When I heard about this sapphic vampire novel by Marina Yuszczuk, I immediately added it to my TBR. I’m always looking for the next moody gothic horror story, and vampires are always fun in this genre.
In my blog post, 7 New Release Books to Add to Your 2024 TBR, I mentioned my excitement for this novel. This story was the first book on that list I’ve read, and it did not disappoint.
Thank you NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Summary
Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk follows two morally grey, unnamed female protagonists who reside on the coast of Buenos Aires. The story is broken up into two parts, taking place in two different time periods.
Part one follows a vampire who travels by sea and finds herself on the coast of Buenos Aires in the nineteenth century. The story follows the young vampire as she navigates through the yellow fever plaguing Argentina at the time.
This section of the story offers a bit of backstory into the history of Buenos Aires, which was interesting for me as I’m not well-versed. Nineteenth century Buenos Aires felt like a perfect setting for vampire lore.
Part two follows a young, recently divorced mother who is navigating motherhood and caring for her own mother, who has fallen ill with a terminal disease.
The two stories collide, and a whirlwind of obsession, lust, and violence ensues. A joining of the past and present when the two main characters cross paths results in sacrifices and difficult choices ultimately needing to be made.
Themes
While Thirst by Marina Yuszcsuk is a relatively quick feminist gothic read, it encompasses a lot of rich literary themes, including mortality, desperation, obsession, and grief.
The main characters are complex and morally grey, as often comes with the territory of being a vampire, I guess.
This story digs deep, and although it’s centered around vampires, the problems these characters face are deeply human.
The obstacles both main characters face highlights feminist themes as well. The main characters’ handling of said obstacles hits the spot for fans of female rage.
As you can probably imagine, this novel contains dark themes, including violence, death, and grief. It’s not for the faint of heart, but this novel is worth checking out if you like literary fiction with darker undertones.
My Review of Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk
Although the story’s beginning felt a little slow, I enjoyed the atmospheric and gothic setting. The vibes were enough for me to see the book through.
I thoroughly enjoyed part one. I loved the historical setting and the seductive and selfish main character.
The novel lost me briefly when it shifted gears in part two, and the story began to follow the second main character in modern-day Buenos Aires. The change-up felt abrupt, and I had a difficult time understanding the author’s choice to drop off from the plot of part one.
As I got deeper into part two, the main character grew on me, and I felt more emotionally invested in her story. The handling of grief in this section of the story was probably my favorite part. Yuszczuk’s prose captures the complexities of losing a loved one in an accurate and relatable way.
By the end of the story, I understood the value of separating the novel into two parts and really enjoyed its conclusion.
The writing quality was very high, and it seems like the translator, Heather Cleary, did an excellent job maintaining the poetic nature of this novel. Every sentence flowed like poetry, and in general, the novel was an enjoyable read.
I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars. My only complaint was the detachment between parts one and two. That being said, I did find some resolution to this complaint at the end of the novel when the two stories came together.
The novel had poetic prose, and the atmosphere was exactly what I look for in a gothic novel. The story was exciting and, at times, heartbreaking. I’d definitely recommend this piece.
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