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Scribe Us Thirst.
Una novela disruptiva que borra los límites del género, de manos de una de las nuevas voces más interesantes del gótico feminista en Latinoamérica.
En dos épocas distintas, dos mujeres enfrentan miedos, soledad, mortalidad y un anhelo inquietante que no les permite descansar.
Es el ocaso de las bacanales sangrientas en Europa, del asesinato y los festines sin fin. En el siglo XIX, una vampira llega de Europa a la costa de Buenos Aires, y por segunda vez en su vida observa cómo los pueblos se transforman en una ciudad cosmopolita, una que pronto quedará devastada por la fiebre amarilla. Debe adaptarse, mezclarse con los humanos y ser discreta.
En el Buenos Aires de hoy, una mujer se encuentra en un impasse mientras lucha con la enfermedad terminal de su madre y su propia relación con la maternidad. Cuando se encuentra por primera vez con la vampira en un cementerio, algo se enciende en el interior de ambas mujeres… y cruzan un umbral del que no hay vuelta atrás.
Con ecos de Frankenstein, de Mary Shelley, y escrito en la línea de escritoras feministas góticas como Shirley Jackson, Daphne du Maurier y Carmen María Machado, Sed juega con las fronteras del género mientras explora los límites de la instrumentalidad femenina, el poder devorador del deseo y la frágil vitalidad de incluso la más inmortal de las criaturas.
En dos épocas distintas, dos mujeres enfrentan miedos, soledad, mortalidad y un anhelo inquietante que no les permite descansar.
Es el ocaso de las bacanales sangrientas en Europa, del asesinato y los festines sin fin. En el siglo XIX, una vampira llega de Europa a la costa de Buenos Aires, y por segunda vez en su vida observa cómo los pueblos se transforman en una ciudad cosmopolita, una que pronto quedará devastada por la fiebre amarilla. Debe adaptarse, mezclarse con los humanos y ser discreta.
En el Buenos Aires de hoy, una mujer se encuentra en un impasse mientras lucha con la enfermedad terminal de su madre y su propia relación con la maternidad. Cuando se encuentra por primera vez con la vampira en un cementerio, algo se enciende en el interior de ambas mujeres… y cruzan un umbral del que no hay vuelta atrás.
Con ecos de Frankenstein, de Mary Shelley, y escrito en la línea de escritoras feministas góticas como Shirley Jackson, Daphne du Maurier y Carmen María Machado, Sed juega con las fronteras del género mientras explora los límites de la instrumentalidad femenina, el poder devorador del deseo y la frágil vitalidad de incluso la más inmortal de las criaturas.
Paperback
First published October 1, 2020
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About the author
Marina Yuszczuk
14 books214 followersMarina Yuszczuk nació en Quilmes (1978), pero vivió toda su vida en Bahía Blanca, donde estudió Letras y participó del proyecto Cooperativa Editora el Calamar, con el que publicó Guía práctica de las mariposas en 2004.
En 2011 recibió una beca nacional del Fondo Nacional de las Artes.
En 2011 recibió una beca nacional del Fondo Nacional de las Artes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,308 reviews
May 8, 2024
had me at queer literary vampires, lost me at everything else.
i think that what this book needed to work for me was a stunning writing style.
without it, it felt kind of adolescent and silly, ungrounded. none of these characters felt real — the only thing that felt real was the city of buenos aires.
if you're reading a book about a 16th century vampire lady falling in instalove with a 21st century single mother ready to leave her son to live in a mausoleum, i at least need to feel like something is believable. even if that's the writing being nice.
instead this just felt overwrought and goofy.
bottom line: brb fleeing to the nearest graveyard home.
(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
i think that what this book needed to work for me was a stunning writing style.
without it, it felt kind of adolescent and silly, ungrounded. none of these characters felt real — the only thing that felt real was the city of buenos aires.
if you're reading a book about a 16th century vampire lady falling in instalove with a 21st century single mother ready to leave her son to live in a mausoleum, i at least need to feel like something is believable. even if that's the writing being nice.
instead this just felt overwrought and goofy.
bottom line: brb fleeing to the nearest graveyard home.
(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
October 9, 2024
Lesbian Latin American lesbianism is very important
November 14, 2020
Está muy divertida! Me pareció genial que MY se animara a hacer una novela de género, y le salió muy buena! Entretenida, y lleva el vampirismo a un lugar actual y bien escrito, las dos historias que cuenta están buenas, y cuando se juntan es tremendo final. Me la devoré en un par de sentadas, la combinación Buenos Aires-Cementerio de Recoleta- historia-vampiros, me pareció imbatible.
April 4, 2024
Vampires – especially queer ones – are my jam. There are so many topics that can be well discussed through a vampiric lens which makes them endlessly fascinating. This one primarily focuses on death.
In the first half of Thirst we follow an unnamed vampire as she tries to find her place in an ever-evolving world that is becoming increasingly hostile towards vampires. After a particularly brutal event during the beginning of the nineteenth century it becomes obvious that the hunters are finally becoming the hunted, so she immigrates from Europe to Buenos Aires with the hope of finding a place for herself as a vampire. With the urbanization of any city comes widespread epidemic, especially in the nineteenth century. Amidst outbreaks of The Yellow Fever, death thrives and so does the vampire, but as death starts to become less prevalent and the epidemics calm down, the vampire senses that her place is going to be disrupted again.
This part of the book is fast-paced and violent. There is an animalistic nature to our unnamed vampire that modern vampire stories tend to stray away from. The only thing that fuels her is her insatiable thirst for blood. There is no thought of anything except that thirst as she seduces her victims. I loved being in the mind of the vampire and found it so intriguing. Her mind is her urges, and she does some brutal things to satiate herself but is never satisfied. All of this occurs under the beautiful gothic backdrop of nineteenth century Buenos Aires. As decades pass by in a haze, the author introduces some interesting historical events and landmarks that show how the world is changing. This part is fast paced and spans decades. The ending is abrupt but makes sense and closes off the era of vampires well.
