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Mexican Gothic

Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Goodreads Author)

3.68 · Rating details · 245,244 ratings · 36,938 reviews

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.

Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a gl ...more

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Hardcover, 301 pages

Published June 30th 2020 by Del Rey

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Silvia Moreno-Garcia - author

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Average rating 3.68 ·

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· 245,244 ratings · 36,938 reviews

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Feb 13, 2020 chai ♡ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020-releases, trope-slow-burn, fiction, read-in-2021, bipoc-rep, adult-thriller-mystery, adult, adult-horror, trope-friends-to-lovers, adult-historical

〘 find other reviews on my blog 〙

Mexican Gothic is a sublime work of post-colonial gothic. It’s a story that unsettled me so effectively I found myself, on more than one occasion, helplessly desperate to claw my way out of my reading experience, to put a merciful distance between me and the words and the bleak and stifling horror that lies within. At the same time, however, I couldn’t. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. Mexican Gothic had a solid grip on my attention.

In Mexican Goth ...more

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Dec 18, 2019 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it it was amazing

Yessss! Congratulations! This book won the Goodreads Choice Awards by beating king of the authors ( yes, with so many votes it beat Mr. King’s It Bleeds) !🎉🌈💕🎈🥳🥂

Hell yeah! This deliciously terrifying, gothic adventure will be adapted to Hulu limited series! I cannot wait to binge watch! What an amazing news!🥳🥂💃🏻🕺🏼

OMG! I had no brain right now! The author stole it! I wish she would have put some bravery into my heart because I think I’m not gonna sleep at least for a week and I already brought ba ...more

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May 12, 2020 Silvia Moreno-Garcia added it · (Review from the author)

Shelves: horror, mexico, historical, adult, suspense, fantasy, fiction, speculative-fiction, gothic

FAQ

Is there a playlist?
Yes, go to Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/233...

Are there other goodies?
Paper doll PDF: http://www.randomhousebooks.com/wp-co...

Book club kit PDF: http://www.randomhousebooks.com/wp-co...

Is the town in the book real?
It's inspired by a real town which is called Real del Monte/Mineral del Monte and which was a British mining town and has a very particular kind of architecture. It's nicknamed Little Cornwall. Yes, there is an English cemetery there. Photo: https: ...more

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Jul 16, 2020 Kim ~ It’s All About the Thrill rated it it was ok

Shelves: botm

2.5 stars...Yeah I know...this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. As soon as I found out this would be a BOTM, I grabbed it, I dropped everything I was doing to read it....and well that didn't work out so well.

The premise was amazing. The cover was even more amazing. SO I dug into this book and I waited for it to pick up. I waited, and turned another page and waited....and waited...... Finally I turned to my fellow reviewers at page 200 to see..umm does this pick up? They said ye 2.5 stars...Yeah I know...this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. As soon as I found out this would be a BOTM, I grabbed it, I dropped everything I was doing to read it....and well that didn't work out so well.

The premise was amazing. The cover was even more amazing. SO I dug into this book and I waited for it to pick up. I waited, and turned another page and waited....and waited...... Finally I turned to my fellow reviewers at page 200 to see..umm does this pick up? They said yeah wait for it...Okay so it did pick up- at page 250. So the last 50 pages of the book was crammed full of weirdness.

Noemi is living the good life. She is living off daddy's dime and a socialite in Mexico City. Her father makes it clear that she needs to do him a favor and head out to a remote estate that her cousin Catalina is living with her recently acquired husband Virgil. He wants her to check in on her because- well it appears she has lost her mind. She is sending letters home of people living in the walls, claims her husband is poisoning her among other bizarre statements. Sounds intriguing right??? Well I thought so too. I was all in...

Yet when Noemi gets to the estate she is hardly allowed to spend any time with her cousin. She is not allowed to freely roam around or do anything she wants. So why doesn't she just leave? Or take her cousin? Instead the first 250 pages was spent with her mulling around the house and having vivid nightmares. Sure it was creepy but there was no plot. I failed to connect to ANY of the characters because, there just wasn't enough information put forth about them. Trust me, I can take weird. I LOVED Ninth House! I would have given that book 10 stars if Goodreads would let me. That was dark, creepy, weirdness and I loved it.

