine your own reflection.

A strange and disturbing read, yet weirdly fascinating. Enriquez covers a wide range of topics through a collection of bizarre stories, and each story felt completely unique, which definitely speaks to the creativity of Enriquez. I wouldn't say I was completely captivated but I look forward to reading more from the author.

An at once troubling and illuminating account of the worst and best of humanity, held within these pages fiercely by a writer whose body of work is a testament to what good writing can and should be. Enriquez truly never disappoints, and I will happily read anything she writers.

LOVED Our Share of Night so I was excited to read a collection of Mariana Enriquez short stories. And A Sunny Place for Shady People (*double checks title*) met my very high expectations!
Enriquez’ literary horror speaks directly to my soul. She isn’t afraid to get all kinds of weird and disturbing, but in the most beautiful way! A couple of stories I absolutely loved include the collection opener The Sad Dead, a story about a woman who sees the dead on her street, including her mother, and also Black Eyes, a terrifyingly unsettling story about black-eyed children (an urban legend that I adore!).
The range is fascinating, we have a couple who rock up at a very strange town, a woman who has a fibroid removed and wants it back in her body and we also have the title story which is about a woman who tries to investigate the disappearance of Eliza Lam. Truly something for everyone!
A really brilliant collection. Can’t wait to see what Enriquez unleashes on us next!

This collection of short stories is undeniably interesting, showcasing a range of intriguing ideas and vivid, emotionally charged moments. While I appreciated the visuals and the way the author captured the characters’ distress, something about it all didn’t fully click for me.
As my first introduction to this author’s work, I went in with an open mind, drawn to the premise and expecting to love it. While some of the stories were excellent and held my attention, others felt unfinished, almost like early drafts. I think this might be a me issue though, as I feel this quite a lot with short stories.
That said, the creativity and depth of the author’s concepts are brilliant and I could clearly feel the emotion and meaning behind each one.
While this book wasn’t entirely my thing, it’s far from a bad read. I definitely want to explore some of the author’s earlier work to see what else they have to offer.

Mariana Enriquez is a master at the unsettling. The collection of stories in A Sunny Place for Shady People all give that trill of horror any good book of the genre will offer, but with poignant takes on sexism, queer relationships, generational/historical trauma, colonialism, and classism. These stories, set in Argentina, offer a wide scope of perspectives and characters, each deeply developed and captivating. At times Enriquez's prose gets in the way of story, but that's easily excusable for the atmosphere it presents. Thanks to NetGalley and Granta Publications for an ARC of this collection.

Strong stories by increasingly beloved Enriquez. Particularly liked when they touch on women's issues.

It's a tricky one! I loved the writing of 'Smoking cigarettes in bed' but this collection was so much longer, and also so much darker. I struggled to read it in a continuous way because it was getting too depressing, so I had to take bigger breaks between the book. Great atmosphere and the sense of dread, but perhaps too downbeat for me at times.

As is her style, this was a short story collection of weirdness and body horror that I found to be good but not as good as The Dangers of Smoking in Bed which I loved.

A Sunny Place for Shady People cements Mariana Enriquez’s reputation as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary literature. Her stories are visceral, moving, and haunting, lingering long after you close the book. For anyone who appreciates literary horror with emotional depth, this collection is an essential read.

this is the first book ive read by this author and i cant wait to read more! haunting and spooky and realistic while also incorporating supernatural aspects. the writing was so vivid and descriptive, to the point i had to skip a couple of the stories bc they got in my head too much, would definitely recommend!

Thank you, NetGalley and Granta, for the opportunity to read A Sunny Place for Shady People in exchange for an honest review.
Enriquez crafts a dark, haunting collection in A Sunny Place for Shady People, with each story delivering chills in an addictive way.

Having read and loved Enríquez' 'Things We Lost in the Fire' and 'Dangers of Smoking in Bed' I was very much looking forward to this new collection. And whilst I did enjoy it, I found myself finishing a story and wondering what was new about it. Yes, she writes well, and the underlying menace that permeates her work is there, in a beautifully crafted story. But it just felt all very samey to me.
Short story collections sometimes need just to be dipped in to now and again. I think this is one of them. Well written but a little at a time is probably best.
(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

I had high hopes for A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enriquez, especially since I loved her previous book, The Dangers of Smoking in Bed. But this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It’s a collection of horror stories, some inspired by real events like the Elisa Lam case at the Cecil Hotel, but many of the stories felt underdeveloped or unfinished. I often found myself confused at the end, wondering if I’d missed something. While Enriquez’s talent for eerie, unsettling atmospheres is still there, I was left wanting more from the stories overall.

another great hit from mariana enriquez! <3
thank you to the publisher and netaglley for sending me an arc!

A fascinating collection of short stories, but I don't think it's my vibe.
It's my first book from this author, and maybe I should have done some research because I didn't expect this amount of body horror, which is not my thing. So that's one me.
Some of the stories were excellent and I enjoyed reading them. But some felt unfinished? Like it was just a draft, maybe it was on purpose. The ideas for the stories are all really good, and I could clearly feel what the author meant.
The stories are really visual, and while I didn't enjoy the body horror in some of them, I appreciate the way I could feel the characters' distress. It's been a while since I actually felt scared by a book, but this one did it more than once.
Overall, it's not a bad book, but it's not something I really enjoyed. Make sure that you like these types of horror before reading.