by Agustina Bazterrica - Translation: Sarah Moses
SYNOPSIS
In these tense, macabre stories, bodies fall from the sky, perfect nails conceal grisly secrets and violence pulses behind gleaming façades. From hellish visions to obsessive relationships, acclaimed author Agustina Bazterrica takes us to the dark heart of human desires and fears.
Shocking, brutal, yet glinting with sharp humour, Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird is a breathtaking dive into human monstrousness from a master of contemporary horror.
REVIEW
This is probably the first time I've been completely lost for words when trying to write a review. That should give you an idea of how shocking this collection of short stories really is! I have read a lot of horror and gruesome crime fiction but it was the way that each story made me feel so uncomfortable that made them stand out against other stories in this genre. As I was reading, everything in my body was telling me to stop - that I shouldn't read on, but at the same time it was impossible to not carry on. I give full marks to the author and translator for taking topics that most people don't like to talk about or think about and just going for it! Before I put anyone off reading it, the great thing about this was that just when I thought I would have to stop reading - that I didn't want the story to go where I thought it was heading - there was sudden relief with a burst of humour or the story would completely switch on you and the meaning or moral would change which really kept the tension rising up and down throughout.
As these are short stories, I won't go into detail about each one as all it will do is give too many spoilers. However, my favourite story from the book has to be Roberto - definitely one which will grab your attention and prompt a lot of debate. I almost feel weird telling everyone that I enjoyed it - you'll just have to read it to find out why!
I really feel like this collection of stories was one big and complex therapy session. All designed as a way to work through different challenges people may have to face in life; break-ups, death, assault, depression, murder. This led to some very uncomfortable explorations which you have to break through for them to all start making sense. It was almost a message that you have to push through the difficult, embarrassing or impossible to come out the other side.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Agustina Bazterrica was born in Buenos Aires in 1974. She has a degree in Arts (UBA).
She won the First Municipal Prize of the City of Buenos Aires Unpublished Story 2004/5, the First Prize in the XXXVIII Latin American Short Story Contest "Edmundo Valadés", Puebla, Mexico, 2009, the Clarín Novel Prize 2017, the Ladys of Horror Fiction 2021 (USA), among others. She was a jury member of literary contests, among which the National Fund for the Arts Award, 2021, and the 12th Itaú Digital Short Story Award, 2022, stand out.
In 2013 she published the novel "Matar a la niña" (Textos intrusos). In 2016 she published the book of short stories "Antes del encuentro feroz" (Alción Editora) and in December 2017 the novel Cádaver exquisito (Tender is the flesh) was published by the Clarín-Alfaguara publishing label, with 8 published editions. The television series of this book is in the works. In 2020 Alfaguara published a new compilation of his stories with the title "Nineteen claws and a black bird". Her books have been translated into more than 20 languages.
Thanks to Pushkin Press - @PushkinPress and Agustina Bazterrica - @agustinabazterrica for the opportunity to read and review.
Publisher: Pushkin Press Genre: Horror Short Stories / Contemporary Horror
ISBN: 978-1782279013
Pages: 192pp
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