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Behind the Gate
Not yet published
Expected 27 Oct 26A sensationally creepy new selection of stories from the author of the cult phenomenon The Houseguest
Written in sharp, impressionistic prose steeped in horror, Amparo Dávila’s stories are tiny nightmares come to life. She is a writer obsessed with obsession, who shows, sometimes in just a few pages, that the narrow line between sanity and madness is even finer than it had seemed at first glance, and that anyone could be one false move away from their doom. Gothic, dark, surrealist, atmospheric, this newly translated selection from the author of the global sensation The Houseguest “casts a delightful and disconcerting spell” (Los Angeles Times).
Written in sharp, impressionistic prose steeped in horror, Amparo Dávila’s stories are tiny nightmares come to life. She is a writer obsessed with obsession, who shows, sometimes in just a few pages, that the narrow line between sanity and madness is even finer than it had seemed at first glance, and that anyone could be one false move away from their doom. Gothic, dark, surrealist, atmospheric, this newly translated selection from the author of the global sensation The Houseguest “casts a delightful and disconcerting spell” (Los Angeles Times).
128 pages, Paperback
Expected publication October 27, 2026
About the author
Amparo Dávila
42 books410 followersAmparo Dávila born 1928 in Zacatecas, Mexico is a Mexican author. Dávila was the sole surviving child of her parents. The oldest son died at childbirth. The next son died as a result of meningitis, and the last son died during his infancy. She learned to love reading at an early age from spending time in her father's library. Her childhood was marked by fear, a theme that appeared in a number of her future works as an author. Her first published work was Salmos bajo la luna in 1950. This was followed by Meditaciones a la orilla del sueno and Perfil de soledades. She then moved to Mexico City where she worked as Alfonso Reyes's Secretary. In 1966 she was a part of the Centro Mexicano de Escritores (Mexican Writer's Center) where she received a grant to continue writing. In 2008, Davila was recognized by el Palacio de Bellas Artes de Mexico (the palace of fine arts of Mexico).
Davila is known for her use themes of insanity, danger, and death, typically dealing with a female protagonist. Many of her protagonists appear to have mental disorders and lash out, often violently, against others. Many times the women are still unable to escape from their mental issues and live with the actions they have taken. She also plays with ideas of time. She uses time as a symbol of that which we cannot change.
Her other works include:
Salmos bajo la luna (1950)
Meditaciones a la orilla del sueño
Perfil de soledades (1954)
Tiempo destrozado (1959)
Música concreta (1964)
Árboles petrificados (1977)
Muerte en el bosque (1985)
Davila is known for her use themes of insanity, danger, and death, typically dealing with a female protagonist. Many of her protagonists appear to have mental disorders and lash out, often violently, against others. Many times the women are still unable to escape from their mental issues and live with the actions they have taken. She also plays with ideas of time. She uses time as a symbol of that which we cannot change.
Her other works include:
Salmos bajo la luna (1950)
Meditaciones a la orilla del sueño
Perfil de soledades (1954)
Tiempo destrozado (1959)
Música concreta (1964)
Árboles petrificados (1977)
Muerte en el bosque (1985)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 1, 2026
Some tias just know how to spin a yarn…
The stories in this collection creep up on you. You feel safe, at the table after diner, sipping a coffee listening to your tia tell a story about someone she used to know and then.. you find you can’t sleep that night. The creaks of the floor you usually ignore feel louder, the shadows take on form, and suddenly you’re wondering if that story your tia told was true after all.
Firmly grounded in social and cultural trappings, Dávila writes perfectly creepy horror. If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading Dávila’s work yet, this is the place to start.
Recommended dose: one story per night.
The stories in this collection creep up on you. You feel safe, at the table after diner, sipping a coffee listening to your tia tell a story about someone she used to know and then.. you find you can’t sleep that night. The creaks of the floor you usually ignore feel louder, the shadows take on form, and suddenly you’re wondering if that story your tia told was true after all.
