Gender and the Disruption of Patriarchy in the Crime Stories of Mariana Enríquez's Things We Lost in the Fire

Abstract

While Mariana Enríquez is most recognised as a writer of Gothic horror, this article explores issues of gender and power in crime stories from her collection Things We Lost in the Fire: ‘The Dirty Boy’, ‘Under the Black Water’ and ‘Things We Lost in the Fire’. Enríquez aligns herself with feminist variants of the crime genre by centring women's concerns and voices, breaking down binary and hierarchical representations of gender and sexuality and illustrating the struggles women and marginalised groups face in Argentina under patriarchy. Discussed as well are the implications of Enríquez's feminist project in contemporary crime fiction.