The second half takes place in modern day Buenos Aires and we follow a woman dealing with the grief of her mother’s terminal illness as she takes care of her young son. The juxtaposition of life and death along with the symbolism of the vampire was well done her. Death and rebirth is a major theme in this part and it’s a lot slower, told in diary entries spanning a few months. The difference between these parts is quite jarring and almost disorienting to the reader. The stench of death still reeks but in an incredibly different way as our narrator watches her mother lose control of her whole body, knowing the end is near. While it was clear how the stories would weave together, I found it done in a quite abrupt way that didn’t feel natural. The ending left me a bit empty and kind of upset, but in a “why did you do that?” way instead of a fun way. It is still an interesting study on death and grief and rebirth.
There is a very big distinction between these books in terms of tone and pacing, so much so that these could’ve easily been two separate books. While it is a bit jarring, it shows how disorienting it can be to be lurched into the twenty-first century. Overall, the vibes were there for this book but parts of it just felt a bit flat. It’s still an interesting one to pick up. I will say that while I saw this advertised as “sapphic vampires” that feels like mismarketing. This isn’t a romance, it is a literary fiction that studies death, don’t expect much in terms of any time of relationship.
This is Yuszczuk’s first book that has been translated into English and I will be interested to see what comes next.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the arc
In the first half of Thirst we follow an unnamed vampire as she tries to find her place in an ever-evolving world that is becoming increasingly hostile towards vampires. After a particularly brutal event during the beginning of the nineteenth century it becomes obvious that the hunters are finally becoming the hunted, so she immigrates from Europe to Buenos Aires with the hope of finding a place for herself as a vampire. With the urbanization of any city comes widespread epidemic, especially in the nineteenth century. Amidst outbreaks of The Yellow Fever, death thrives and so does the vampire, but as death starts to become less prevalent and the epidemics calm down, the vampire senses that her place is going to be disrupted again.
This part of the book is fast-paced and violent. There is an animalistic nature to our unnamed vampire that modern vampire stories tend to stray away from. The only thing that fuels her is her insatiable thirst for blood. There is no thought of anything except that thirst as she seduces her victims. I loved being in the mind of the vampire and found it so intriguing. Her mind is her urges, and she does some brutal things to satiate herself but is never satisfied. All of this occurs under the beautiful gothic backdrop of nineteenth century Buenos Aires. As decades pass by in a haze, the author introduces some interesting historical events and landmarks that show how the world is changing. This part is fast paced and spans decades. The ending is abrupt but makes sense and closes off the era of vampires well.
The second half takes place in modern day Buenos Aires and we follow a woman dealing with the grief of her mother’s terminal illness as she takes care of her young son. The juxtaposition of life and death along with the symbolism of the vampire was well done her. Death and rebirth is a major theme in this part and it’s a lot slower, told in diary entries spanning a few months. The difference between these parts is quite jarring and almost disorienting to the reader. The stench of death still reeks but in an incredibly different way as our narrator watches her mother lose control of her whole body, knowing the end is near. While it was clear how the stories would weave together, I found it done in a quite abrupt way that didn’t feel natural. The ending left me a bit empty and kind of upset, but in a “why did you do that?” way instead of a fun way. It is still an interesting study on death and grief and rebirth.
There is a very big distinction between these books in terms of tone and pacing, so much so that these could’ve easily been two separate books. While it is a bit jarring, it shows how disorienting it can be to be lurched into the twenty-first century. Overall, the vibes were there for this book but parts of it just felt a bit flat. It’s still an interesting one to pick up. I will say that while I saw this advertised as “sapphic vampires” that feels like mismarketing. This isn’t a romance, it is a literary fiction that studies death, don’t expect much in terms of any time of relationship.
This is Yuszczuk’s first book that has been translated into English and I will be interested to see what comes next.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the arc
October 26, 2024
What?????
A novel told in two parts always worries me because the fragmentation usually leads to one part being superior to its counterpart in my experience. This is no exception. The beginning is an artful exploration of well trodden vampiric lore and tropes. Our narrator Alma’s personal odyssey over the centuries from prey to predator was captivating. Her bloodlust and wild trail of carnage was a visceral delight to experience as grotesque as it was. Simplistic yet charming prose and rich characterization made part one shine. In contrast the second part is about a single mother beefing with her baby daddy, taking care of her ailing mother and skulking around cemeteries arbitrarily. The way these dual narratives intersect was absurd and rushed us towards an almost embarrassing conclusion to an otherwise delightfully told story.
Feeling: Conflicted 😬
A novel told in two parts always worries me because the fragmentation usually leads to one part being superior to its counterpart in my experience. This is no exception. The beginning is an artful exploration of well trodden vampiric lore and tropes. Our narrator Alma’s personal odyssey over the centuries from prey to predator was captivating. Her bloodlust and wild trail of carnage was a visceral delight to experience as grotesque as it was. Simplistic yet charming prose and rich characterization made part one shine. In contrast the second part is about a single mother beefing with her baby daddy, taking care of her ailing mother and skulking around cemeteries arbitrarily. The way these dual narratives intersect was absurd and rushed us towards an almost embarrassing conclusion to an otherwise delightfully told story.
