Thursday, November 19, 2020

Book Review: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 

Noemi is sent by her father to check on her cousin Catalina who sent them a letter that sounded a little off asking for help. Catalina is living in a house called High Place outside of a small town in Mexico. Noemi hasn't seen Catalina or her husband, Virgil, since their wedding. Turns out High Place is Virgil's family home. They live there with a handful of relatives and a few servants.

The house is dark and foreboding. It's perfect for a gothic tale. There is electricty, but not every fixture has a bulb. They make liberal use of candles and oil lamps. There is mold and fungus throughout the house staining the wallpaper and eating at the books. Curtains are kept shut. No smoking is allowed. And quiet is enforced at the dinner table. The state of the house reflects the inner lives and conditions of the house's occupants.

Noemi is an unlikely heroine being a 1950s socialite and used to being the life of the party. She is close to Catalina. Catalina has always been more reserved, but her current state is not what Noemi has become accustomed to expect from her. The more I read the more I rooted for the girls. 

The pace of the book is slow at first as Noemi settles into the house. The longer she is there, the faster the pace becomes. By the end it is really flying.

There are several things that some people may find triggering: unwanted sexual advances, near rape, gaslighting, eugenics, incest, and cannibalism. The book only has these things generally in small amounts.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's well-written. Really is gothic. I found Noemi to be an interesting character. The twists towards the end are surprising. My only complaints were how slow it is at first; and I could have done without the cannibalism. Otherwise this is really a good gothic book. 

Mexican Gothic By Silvia Moreno-Garcia was published June 30th, 2020 by Del Rey.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect the content of my review.

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