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Seven Empty Houses
Seven Empty Houses | Samanta Schweblin
10 posts | 12 read | 18 to read
A blazing new story collection that will make you feel like the house is collapsing in on you, from the 3 time International Booker Prize finalist, "lead[ing] a vanguard of Latin American writers forging their own 21st-century canon. O, the Oprah magazine The seven houses in these seven stories are empty. Some are devoid of love or life or furniture, of people or the truth or of memories. But in Samanta Schweblins tense, visionary tales, something always creeps back in: a ghost, a fight, trespassers, a list of things to do before you die, a childs first encounter with a dark choice or the fallibility of parents. This was the collection that established Samanta Schweblin at the forefront of a new generation of Latin American writers. And now in English it will push her cult status to new heights. Seven Empty Houses is an entrypoint into a fiercely original mind, and a slingshot into Schweblin's destablizing, exhilarating literary world. In each story, the twists and turns will unnerve and surprise: Schweblin never takes the expected path and instead digs under the skin and reveals uncomfortable truths about our sense of home, of belonging, and of the fragility of our connections with others. This is a masterwork from one of our most brilliant writers.
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Mccall0113
Seven Empty Houses | Samanta Schweblin
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This author leaves me wondering about her characters after the story ends.

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erzascarletbookgasm
Seven Empty Houses | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

My first by the Argentine author and I didn‘t know what to expect, reading these collection of short stories, even the blurb did not prepare me for it. They revolve around daily settings in houses where the characters live..though these houses are not ‘empty‘ in literal sense, there‘s an emptiness or something missing in each..awkward relationships, grief, dysfunction family,etc. The stories are a bit strange, dream like, mostly disquieting, ⬇️

erzascarletbookgasm …and some sad. Each story leaves me wanting for more. I like some better than others, but they‘re all brilliant with implied eeriness. 8mo
Cinfhen Sounds good…have you read this @Megabooks ?!? 8mo
batsy Oh, nice! I'm so keen to check this out. I loved this one 8mo
Megabooks @Cinfhen yes! And I agree with Jessie‘s view. Eerie and unsettling and quite good. 8mo
54 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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Tara
Seven Empty Houses | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

Loved Fever Dream and Mouthful of Birds. This story collection is more grounded in reality (so more approachable, if her previous stuff wasn‘t for you.) The stories here are centered around uneasiness in houses or domestic life, and I suspect different stories will resonate with different readers depending on what you‘ve got going on in your own life! The standout here is the novella, Breath From the Depths.

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amma-keep-reading
Seven Empty Houses | Samanta Schweblin
Pickpick

I just love her writing. Some stories are trippy but in a good way.

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AmandaBlaze
Seven Empty Houses | Samanta Schweblin
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Bailedbailed

I really expected to like these stories from the description. However, I just couldn‘t get into them.
@Andrew65 #20in4

Andrew65 Oh no, shame it wasn‘t better. (edited) 14mo
30 likes1 comment
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Floresj
Seven Empty Houses | Samanta Schweblin
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Mehso-so

I wanted to like this quirky book of short stories, but it was inconsistent. Quick and unique characters, but not my favorite of the short story collections I‘ve recently read.

15 likes1 stack add
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Hooked_on_books
Seven Empty Houses | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

I wasn‘t a fan of Fever Dream, so I approached this collection with some trepidation, but I really enjoyed it. The themes of mental health and major life events are present in most of the stories and I found them riveting.

BarbaraBB I did enjoy Fever Dreams so I think I should read this one as well! 1y
Megabooks Glad you enjoyed it! 1y
44 likes1 stack add2 comments
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sarahbarnes
Seven Empty Houses | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

I read these two short story collections back to back and really enjoyed them both. Bizarre, funny, unsettling in equal measure, I appreciated the ability of both writers to entertain and unnerve me at the same time. Two very strong collections start to finish.

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Megabooks
Seven Empty Houses | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

These stories explore emptiness and connection and how they tug and pull in families. In my favorite story, a girl‘s sister drinks bleach on her birthday, and she meets a man who may be sinister or may be nice in the hospital waiting room. I love that she left space for me to consider his motives. In the novella, she writes about a woman suspicious of the teens in her neighborhood and how it has heartbreaking consequences. Fantastic collection!!

Megabooks Thank you to @RiverheadBooks for this gifted copy 💜, and congratulations to the author and translator for being longlisted for the National Book Award for literature in translation!! 2y
BarbaraBB Coming from you, the short story expert, that means a lot! 2y
squirrelbrain Sounds great - stacked. 2y
See All 14 Comments
vivastory Thanks for the tag. Will definitely be reading 📚 2y
erzascarletbookgasm Stacking. And great photo! 2y
Megabooks @BarbaraBB she always has an interesting perspective! 2y
Megabooks @squirrelbrain awesome! Enjoy! 2y
Megabooks @vivastory 👍🏻👍🏻 I hope you like it too! (edited) 2y
Cinfhen I don‘t think this is for me but I‘m glad you enjoyed it!! 2y
Megabooks @Cinfhen 👍🏻👍🏻😘 2y
Hooked_on_books I tried her book Fever Dream and wasn‘t a fan. Did you read that one? Do the stories here resemble it? I‘m a little hesitant about her after that one not working for me. 2y
Megabooks @Hooked_on_books sorry I missed your comment. This is much more straightforward than her other books. It doesn‘t have those horror/magical realism parts. (Idk why the storygraph put it as horror because it definitely reads literary fiction to me.) maybe do a #BorrowNotBuy if you‘re unsure. 👍🏻 2y
Hooked_on_books Oh that‘s great! That makes it more approachable for me. Thanks! 2y
89 likes5 stack adds14 comments
blurb
Megabooks
Seven Empty Houses | Samanta Schweblin
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Thank you so much @RiverheadBooks for sending me this #gifted copy of Seven Empty Houses, which has just been longlisted for the National Book Award for literature in translation! I think this is up next!

Cinfhen Ohhhh exciting!! Gorgeous cover and lovely photo 😍 2y
vivastory Looking forward to this one! 2y
squirrelbrain Sounds good! 2y
See All 9 Comments
BarbaraBB I have been thinking about this one. Awaiting your review! 2y
mdemanatee New Samantha Schweblin! 2y
Megabooks @mdemanatee so excited! 2y
Megabooks @BarbaraBB @vivastory I immediately thought of you two as fellow fans!! 2y
Megabooks @squirrelbrain I‘m really looking forward to it! 2y
Megabooks @Cinfhen this is the most exciting bookmail I‘ve received in awhile!! 2y
81 likes1 stack add9 comments