Feeling: Conflicted 😬
March 6, 2024
Very torn on this one! The writing was absolutely mesmerizing - very atmospheric, very dark. Something didn't fully connect for me, though. I was very fascinated at the beginning at the pov of the vampire, but it quickly got repetitious and there was very little motivation or explanation behind her actions, which made me simply not care. The second pov was much more interesting, but it felt like a completely different story. The two story lines did come together at the end, but not in a way that I fully believed. I thought I was here for the vampire, but what got me most in the end, were the explorations on grieving for someone who is still there but you cannot fully connect with anymore. It was beautifully done!
February 4, 2022
Hace tanto quería leer este libro, pero ni me imaginaba que lo iba a adorar tanto. No soy muy fana de la temática vampírica, pero me pareció una historia de lo más interesante, con una estructura que invita a que no dejes de leerlo en ningún momento. Está dividido en dos partes: mi favorita fue la primera, donde nos narra la perspectiva de una vampira que emigra y llega a Buenos Aires en busca de inocentes víctimas para atacar. No tengo mucho más por agregar, ya que le hice una videoreseña al libro, la cual pueden visitar si quieren saber un poco más.
* Link de la video-reseña: https://youtu.be/mS6b5yzGYc8
* Link de la video-reseña: https://youtu.be/mS6b5yzGYc8
January 28, 2025
So this book really surprised me. It was definitely a different kind of vampire novel which I’m always open to, since vampires can get kind of repetitive.
Although for most of the book nothing really happens. There were definitely some parts of the book when I just kept thinking “What is even happening”, and I kind of questioned the first part of the book altogether.
This is was also one of the most emotionally draining books I’ve ever read, sad but in a way that just takes it out of you. Still a good book but only really kicks up near the very end.
Although for most of the book nothing really happens. There were definitely some parts of the book when I just kept thinking “What is even happening”, and I kind of questioned the first part of the book altogether.
This is was also one of the most emotionally draining books I’ve ever read, sad but in a way that just takes it out of you. Still a good book but only really kicks up near the very end.
October 30, 2024
A productive tool for critiquing aspects of human existence from capitalist institutions to notions of cultural contamination, the vampire’s frequently implicated in a broader struggle between good and evil: either in wider society, as in Stoker’s Dracula; or as internal conflict, as in Angel and Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. Marina Yuszczuk’s equally intent on exploiting the vampire’s symbolic potential but not in reinforcing traditional moral binaries. Despite the gothic trappings, Yuszczuk’s representation of the vampiric harks back to the worldview of the nineteenth-century Decadent movement. Yusczuk’s far more interested in the vampire as a vehicle for reflections on mortality, bodily decay, instinct versus repression. It’s tempting to interpret Yusczuk’s piece as a response to Covid but it was actually written between 2017 and 2019, when Yuszczuk was caught up in the aftermath of witnessing her mother’s protracted illness and subsequent death. For Yuszczuk, horror fiction became a means of saying the unsayable, of processing immense loss.
Yuszczuk’s carefully-crafted piece opens with an oblique assessment of cultural attitudes towards mourning, constructed via an encounter with Buenos Aires’s famous La Recoleta Cemetery. She then moves back in time to the nineteenth-century, experienced from the perspective of an unnamed vampire. A young girl from a remote European village, she was handed over to a Dracula-like master by her mother, one of many such sacrifices to appease this dangerous creature. Post transformation, the vampire closely resembles one of Stoker’s nameless female vampires. Like them she lives with her “sister” vampires in the recesses of their master’s castle, locked into his patriarchal world, feeding only on prey he deigns to provide. But a chain of events leaves the vampire alone. Cut adrift, forced to fend for herself, circumstances lead her to developing city Buenos Aires. A place soon overwhelmed by an epidemic of deadly Yellow Fever. But as this ebbs, the city becomes embroiled in the pursuit of modernity and evolving scientific methods for tracking criminals leave the vampire vulnerable, out of step with this new world. So, she takes a drastic decision to escape this emerging reality.
The second half shifts the action to contemporary Buenos Aires and recently-divorced Alma. Alma’s recovering from major surgery, juggling a demanding job with caring for a small child, and grappling with her mother’s rapid decline. Her mother has an unspecified condition – most likely an aggressive form of Motor Neurone Disease – causing a creeping paralysis which will eventually kill her. Like the vampire, Alma’s alienated and increasingly isolated. But the vampire’s very existence was an embrace of pain and bodily degeneration; she inhabited a Buenos Aires where death was a public as much as a private spectacle. Alma’s situation is vastly different, demanding a retreat into silence and denial. In Alma’s Buenos Aires dying and grief are private affairs, she’s beset by unspoken expectations requiring her to downplay her emotions. There’s no socially-sanctioned outlet for Alma’s anguish, illness and death are sanitised, hidden away behind closed doors. Even the medical professionals overseeing her mother’s case refuse to be direct, instead they trade in infantilising euphemisms. Moreover, Argentina’s pervasive Catholicism robs Alma’s mother of bodily autonomy, closing off any possibility of a dignified death. Yuszcuzk’s comparison between Alma’s era and the vampire’s heyday highlights the continued precarity of existence, a contemporary world that’s as brutal as the past, it’s just that that brutality’s taken on new guises.