Personally for me, this book took just too long to take off. When it finally did, it felt like a ton of stuff was jammed into the last 50 pages. It was so bizarre and out there- it just wasn't for me. Don't let my review sway you because there are alot of fantastic reviews out there about this one. ...more

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Jul 16, 2020 Elle rated it did not like it

Shelves: gtfo, creeps, botm

Guys I'm sorry to say this but...

...what a dumb fucking book.

I was moments away from abandoning it halfway through (although I wanted to earlier if we're being honest) but I took to Goodreads to see what I was missing, why it was getting such outstanding reviews. The word on the street was 'YES it was totally boring and slow for the first 2/3, but the twist makes it totally worth it.' So, if you came to this review page because you're thinking maybe it's worth your time, I'm here to tell you - i ...more

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Nov 27, 2020 Kat rated it really liked it

This really was some gothic excellence, omg.

Please allow for a small list of all the things that made this story REALLY GOOD imo:

1. The setting!!! High Place’s aesthetic of rotting decadence was exactly the kind of atmosphere I LOVE in horror

2. Noemi!! She was such a headstrong MC and so capable the whole way through. Truly a delight to read about

3. The historical setting! The 1950’s is not a time that I’ve read a lot about, and it was quite interesting. The way the author worked discussions abo ...more

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Nov 02, 2020 Cindy rated it really liked it

An atmospheric Gothic horror novel that goes the extra mile with featuring women of color as the protagonists and incorporating race, colonialism, and eugenics as part of the horror. I enjoyed Noemi's flighty and outspoken nature as well; she’s easy to root for as she stands her own against the antagonists. ...more

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May 08, 2020 Chelsea Humphrey rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Chelsea by: Random House Reader's Circle (RHRC)

Shelves: netgalley, recommended, from-publisher

"I pray I'll see you again. You must come for me, Noemí. You have to save me."

WHEW. You think you know where this book is going, and then it goes there. Mexican Gothic begins in such an unassuming way, where you think you're walking into a traditional haunted house story, and then everything shifts to pull you under like a riptide that doesn't loosen until you turn the final page. Before I dive into my review, I think it's fair to note that the majority of this book is atmospheric, character dri ...more

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Jul 08, 2020 Arini ~ Miss Casually Reading rated it liked it · review of another edition

For as intriguing as it is, immersive it is not. This tale is bizzare and fascinating in its monotony, and in the second half there lies the charm—or the problem, depending on how you look at it.

The book operates on the classic trope of isolated old creaky mansion complete with its misty private cemetery and ‘eccentrically macabre’ family. On the surface, the Doyles look like a harmless and orderly household, but the peculiarity rests (literally) within the walls of the house—its secrets and his For as intriguing as it is, immersive it is not. This tale is bizzare and fascinating in its monotony, and in the second half there lies the charm—or the problem, depending on how you look at it.

The book operates on the classic trope of isolated old creaky mansion complete with its misty private cemetery and ‘eccentrically macabre’ family. On the surface, the Doyles look like a harmless and orderly household, but the peculiarity rests (literally) within the walls of the house—its secrets and history, the mind twisting effects it has on the people living inside it.

The characters are described a certain way, and for the most part they are unchanging. I didn’t like Noemí. Someone needs to introduce her to the proverb “when in Rome do as the Romans do” cause she’s annoyingly nonchalant, rude, nosy, distrustful, and sometimes acts like a brat in a place that’s not her home. I had a mild crush on Francis, and I also kinda had the hots for Virgil . . . which I know how not right that sounds considering he’s a creep LOL.

Howard is a disgusting old man, just ew! It’s a shame that Catalina is such a passive character when she’s the reason for Noemí’s visit in the first place.

There’s the barest hint of romance, but its unclear presence makes it pointless. The plot doesn’t take flight until the last 30% to 40% of the book. When it does, it veers into such unexpected direction that it’ll leave you flabbergasted. Because of this drastic shift, it feels like reading two different books where one (the first half) is a tedious mystery/suspense and another (the second half) is an absurd supernatural—borderline fantasy—horror.

The book is set in 1950s Mexico, but the only thing that reflects that is Noemí’s sense of fashion. The Doyles are an English family, and the majority of the book takes place inside the mansion. There are some passing commentary on eugenics, the Revolution, race and gender injustices, etc that aren’t meant to be thought provoking but serve as some sort of ‘ornamentation’ as they lack depth.

In other words, the Mexican culture isn’t prominently realised through the setting nor it is affirmed by the characters. The book could’ve been set in any time period and it wouldn’t have made any difference.

I’d considered why I wasn’t as enamored and mesmerised as the majority of GR readers seemed to be, and I decided it was because I didn’t vibe with the writing. It’s easy to follow, but it’s also . . . dry. The book goes so far as utilizing disturbing themes and graphic scenes, but they are never truly felt. The whole experience for me was like NOT peering through a pair of 3D glasses.

(Read as an Audiobook) ...more

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Jul 02, 2020 daph pink ♡ rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: people who are ready to get scared the shit out of them

Shelves: mystery-thriller-horror

Congratulations on winning GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS

5*I AM SHIT SCARED*Stars.✨

there was something so charming and beautiful about the cover that drew me towards it! (I mean just look at this stunning cover and think how beautiful it will look in your bookshelf)

I honestly don’t like Gothic books, it’s like my second Gothic book (after a failed attempt to read Wuthering heights for like 1000 times.) and ohhh boyyy I freaking loved it. Like a 5 star rating is less to describe how much I loved this b ...more

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Nov 08, 2020 Yun rated it really liked it

A dark, chilling atmosphere. A spirited heroine. And a house that never lets its inhabitants go. Sometimes a book hits all the right notes for me, and Mexican Gothic certainly did that.

It starts off with socialite Noemí receiving a cryptic and rambling letter from her newlywed cousin Catalina, hinting that all was not well. Noemí decides to visit her and sets off for the remote estate where Catalina now lives with her new husband and his family. Once there, she immediately becomes plagued with t A dark, chilling atmosphere. A spirited heroine. And a house that never lets its inhabitants go. Sometimes a book hits all the right notes for me, and Mexican Gothic certainly did that.

It starts off with socialite Noemí receiving a cryptic and rambling letter from her newlywed cousin Catalina, hinting that all was not well. Noemí decides to visit her and sets off for the remote estate where Catalina now lives with her new husband and his family. Once there, she immediately becomes plagued with troubling visions and dreams. And as she digs around, she starts to realize that the house and its strange inhabitants are hiding secrets that could ensnare her in their traps.

This story is so moody and atmospheric. There is a chill that permeates the pages, making for a deliciously dark and creepy read. Many books promise this, but in my experience, so few actually deliver, with most falling into silly and eye-rolling territory. But this story got it spot-on. I just wanted to huddle in a comfy blanket with a hot cup of tea, and turn the pages as fast as I could.

The initial pages drew me into the story immediately. From then on, I was riveted, though the middle did slow down a bit in pacing. But then we reach the end, and it was as rewarding and as fun as I could have hoped. I always love a strong, feisty female, so Noemí was right up my alley. I found myself chuckling at her witty comebacks and cheering at her refusal to back down.

One thing I particularly appreciate is that this story attempts to offer a comprehensive explanation for what's going on. It's always disappointing when a tantalizing set up is so good or so outrageous that it can't possibly be explained, so the book proceeds to handwave all previous clues away. But in this case, an explanation that's both unusual and interesting is provided that ties it all together, and as we slowly learn of it throughout the story, it's quite satisfying.

This is the second book I've read by Moreno-Garcia, and I've really enjoyed both. She has definitely become a must-read author for me, and I can't wait to see more from her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
See also, my thoughts on:
Gods of Jade and Shadow
Velvet Was the Night
~~~~~~~~~~~~

...more

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Apr 05, 2020 megs_bookrack rated it liked it

**3.5-stars**

When Neomi Taboada's father enlists her help to check on her cousin, Catalina, she really doesn't want to. Neomi's got so much going on in the city. She doesn't have time for this!

Catalina, recently married, lives in a remote manor home, known as High Place, with her husband, Virgil and his family, far from the bustle of Mexico City.

According to Catalina's recent letters, the home is a desolate place, where she is currently either very unwell, purportedly with tuberculosis, or she's ...more

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Jul 30, 2020 Melissa ~ Bantering Books rated it really liked it

Be sure to visit Bantering Books to read all my latest reviews.

Hmm. How best to describe “Mexican Gothic?”

I guess I would say it’s –

A little bit H. P. Lovecraft.
A little bit Alfred Hitchcock.
A lotta bit creepy old house.

Yes. Mexican Gothic is part mystery. It’s part Gothic suspense. It’s part horror. Maybe even part New Weird. (Maybe.) And all its various parts are expertly and seamlessly blended by the skillful words of Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

Set in 1950s Mexico, the novel follows the young soci ...more

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Oct 20, 2020 Emily (Books with Emily Fox) added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-releases, audiobooks

Due to popular request... I'm attempting this one! ...more

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Oct 27, 2020 Joel Rochester rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2020, four-stars

i now hate mushrooms more than i already do
oh, also this book was great
noemí rights

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Sep 21, 2020 jessica rated it liked it · review of another edition

well, wasnt this just a spooky little story?! i knew i should have saved this for next month.

fans of gothic stories will swoon over this. its so atmospheric. the old mansion, the creepy family who lives there, the lush mexican countryside. i was honestly really, really enjoying myself up until the near end.

the turn of events were a little too… unrealistic for me, i suppose. i wanted to gasp in shock but i ended up just rolling my eyes. i know the way things play out wont bother some readers, and ...more

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Nov 10, 2020 Miranda Reads rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobook, published2020

Just posted my Goodreads Choice 2020 Reaction Video on Booktube! Click the link to check it out!!

The Written Review

4.5 stars

To be frank - this one was GORGEOUS.

Like my life will never be the same level of beauty.

The atmosphere, the setting, the characters. It was - to be frank - amazing. I loved it.

Thank goodness I saw it on the GRs Choice awards!

YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads ...more

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Aug 27, 2020 Taylor Reid added it

Shelves: 2020

This book is wild in the absolute best way. It’s haunting and creepy but so readable. And what I love most about it is that, as the story unfolds—with more and more bizarre details—you find yourself wondering over and over “what on earth is going on?!?”. And I could not have guessed what was actually going on in a million years.

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Mar 14, 2020 Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell rated it it was ok

Shelves: doth-the-goth, netgalley, historical-fiction, i-came-i-saw-i-yeeted, poc-interracial

Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon || Pinterest

DNF @ p.84

I am actually a huge fan of retro Gothic novels from the 60s and 70s, so when I found out about MEXICAN GOTHIC, a Latinx take on the popular Gothic novel subgenre, I was pee-in-my-pants excited. Just look at that cover! OMG. Stunning.

Sadly, the cover is the best thing about this book. It was SO BORING. Noemi is a socialite whose father doesn't approve of her superficial ways. She goes to see her cousin in the countryside after ...more

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May 13, 2020 Julie rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020, netgalley, e-book, horror, gothic

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a 2020 Del Rey publication.

An exciting new approach to Gothic Horror fiction!

I rarely ever comment on a book cover- but this one is stunning! It’s an eye-catcher for sure- but you know what they say about judging a book by its cover. So, the question is- Does the story measure up to that magnificent cover?

Mexico City- 1950s

Noemí Taboada, a young socialite, who wishes to achieve more in her life than marrying a man her father approves of, is given th ...more

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Jul 12, 2020 Merphy Napier rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult, horror, four-stars

This an adult gothic horror that's heavily inspired by "The Yellow Wallpaper" (a story I LOVE). Overall, I really enjoyed it but I do feel like it had potential to be a 5 star book that I rave about for a very long time and I'm disappointed because I feel like it had some missed potential, but I still really enjoyed it and still recommend!

