Description
A forensic entomologist tries to solve the inexplicable murder of his wife, who impossibly seems to have been killed in a forest at the same time she was asleep in bed with him. A husband becomes concerned by his wife's strange behavior, which includes sleepwalking, muttering strange phrases, and a bizarre erotic fascination with octopi. A woman visits a witch doctor who promises to forge an unbreakable bond between her and the man of her dreams, but things go horribly awry after the man dies. And four high school friends reunite twenty years later at a class reunion and must face the long-buried truth of a demonic experience from their youth. The history of Mexico is drenched in blood, from the sacrifices of the ancient Aztecs to the bloodthirsty conquest of the Spanish to modern-day violent crime, and that legacy of violence and death pervades these stories. They blend the genres of horror and noir in inventive ways and run the gamut from chilling to weirdly unsettling to darkly funny. It is a volume sure to please not only fans of horror and weird fiction but also anyone interested in contemporary international literature. This edition also features brilliant full-page illustrations by Spanish artist Luis Perez Ochando.
About the Author
Bernardo Esquinca was born in Guadalajara in 1972, and is the author of several novels and story collections. His short story 'Senor Ligotti' was nominated for the prestigious Shirley Jackson Award in 2021, and his novel Toda la sangre was made into a television series by the production company Lionsgate+.
Reviews
"The tales in The Secret Life of Insects are fresh, spicy, literary, provocative, often chilling, sometimes shocking, but always with a clever, well-thought-out point that provides a lasting resonance." Rue da Morgue; "The Secret Life of Insects stands as an entertaining and technically accomplished introduction to an essential new voice in the worldwide weird." Southwest Review; "Esquinca's writing grabs you and takes you by the hand through obsessions where what is beautiful and monstrous in humanity dwells. Read him: you're going to be terrified and amazed at the same time.' - Monica Ojeda, author of Jawbone; "Bernardo Esquinca's haunting, original stories spin out implications like spider silk: light, strong . . . and very dangerous." Michael Cisco, author of The Divinity Student
Book Information
ISBN 9781838171643
Author Bernardo Esquinca
Format Paperback
Page Count 208
Imprint New Ruins
Publisher Cinder House
About the Author
Bernardo Esquinca was born in Guadalajara in 1972, and is the author of several novels and story collections. His short story 'Senor Ligotti' was nominated for the prestigious Shirley Jackson Award in 2021, and his novel Toda la sangre was made into a television series by the production company Lionsgate+.
Reviews
"The tales in The Secret Life of Insects are fresh, spicy, literary, provocative, often chilling, sometimes shocking, but always with a clever, well-thought-out point that provides a lasting resonance." Rue da Morgue; "The Secret Life of Insects stands as an entertaining and technically accomplished introduction to an essential new voice in the worldwide weird." Southwest Review; "Esquinca's writing grabs you and takes you by the hand through obsessions where what is beautiful and monstrous in humanity dwells. Read him: you're going to be terrified and amazed at the same time.' - Monica Ojeda, author of Jawbone; "Bernardo Esquinca's haunting, original stories spin out implications like spider silk: light, strong . . . and very dangerous." Michael Cisco, author of The Divinity Student
Book Information
ISBN 9781838171643
Author Bernardo Esquinca
Format Paperback
Page Count 208
Imprint New Ruins
Publisher Cinder House