As Alma’s story unfolds, multiple points of overlap between the vampire’s earlier environment and Alma’s emerge. There’re striking similarities between nineteenth-century necropolitics and those of present-day Buenos Aires, both rife with social inequality, spaces in which some lives have far more value than others. In the vampire’s era, women outside without men were automatically suspect; in Alma’s city a woman living alone, or even entering a bar without a man in tow, is viewed as vulnerable or strange. When Alma and the vampire eventually meet, rather than the vampire reinforcing Alma’s fears she offers an unexpected escape route. Their relationship radically reframes Alma’s ideas about the maternal. For Alma motherhood, both mothering and being mothered, is fraught with anxiety over potential loss and abandonment. But, the growing bond between the vampire and Alma opens up fresh possibilities, a possible resolution to their respective existential predicaments. A means of quenching their overwhelming thirst for lasting connection and intimacy. An intriguing, provocative story; it doesn’t always come together but when it does – as in the sections featuring Alma and her mother – it’s intensely powerful.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Scribe for an ARC
Rating: 3.5
Yuszczuk’s carefully-crafted piece opens with an oblique assessment of cultural attitudes towards mourning, constructed via an encounter with Buenos Aires’s famous La Recoleta Cemetery. She then moves back in time to the nineteenth-century, experienced from the perspective of an unnamed vampire. A young girl from a remote European village, she was handed over to a Dracula-like master by her mother, one of many such sacrifices to appease this dangerous creature. Post transformation, the vampire closely resembles one of Stoker’s nameless female vampires. Like them she lives with her “sister” vampires in the recesses of their master’s castle, locked into his patriarchal world, feeding only on prey he deigns to provide. But a chain of events leaves the vampire alone. Cut adrift, forced to fend for herself, circumstances lead her to developing city Buenos Aires. A place soon overwhelmed by an epidemic of deadly Yellow Fever. But as this ebbs, the city becomes embroiled in the pursuit of modernity and evolving scientific methods for tracking criminals leave the vampire vulnerable, out of step with this new world. So, she takes a drastic decision to escape this emerging reality.
The second half shifts the action to contemporary Buenos Aires and recently-divorced Alma. Alma’s recovering from major surgery, juggling a demanding job with caring for a small child, and grappling with her mother’s rapid decline. Her mother has an unspecified condition – most likely an aggressive form of Motor Neurone Disease – causing a creeping paralysis which will eventually kill her. Like the vampire, Alma’s alienated and increasingly isolated. But the vampire’s very existence was an embrace of pain and bodily degeneration; she inhabited a Buenos Aires where death was a public as much as a private spectacle. Alma’s situation is vastly different, demanding a retreat into silence and denial. In Alma’s Buenos Aires dying and grief are private affairs, she’s beset by unspoken expectations requiring her to downplay her emotions. There’s no socially-sanctioned outlet for Alma’s anguish, illness and death are sanitised, hidden away behind closed doors. Even the medical professionals overseeing her mother’s case refuse to be direct, instead they trade in infantilising euphemisms. Moreover, Argentina’s pervasive Catholicism robs Alma’s mother of bodily autonomy, closing off any possibility of a dignified death. Yuszcuzk’s comparison between Alma’s era and the vampire’s heyday highlights the continued precarity of existence, a contemporary world that’s as brutal as the past, it’s just that that brutality’s taken on new guises.
As Alma’s story unfolds, multiple points of overlap between the vampire’s earlier environment and Alma’s emerge. There’re striking similarities between nineteenth-century necropolitics and those of present-day Buenos Aires, both rife with social inequality, spaces in which some lives have far more value than others. In the vampire’s era, women outside without men were automatically suspect; in Alma’s city a woman living alone, or even entering a bar without a man in tow, is viewed as vulnerable or strange. When Alma and the vampire eventually meet, rather than the vampire reinforcing Alma’s fears she offers an unexpected escape route. Their relationship radically reframes Alma’s ideas about the maternal. For Alma motherhood, both mothering and being mothered, is fraught with anxiety over potential loss and abandonment. But, the growing bond between the vampire and Alma opens up fresh possibilities, a possible resolution to their respective existential predicaments. A means of quenching their overwhelming thirst for lasting connection and intimacy. An intriguing, provocative story; it doesn’t always come together but when it does – as in the sections featuring Alma and her mother – it’s intensely powerful.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Scribe for an ARC
Rating: 3.5
September 28, 2024
Deliciously lush with its descriptions, Thirst is a quiet, gothic vampire tale written by an Argentinian author following two women, from two different time periods, both overwhelmed with a loneliness and desire that consumes them whole.
Despite this novel primarily being composed of internal monologues heavy with introspection, it demanded my attention through its stunning prose and take on a traditional vampire story.
While I do think part one was stronger and more interesting than the latter half, I still had a great time with this meditative historical novel and would highly recommend this to those who are the same type of reader.
Despite this novel primarily being composed of internal monologues heavy with introspection, it demanded my attention through its stunning prose and take on a traditional vampire story.
While I do think part one was stronger and more interesting than the latter half, I still had a great time with this meditative historical novel and would highly recommend this to those who are the same type of reader.
April 6, 2024
An evocative read that is ultimately unsatisfying in its execution.
The prose is quite pretty, especially in Part I, which vividly depicts the tumultuous life of a 19th-century vampire lusting for blood and leaving a trail of bodies in her wake. However, Part II fails to deliver a satisfying conclusion, abruptly jumping to the present day and losing the momentum of the first half. The writing here feels stilted and uninspiring, lacking the sorrowful beauty of the first half.
The integration of the two plotlines is awkward, and the plot sometimes reads like a series of disjointed events rather than a cohesive narrative. While vampire enthusiasts will have plenty to sink their teeth into here, this book fell short for me.
My thanks to the public library for providing me with a post-release copy in exchange for a promise that I’ll return it within 14 days. (I did).
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The prose is quite pretty, especially in Part I, which vividly depicts the tumultuous life of a 19th-century vampire lusting for blood and leaving a trail of bodies in her wake. However, Part II fails to deliver a satisfying conclusion, abruptly jumping to the present day and losing the momentum of the first half. The writing here feels stilted and uninspiring, lacking the sorrowful beauty of the first half.
The integration of the two plotlines is awkward, and the plot sometimes reads like a series of disjointed events rather than a cohesive narrative. While vampire enthusiasts will have plenty to sink their teeth into here, this book fell short for me.