Firmly grounded in social and cultural trappings, Dávila writes perfectly creepy horror. If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading Dávila’s work yet, this is the place to start.
Recommended dose: one story per night.
June 24, 2026
Thank you New Directions for the early copy!
🐦⬛Out october 13!! 🐦⬛
This is a small book, but dare I say it is the best short collection I have read this year. Dávila's writing is flawless, and it's captivating how quickly she sets and details each story. Every story is between five and ten pages long, and each one is more terrifying than the last. "Griselda," one of my favorites, was six pages long, and I'm still not sure how she managed to make my skin crawl by page four. This collection made me feel a wide range of emotions at once. I can see myself going back to reread these stories.
My top five (for now): Griselda, Matilde Espejo, The Mirror Behind the Gate, and Señorita Julia.
These are my top five, but each story in this collection is a strong contender for the top five. I feel like I'll be switching them as I reread them.
10/10; this is my new favorite short story collection. These stories are nightmares, but they are everything you need them to be: thrilling, frightening, moving, and insane. Absolutely amazing! It is my absolute favorite.
🐦⬛Out october 13!! 🐦⬛
This is a small book, but dare I say it is the best short collection I have read this year. Dávila's writing is flawless, and it's captivating how quickly she sets and details each story. Every story is between five and ten pages long, and each one is more terrifying than the last. "Griselda," one of my favorites, was six pages long, and I'm still not sure how she managed to make my skin crawl by page four. This collection made me feel a wide range of emotions at once. I can see myself going back to reread these stories.
My top five (for now): Griselda, Matilde Espejo, The Mirror Behind the Gate, and Señorita Julia.
These are my top five, but each story in this collection is a strong contender for the top five. I feel like I'll be switching them as I reread them.
10/10; this is my new favorite short story collection. These stories are nightmares, but they are everything you need them to be: thrilling, frightening, moving, and insane. Absolutely amazing! It is my absolute favorite.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
What an unsettling, eerie, and wonderfully written set of horror stories. A novella anthology that will terrify you to your core. Everything that is lurking in the shadows is right before you. Never forget to hold your mouth while you scream kind of scares. Each story has an uncanny ending that forces you to think about the elements that make horror; a critique of society in the scariest fashion of hyperbole. These are the stories that will haunt you and are worth reading this Halloween / Samhain season. It is difficult to summarize these stories without giving too much away. So, I leave you with this, think about the way folklore would come across your home by the average person. All opinions are my own. All I wanted was a bit more power and pacing to really make these stories delightfully terrifying. Thank you Netgalley and New Directions for this advanced digital copy.
For more reviews, recommendations, and tarot reads, visit my blog, https://brujerialibrary.wordpress.com/
For more reviews, recommendations, and tarot reads, visit my blog, https://brujerialibrary.wordpress.com/
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book was advertised as a collection of horror short stories. As a lover of horror from a young age, I was excited to see what was inside. I was hoping it would elicit the same thrilling fear that Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark did when I was a child. Sadly, this fell flat. I would not consider this horror at all. It was neither scary nor creepy. I saw one thing saying it was unsettling, and I would say that’s the best way to describe every story in this book. It was well written, and they were all pretty decent stories. But I felt misled by the genre. Overall, worth the read. But know what to expect beforehand.
This appears to be a translation of the author’s original work. I felt that the translation was done well, and maintained a literary feel.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This appears to be a translation of the author’s original work. I felt that the translation was done well, and maintained a literary feel.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Es difícil tener una colección de cuentos donde todos son buenisimos y esta colección me voló la cabeza. Tensa, tenebrosa, cuentos que son espejos donde el reflejo nunca es uno mismo, si no una sombra pasada, un deseo de desaparecer en el bosque, un jardín que es un laberinto de especulaciones en el terror del diario vivir. Mi pana no quería que se acabara
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July 30, 2026Widows and orphans
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5 ⭐️ RTC
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews