Things We Lost in Fire

By: Mariana Enríquez
Translated by: Mark Gamal

Things We Lost in the Fire is a haunting and electrifying collection of short stories by Argentine author Mariana Enríquez—one of the most powerful new voices in Latin American fiction. Set against the backdrop of modern Buenos Aires and other corners of Argentina, these twelve stories delve into the shadows of everyday life, where violence, poverty, and the supernatural intertwine.

With sharp psychological insight and unsettling beauty, Enríquez explores what happens when the ordinary becomes terrifying and the familiar turns strange. Ghosts of the disappeared, women scarred by violence, children drawn to darkness—her characters inhabit a world teetering between the real and the uncanny, the personal and the political.

Blending gothic horror with social commentary, Enríquez exposes the lingering wounds of a society still haunted by its past, while illuminating the resilience, rage, and tenderness that survive in the ruins. Things We Lost in the Fire is not just a collection of stories—it’s an invitation into the flickering heart of fear, desire, and defiance.

This collection has been translated into more than twenty languages and has received wide critical acclaim, establishing its author as the heir to great horror writers such as Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King—but with an authentic Latin voice that leaves a deep impression on the reader.