My thanks to the public library for providing me with a post-release copy in exchange for a promise that I’ll return it within 14 days. (I did).
Blog | Twitter | Instagram
June 15, 2024
For fans of vampires as species! Marina Yuszczuk's Thirst follows in its first part a vampire woman's history and voyage from Europe to Argentina, simultaneously following both places' historical development. Darkly Gothic in tone, this first section ends on a stunningly exasperating moment – a moment which grabbed and kept my undivided attention. Something that didn't happen before because I don't enjoy Gothic very much and even less this whole “aristocrat-vampire” thing.
The second part is set in present day Argentina and focuses on a young mother who needs to manage co-parenting with her ex as well as taking care of her mother who is gradually dying from a neurological disease. Her inheritance will literally open the doors to a very mysterious tomb, an intersection of the two stories and invite bloody danger into her life.
As the Gothic parts didn't really grab, but the overall structure of the story is nevertheless quite ingenious, my rating/review of this book will be very favorable. The second part reads breathlessly. As someone who believes in human autonomy and a supporter of the right to die in dignity, I was thrilled to read a character in the shape of the bedridden mother, who tries to determine her own fate by attempting suicide but survives, and is thus treated as if she were mentally ill. This subject was treated with the necessary criticism. The finale was wonderful, the way the two stories come together adorable and heart warming.
I would read more by Yuszczuk if it were about a motive I personally prefer more.
The second part is set in present day Argentina and focuses on a young mother who needs to manage co-parenting with her ex as well as taking care of her mother who is gradually dying from a neurological disease. Her inheritance will literally open the doors to a very mysterious tomb, an intersection of the two stories and invite bloody danger into her life.
As the Gothic parts didn't really grab, but the overall structure of the story is nevertheless quite ingenious, my rating/review of this book will be very favorable. The second part reads breathlessly. As someone who believes in human autonomy and a supporter of the right to die in dignity, I was thrilled to read a character in the shape of the bedridden mother, who tries to determine her own fate by attempting suicide but survives, and is thus treated as if she were mentally ill. This subject was treated with the necessary criticism. The finale was wonderful, the way the two stories come together adorable and heart warming.
I would read more by Yuszczuk if it were about a motive I personally prefer more.
January 20, 2024
Thirst was so good 😫
This is a translated sapphic literary vampire novel split in two parts.
In the first half we follow a vampire (who has been around since practically the beginning of time) mostly in Buenos Aires in the 1800s. Yellow fever has broken out and she has to figure out how to live in the city undetected.
The second half is set in modern day and follows a woman whose dying mother has passed on a key to an old crypt that she never knew existed.
I LOVED the first half, I was eating it up!! The historical setting was moody and engaging. The MC is so animalistic which had me on my toes because I never knew what she’d do next.
I was less enthralled with the second half as it felt more ordinary, but by the end it was worth it to see the two parts connect.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the free arc in exchange for an honest review!
This is a translated sapphic literary vampire novel split in two parts.
In the first half we follow a vampire (who has been around since practically the beginning of time) mostly in Buenos Aires in the 1800s. Yellow fever has broken out and she has to figure out how to live in the city undetected.
The second half is set in modern day and follows a woman whose dying mother has passed on a key to an old crypt that she never knew existed.
I LOVED the first half, I was eating it up!! The historical setting was moody and engaging. The MC is so animalistic which had me on my toes because I never knew what she’d do next.
I was less enthralled with the second half as it felt more ordinary, but by the end it was worth it to see the two parts connect.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the free arc in exchange for an honest review!
April 5, 2021
Me gustó, es una historia bastante clásica de vampiros pero con un buen par de giros de tuerca. Primero y principal, protagonizado por una vampiresa y en Buenos Aires, lo que ya de por sí es un mil. Segundo, la trama histórica se entreteje con la contemporánea, lo que le da un buen toque y la hace interesante.
Algunas cositas y actitudes me resultaron un poco incongruentes, y por eso va una estrella menos, pero en general es una novela muy disfrutable.
Algunas cositas y actitudes me resultaron un poco incongruentes, y por eso va una estrella menos, pero en general es una novela muy disfrutable.
April 4, 2024
loved the first half way more than the second half, but the writing stayed stellar the entire time. the vampire vibes were immaculate!
September 29, 2024
Thirst is a book I picked up because I happened to fall in love with the cover. I skimmed through it before reading it and I was slightly intimidated - there is very little dialogue in it, but something called me and I decided to go for it. What I found was one of the most stunning prose I’ve ever read and a fantastic book.
This book has two interconnected plot lines that are told in two parts. The first part is a quintessential gothic vampire novel set in early Europe and then Argentina. We follow a young woman who becomes a vampire in a world that lets her act like a wild beast, but then, as Europe modernizes and the world changes, she is forced to become a seductress to feed. This part is the absolute highlight of this book. It’s got all the quiet, sexy, gothic, and scary bits that we love from Dracula and Carmilla, but told from a very honest female vampire perspective (and it’s LGBTQIA+ so you won’t need to deal with any homophobic/misogynistic!). I cannot put into words how beautiful, haunting, and brutal this part was.
Part 2 is set in post-COVID Argentina as a woman copes with the degenerative disease of her mother. Her mother, unable to speak or write, communicates to her two things ‘key’ and ‘no.’ She tells her to not open something with the key and then this woman finds the key. The change to part 2 is very anticlimactic and just beautiful and brutal in a very different way. Whereas Part 1 starts wild and finishes claustrophobic, Part 2 is about grief and then liberation. I did enjoy it slightly less than Part 1, but I think it’s just because Yuszczuk started very strong.
I thought it funny that the structure of this book (part 1 - horror historical fiction and part 2 - contemporary generalish fiction) reminded me of Comemadre by Roque Larraquy, because then I noticed it had the same translator, Heather Cleary. I’m surely going to look up her translations because both books have been quirky, horrific, and just really cool. (Now, don’t ask me why I didn’t read the original in Spanish, I just didn’t notice it was translated into English until it was too late lol).
Just some random bits I highlighted:
“Nothing I do makes sense,” I explained, and for the first time I understood that it was true. “I was dragged into this story; my only freedom is to create.”
“To create? By destroying?”
—
“I never thought, in the delirious haze into which I sank,” he said, collapsing onto the sofa, “that when I looked at you, attraction would so eclipse disgust.”
—
I had conquered death, but never my thirst.
This book has two interconnected plot lines that are told in two parts. The first part is a quintessential gothic vampire novel set in early Europe and then Argentina. We follow a young woman who becomes a vampire in a world that lets her act like a wild beast, but then, as Europe modernizes and the world changes, she is forced to become a seductress to feed. This part is the absolute highlight of this book. It’s got all the quiet, sexy, gothic, and scary bits that we love from Dracula and Carmilla, but told from a very honest female vampire perspective (and it’s LGBTQIA+ so you won’t need to deal with any homophobic/misogynistic!). I cannot put into words how beautiful, haunting, and brutal this part was.
Part 2 is set in post-COVID Argentina as a woman copes with the degenerative disease of her mother. Her mother, unable to speak or write, communicates to her two things ‘key’ and ‘no.’ She tells her to not open something with the key and then this woman finds the key. The change to part 2 is very anticlimactic and just beautiful and brutal in a very different way. Whereas Part 1 starts wild and finishes claustrophobic, Part 2 is about grief and then liberation. I did enjoy it slightly less than Part 1, but I think it’s just because Yuszczuk started very strong.
I thought it funny that the structure of this book (part 1 - horror historical fiction and part 2 - contemporary generalish fiction) reminded me of Comemadre by Roque Larraquy, because then I noticed it had the same translator, Heather Cleary. I’m surely going to look up her translations because both books have been quirky, horrific, and just really cool. (Now, don’t ask me why I didn’t read the original in Spanish, I just didn’t notice it was translated into English until it was too late lol).
Just some random bits I highlighted:
“Nothing I do makes sense,” I explained, and for the first time I understood that it was true. “I was dragged into this story; my only freedom is to create.”
“To create? By destroying?”
—
“I never thought, in the delirious haze into which I sank,” he said, collapsing onto the sofa, “that when I looked at you, attraction would so eclipse disgust.”
—
I had conquered death, but never my thirst.
September 23, 2022
3.5 estrellas
Estuvo bien, me entretuvo y me gustó el estilo de escritura, solo me costó mucho trabajo el cambio de ritmo de la primera a la segunda parte.
En la primera, amé ver un Buenos Aires del pasado a través de los ojos de una vampiresa, y aunque no es el relato de vampiros más original, no me molestaron todos los cliches. Sin embargo, cuando la historia salta al tiempo presente (en la segunda parte) el vínculo entre ambos personajes me pareció flojo y sentí que daba para mucho más. Hay reflexiones acerca de la vida/muerte interesantes: el contraste entre una mujer en plena juventud que puede vivir para siempre y el de otra mujer enferma que lo único que quiere es acabar con su vida, sin duda nos hace plantearnos cuestiones rudas como lectores. Incluso admito que leer sobre cómo una hija sobrelleva la enfermedad de una madre me llegó bastante. La cosa es que la primera y la segunda parte se sienten como dos libros distintos y por lo mismo ambas partes me quedaron un poco a deber. Puntos extras por las descripciones del cementerio y el estilo de escritura de la autora que es muy ameno.
Estuvo bien, me entretuvo y me gustó el estilo de escritura, solo me costó mucho trabajo el cambio de ritmo de la primera a la segunda parte.
En la primera, amé ver un Buenos Aires del pasado a través de los ojos de una vampiresa, y aunque no es el relato de vampiros más original, no me molestaron todos los cliches. Sin embargo, cuando la historia salta al tiempo presente (en la segunda parte) el vínculo entre ambos personajes me pareció flojo y sentí que daba para mucho más. Hay reflexiones acerca de la vida/muerte interesantes: el contraste entre una mujer en plena juventud que puede vivir para siempre y el de otra mujer enferma que lo único que quiere es acabar con su vida, sin duda nos hace plantearnos cuestiones rudas como lectores. Incluso admito que leer sobre cómo una hija sobrelleva la enfermedad de una madre me llegó bastante. La cosa es que la primera y la segunda parte se sienten como dos libros distintos y por lo mismo ambas partes me quedaron un poco a deber. Puntos extras por las descripciones del cementerio y el estilo de escritura de la autora que es muy ameno.
March 8, 2024
“They could never understand this insatiable thirst. Much less this extraordinary, indomitable instinct for survival, which can only be explained by the fact that we are beasts.”
—gothic
—sapphic
—horror
—vampire
—dark and irresistible
—historical fiction (set in Buenos Aires)
Thirst was captivating, a story about two women in two different time periods where each fully grasped my attention and the writing was so beautifully done with its smoothness and sensuality.
I read this in one sitting. I started it late morning and finished it in the evening. I could not put it down and it absolutely sucked right in. I did give it 4/5 stars because the second half of the book wasn’t as attention grabbing as the first half and didn’t flow as well. But other than that, this story was completely compelling.
If you’re looking for a sapphic lit fic type story that will have you turning the pages so fast, Thirst is a must add to your TBR.
—gothic
—sapphic
—horror
—vampire
—dark and irresistible
—historical fiction (set in Buenos Aires)
Thirst was captivating, a story about two women in two different time periods where each fully grasped my attention and the writing was so beautifully done with its smoothness and sensuality.
I read this in one sitting. I started it late morning and finished it in the evening. I could not put it down and it absolutely sucked right in. I did give it 4/5 stars because the second half of the book wasn’t as attention grabbing as the first half and didn’t flow as well. But other than that, this story was completely compelling.
If you’re looking for a sapphic lit fic type story that will have you turning the pages so fast, Thirst is a must add to your TBR.
March 14, 2025
stunning writing. what a beautiful exploration of loss and grief.
October 10, 2021
Me divertí mucho leyendo este libro, luego vimos Entrevista con el vampiro y fue genial el combo. El tributo que hace Marina Yuszczuk al género de los vampiros, incluido el estilo narrativo, lento, gótico y en primera persona está super bien hecho. Se nota que hizo su chamba para plantear a esta vampiresa y meterla al espacio bonaerense. Genial para esta temporada spooky y para seguir descubriendo y leyendo desde la perspectiva de latinoamericanas.
April 18, 2024
I def wanted to like this one more than I did, that said, I’m still glad that I read it.
I think the idea I had that I was getting a sapphic vampire lit story was somewhat mis-marketed, though there are sapphic situations happening, it’s really not that or even close to the focus. Which is why I picked it up, so that left something to be desired, for me. I will say that I think the themes of death, rebirth, fear and arousal, and motherhood and grief, were all interesting and there were def lines I highlighted and will stick with me, but the overall story and characters fell a little flat for me in the writing somehow, and I am def more of a character reader over themes, plots, and vibes.
I think the idea I had that I was getting a sapphic vampire lit story was somewhat mis-marketed, though there are sapphic situations happening, it’s really not that or even close to the focus. Which is why I picked it up, so that left something to be desired, for me. I will say that I think the themes of death, rebirth, fear and arousal, and motherhood and grief, were all interesting and there were def lines I highlighted and will stick with me, but the overall story and characters fell a little flat for me in the writing somehow, and I am def more of a character reader over themes, plots, and vibes.
July 12, 2024
3.75/5. if you know me you know I'm not a big fantasy reader but I looove a good vampire narrative. the first half of this book definitely delivers if you're looking for a traditional vampire story with lots of blood, gore and sexual tension. the second half of the book is very different from the first – much slower with a melancholic tone and a more contemporary feel, but I personally didn't mind that and found this shift quite impactful. the resolution, however, was really unsatisfying, the relationship between the two women felt underdeveloped and the ending was so abrupt, I couldn't believe the book just ended like that. mixed feelings overall, but I would still recommend it if it sounds interesting to you.
March 8, 2024
Between 3.5 and 4? This is a dual timeline story. The first half of this book is the past timeline with the vampire, and it is basically perfect. I was certain it would be a five star read, but it lost steam as it got to the present timeline. The pacing slowed down and then felt rushed at the end. I still enjoyed it and would recommend
March 12, 2024
Mixed feelings on this one. I liked it, but sometimes it was kind of boring. Thirst is a sapphic vampire novel with two distinct timelines and perspectives. Most of the first half to two-thirds of the book is an ancient lady vampire recounting her life- how she was turned, how she made her way to colonial Buenos Aires and survived, the people she killed, the women she slept with and then killed. Some of this is interesting, some of it is rather dull. I think it's trying to fit in a lot about different moments in the history of Argentina as she lives through it, which is sometimes to the detriment of a compelling narrative. Or at least it makes it read more like historical fiction which isn't really my thing.
The rest of the book follows a divorced woman and mom whose life intersects with that of the vampire in contemporary Buenos Aires. What this does well is show the classic mix of seduction and brutality of vampires with a protagonist who is at once sympathetic and horrific. I feel like this will be a hit for people who are more into literary fiction or historical fiction who want some vampires sprinkled into their reading. To be fair, the marketing does call this genre-blurring and I think that's very accurate, it's just a matter of what those genres are. I liked this, but didn't love it though I think it will be a big hit with some readers. I received an advance copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own.
The rest of the book follows a divorced woman and mom whose life intersects with that of the vampire in contemporary Buenos Aires. What this does well is show the classic mix of seduction and brutality of vampires with a protagonist who is at once sympathetic and horrific. I feel like this will be a hit for people who are more into literary fiction or historical fiction who want some vampires sprinkled into their reading. To be fair, the marketing does call this genre-blurring and I think that's very accurate, it's just a matter of what those genres are. I liked this, but didn't love it though I think it will be a big hit with some readers. I received an advance copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own.
