Book Review: Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk

 

From the publisher:

Across two different time periods, two women confront fear, loneliness, mortality, and a haunting yearning that will not let them rest. A breakout, genre-blurring novel from one of the most exciting new voices of Latin America’s feminist Gothic.
 
It is the twilight of Europe’s bloody bacchanals, of murder and feasting without end. In the nineteenth century, a vampire arrives from Europe to the coast of Buenos Aires and, for the second time in her life, watches as villages transform into a cosmopolitan city, one that will soon be ravaged by yellow fever. She must adapt, intermingle with humans, and be discreet.

In present-day Buenos Aires, a woman finds herself at an impasse as she grapples with her mother's terminal illness and her own relationship with motherhood. When she first encounters the vampire in a cemetery, something ignites within the two women—and they cross a threshold from which there’s no turning back.

With echoes of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and written in the vein of feminist Gothic writers like Shirley Jackson, Daphne du Maurier, and Carmen Maria Machado, Thirst plays with the boundaries of genre while exploring the limits of female agency, the consuming power of desire, and the fragile vitality of even the most immortal of creatures.

My Thoughts: The first half of the book is the story of the vampire as she remembers it. She is very animalistic in her hunting and consumption. There is nothing really romantic about her at this point even though she has a dalliance with a young man.

The second half of the book takes place in current times. It's told from a young mother's point of view from before she attracts the vampire's attention to the end. Again there seemed to be little romance.Still, they are drawn to each other for whatever reason. Perhaps loneliness is the biggest motivator. I had trouble understanding the decision of the modern woman at the end though there was foreshadowing.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. The prose is lush and descriptive, at times dreamlike. I think the translator did a great job. The theme of death is carried throughout. It's interesting to see the different deaths and the results. If you enjoy vampire stories this makes a good read. Just don't expect a romantic view of vampires.

Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk was published March 5th, 2024 by Dutton.

i received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion.