The Dangers of Smoking in Bed

Mariana Enriquez does not play around. This is not a collection for the faint hearted, nor is it for someone casually wanting to flip through some sinister images. This is a collection for those already invested in the subtle flavours of the horror genre - be it in whichever form of media.The collection has its troughs and crests, meaning all stories do not function on the same level of investment, nor effect. But they provide you with images that will not abandon your mind soon, or soon enough. Her narration is strongest in the first person, and especially with the story of a girl obsessed with heart murmurs. At times it is almost impossible to go on without experiencing a dry heave, or a sudden flash of a world gone cold. Mariana shines in her story of the kids who disappear. Straddling reality, magic, otherworldliness and morbidity, this is a story that makes its way back into google searches, and lingers with images. This is also her longest story, as with the others, their shorter lengths might be considered to be mercies.Enriquez brings in profundity, scares, laughs and the very certain knowing that horror is local for it to be best realised. That the nitty-gritties of the genre lies in accepting it's proximity to real life, and that transplanting dominant discourses into a very local setting still might not be it's best utilisation. Rather she gives us what she has known all along - real scares lie in the interstices.

Some stories were eerie and terrifying than the others.The honourable mentions are: Our lady of the QuarryThe WellKids who come backBack when we talked to the dead.Such a delighting read after a long search.

Its a good read the cover art is very pretty

Argentine writer and journalist Mariana Enriquez is still fascinated by the ruse and literary elements of magic realism which held us in thrall till the last days of last century. She picks up remnants of those techniques, adds a bit of candour to buttress her stories and thus catch attention. The result is that the much hyped collection “The Dangers of Smoking in Bed” is nothing what it promises to be. There is little that is natural or endearing or real in her characters, the plots are bereft of conviction, and everything Enriquez does is a tribute to early masters but truth is a casuality.When stories are created, developed for shock effect it leaves the reader completely bereft and often sadly cheated. It also leaves the characters looking like marionettes who go this way and that for a laugh unable to pierce out souls.Two stories from this collection will prove my critique. In ‘Our lady of the Quarry’, adolescent friends ( her main concern in this collection) have a great time partying etc though the protagonist of the story are envious of the slightly grown up Silvia and the handsome boy Diego who are having a nice time together. The girls want to ‘bring them down’ and one day while swimming near a quarry these two go up near the quarry owner’s house even though they knew they had fearsome dogs who expectedly attack the two. The other girls leave them to their fate and walk back. Now who will find such a story memorable or worthy of larger lessons of life?In ‘Meat’ young girls fall madly in love with the rock singer in town who releases an album called Meat and then commits suicide. Such is the passion among girls for the singer that two of them, again unhinged adolescents, go mad with sorrow, jump into the cemetery where the rock star is buried and eat his flesh. They become superstars in turn because they have eaten the flesh of the earlier superstar. Classic case of genetic qualities being transferred through eating rotten flesh.There is nothing wrong in bringing youngsters dreams and passions to the fore, but that does not mean that the writer should be an adolescent in her writing and resort to cheap tricks which seem to have worked so far since the book is shortlisted for the International Booker. Prize. But the journey of the book will be shortlived like that of some of her characters. Good stories are made from delving into life’s great experiences, not by digging into cemeteries.ENDS

It's another usual book full of stories that'll leave you with pictures that'll get stuck in your head. Writing is nice, but for some reason i found it lacks depth. You'll be reading some horror stories, but can't share your views on it as they are quite volatile when it comes to retaining the details, coz there are no good details given in the first place. It lacks suspense and one can't connect much with the characters because of weak character sketches.