September 20, 2024
this book had interesting ideas and so much potential …but ultimately really failed to deliver and was so disappointing …gonna let it cook but it might be a one star for me 🫢
rant incoming but also??? sapphic was a huge misnomer …tell me why there were more descriptions of sex with men than with women in this?? i feel bamboozled. nothing wrong with having sex with men …i guess, but dont market the book as sapphic and for the girls for girls when …it’s barely that? the two main characters meet in the last quarter of the novel and it’s so very insta-love ..which is i guess par for vampires novels? but? this one seemed to be trying to do something different? with the discussions of death and grief and her mother in the hospital and most of the second half being about her dealing with the very heavy reality of her mother’s illness, suffering, and desire to die. like it’s HEAVY and i expected it to delve more into an exploration and reckoning with those themes through an interesting lens with the supernatural element, but then it didnt. and the tone and focus switch was incredibly abrupt
AND it made me read so much sex with men for no goddamn reason …i genuinely owe an apology to every queer woman i recommended this too. i was bamboozled and i bamboozled you and i’m sorry
rant incoming but also??? sapphic was a huge misnomer …tell me why there were more descriptions of sex with men than with women in this?? i feel bamboozled. nothing wrong with having sex with men …i guess, but dont market the book as sapphic and for the girls for girls when …it’s barely that? the two main characters meet in the last quarter of the novel and it’s so very insta-love ..which is i guess par for vampires novels? but? this one seemed to be trying to do something different? with the discussions of death and grief and her mother in the hospital and most of the second half being about her dealing with the very heavy reality of her mother’s illness, suffering, and desire to die. like it’s HEAVY and i expected it to delve more into an exploration and reckoning with those themes through an interesting lens with the supernatural element, but then it didnt. and the tone and focus switch was incredibly abrupt
AND it made me read so much sex with men for no goddamn reason …i genuinely owe an apology to every queer woman i recommended this too. i was bamboozled and i bamboozled you and i’m sorry
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2020
Le sobran por lo menos 100 páginas. La historia es piola, la segunda parte levanta un poco más pero bueno, eso. Igual me pone contenta haberlo recibido sorpresa porque sino seguramente no lo hubiese leído y me resultó original.
October 30, 2024
Vampiros, sangre, sed, violencia y deseo. Enfermedad, luto, maternidad y desconcierto. Buenos Aires siglos atrás. Un cementerio y su historia. El cruce, trágico y fascinante entre una criatura que anhela sangre y la finita pero cargada mortalidad.
La sed es un libro peculiar, divido en dos partes, logra con la primera involucrarnos de lleno en el misticismo que caracteriza a la figura del vampiro, permitiéndonos seguir a una mujer que fue cedida como víctima, como alimento, en su niñez para ser posteriormente convertida en una vampireza más. Su búsqueda, su sed, a través de siglos y cruzando incluso océanos es una aventura intensa, macabra, cargada de sensualidad y violencia.
La segunda mitad propone no sólo un cambio de narradora, de protagonista, sino también de tono, uno que puede resultar abrupto para el lector. El vertiginoso y hambriento relato previo se ve sucedido por la confesión lenta, angustiante y desesperanzada de una mujer cuya madre está gravemente enferma. Un testimonio de la pérdida anticipada, del ser hija pero también madre, del ser una mujer divorciada, de sobrevivir en la época actual.
El libro puede parecer, a simple vista, desbalanceado cuando el tipo de relato propio del cliché de las criaturas de la noche metamorfosea en algo más y no culpo a las personas que perdieron interés cuando ocurrió pero lejos estoy de ser una de ellas. El cambio me desestabilizó, sí, pero es una transición necesaria para llegar al desenlace, a esa entrega voluntaria, a esa culminación del deseo.
Cabe mencionar, además, que me causó infinito deleite que la acción haya tenido lugar en Argentina, más concretamente sus referencias al cementerio de Recoleta. Es un placer leer horror ambientado en este suelo.
La sed es un libro peculiar, divido en dos partes, logra con la primera involucrarnos de lleno en el misticismo que caracteriza a la figura del vampiro, permitiéndonos seguir a una mujer que fue cedida como víctima, como alimento, en su niñez para ser posteriormente convertida en una vampireza más. Su búsqueda, su sed, a través de siglos y cruzando incluso océanos es una aventura intensa, macabra, cargada de sensualidad y violencia.
La segunda mitad propone no sólo un cambio de narradora, de protagonista, sino también de tono, uno que puede resultar abrupto para el lector. El vertiginoso y hambriento relato previo se ve sucedido por la confesión lenta, angustiante y desesperanzada de una mujer cuya madre está gravemente enferma. Un testimonio de la pérdida anticipada, del ser hija pero también madre, del ser una mujer divorciada, de sobrevivir en la época actual.
El libro puede parecer, a simple vista, desbalanceado cuando el tipo de relato propio del cliché de las criaturas de la noche metamorfosea en algo más y no culpo a las personas que perdieron interés cuando ocurrió pero lejos estoy de ser una de ellas. El cambio me desestabilizó, sí, pero es una transición necesaria para llegar al desenlace, a esa entrega voluntaria, a esa culminación del deseo.
Cabe mencionar, además, que me causó infinito deleite que la acción haya tenido lugar en Argentina, más concretamente sus referencias al cementerio de Recoleta. Es un placer leer horror ambientado en este suelo.
January 7, 2024
Initially intrigued by the cover and synopsis of queer vampire fiction, I ended up disappointed. I enjoyed the first half told from the vampire's point of view but my interest ebbed and flowed with the pacing. I then completely lost interest as I got through the middle and second half of the story. It just felt like the recounting of events, to which I didn't feel particularly connected to either of the characters telling their stories. It is, without a doubt, beautifully written but unfortunately did not hold my attention.
Read
August 16, 2024I went in to this blindly—no synopsis, no review reading. Saw a beautiful cover, the title "Thirst" with little teeth marks that can be about nothing else but vampires, and thought "hell yeah". And while I was right, I can't get in to this one. The problem for me is the over-sexualization of scenes and the emphasized eroticism. As a person who abhors romance reading and sex scenes in books, I decided to quit on this book because who knows how much more of that I have to suffer through to get to the heart of the story. DNF @ 25%
August 25, 2025
4.5 || ellas son nuestras argentina’s version vampire ARMAND: desquiciada y torturada y europea aunque se haga la argentina, visitando el riachuelo y mirándolo con cara de extraviada; y su DANIEL molloy que se quiere hacer la centrada pero la está pasando como el orto y se hace la que no le gusta pero le re gusta que la vampira loca está atrás de ella.
mi cerebro funciona así perdón LO AMÉ MUCHO
mi cerebro funciona así perdón LO AMÉ MUCHO
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