You Glow in the Dark, Bolivian writer Liliana Colanzi’s English-language debut, is a terrifying trip through a dystopian Latin America where past, present and future collide. These seven stories, newly translated from Spanish by Chris Andrews, play with the reader’s sense of reality, focusing on threats, both real and imagined, that range from religious cults and vindictive Indigenous spirits to a corrupt power plant mascot and one very powerful and unexpected sneeze. The standout of the compact book is the titular tale, which puts an unearthly spin on the 1987 radioactive contamination accident in Brazil, turning the real disaster into an allegory for colonialism. You Glow in the Dark is a mesmerizing mix of gothic horror and cyberpunk that will keep readers on their toes.
Article appears as written in TIME on 13/11/2024.
Written by Shannon Carlin
Published on 13/11/2024