There are some potential trigger warnings I wanna mention though for anyone who's gonna read on my rec (view spoiler) This an adult gothic horror that's heavily inspired by "The Yellow Wallpaper" (a story I LOVE). Overall, I really enjoyed it but I do feel like it had potential to be a 5 star book that I rave about for a very long time and I'm disappointed because I feel like it had some missed potential, but I still really enjoyed it and still recommend!

There are some potential trigger warnings I wanna mention though for anyone who's gonna read on my rec (view spoiler)

What I loved:
- gothic. The gothic vibes were very good. I felt like I was in a classic gothic horror at times, it got the feel down very well.
- culture. Obvs this takes place in Mexico and I really enjoyed reading about these characters culture, traditions, and family dynamics
- characters. They weren't tremendously complex but easy for me to like (or hate) each of them and I enjoyed following all of them.
- the plot. I really enjoyed what this story was doing from start to finish. Which is why I say it had so much potential, I really enjoyed reading it

What didn't work for me
- the horror. Like I said, the gothic elements were done very well. I was disappointed with the amount of horror we got. Actually this is my biggest complaint. On a scale of 10, I'd say the horror is at about a 3 for most of the book, and near the end it's amped up to a 5 tops. This story was so good but I just really wanted the horror/suspense/spooky vibes to be cranked up *a lot*
- the reveal. So I thought the reveal was fine. I guessed most of it but that's just because the ground laying was good. My problem was that it happened earlier than I'd like. By the time the horror amped up, I already had one foot out the door because the mystery was solved and it was just a matter of getting out alive. I would have loved for it to either be revealed later, or end a bit sooner.

That said, my negatives are more of, "great book but I wish for little changes" not big complaints. I still really enjoyed it and def do recommend! Just go in knowing the horror/suspense will be on the lighter side. ...more

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Aug 17, 2020 Melanie rated it really liked it

Shelves: thriller, mystery, poc, quarantine-reads, read-in-2020, buddy-reads, adult, ghosts, dark, horror

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Dec 06, 2020 Teodora rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-releases, historical, fantasy, on-app, horror-thriller, owned

4.75/5 ⭐

Full review on my blog: The Dacian She-Wolf 🐺

Uh.
Wow. I wasn’t expecting this to go in that direction.
Colour me impressed.

Mexican Gothic is the second book I read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (the other one being Gods of Jade and Shadow ). All I can say is that even though I liked that book too, this one was so much better.

It’s. So. Good.
And I mean it.

Yes, it started slow. Very slow. Bordering-painful slow. I didn’t actually think that I was going to enjoy it this much after tha ...more

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Sep 28, 2020 Danielle rated it it was ok

Okay... I had no business picking up this book. Don’t let the beautiful cover and enchanting title fool you. This is a true HORROR novel. 😬😱🤮 This is not a genre I read, because I’m a big baby with gore and... I don’t know... eating babies 😳 o.m.f.g. 🤦🏼‍♀️ sprinkle in sexual assault and description of black oozing boils on the skin 🤢 I honestly can’t believe I made it through this whole thing. Happy Haunting Month! 🎃

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Mar 07, 2021 MarilynW rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, hoopla-overdrive

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Author), Frankie Corzo (Narrator)

When this book first caught my eye, I read reviews of the ARCs and decided it might be too creepy and full of disgusting body fluids and oddities for me. But that beautiful cover and the weirdness of what might be in the story keep on calling to me, leading me to give the audiobook a listen. I stuck with it despite the grossness of this strange story but I will avoid stories like this one, in the future.

In 1950s Mexico, you ...more

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May 06, 2020 Olivia (Stories For Coffee) rated it it was ok

Shelves: review-requested, latine

Maybe a 2.5 STARS?

Mexican Gothic held so much promise but couldn’t quite deliver its gory, on-the-edge-of-my-seat gothic thriller I thought I would receive. While the premise was fascinating and sucked me right in, I had to drag my way through the initial 1/3 of the novel before I finally found myself in the groove of the story.

One of Mexican Gothic’s biggest weakness was the fact that we always stayed pretty surface level in terms of characterization and plot. Noemí shows up at High Place in ho ...more

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Dec 20, 2019 mina reads™️ rated it liked it

Shelves: arcs, about-poc, mystery-thriller-horror

pre release thoughts: A gothic suspense novel set in 1950s Mexico? My body is ready 🤩🤩

Review: 7/18/2020

3.5 stars
what the fuckkkkkk
I don't know how to feel about this book but it certainly took me on a wild ass ride.

This story follows Noemi, a flighty, party-going 22 year old who is enlisted by her father to check in on an older cousin, Catalina, who has been whisked away by her mysterious husband and has sent very troubing letters that leave her family members questioning her safety and sanity. pre release thoughts: A gothic suspense novel set in 1950s Mexico? My body is ready 🤩🤩

Review: 7/18/2020

3.5 stars
what the fuckkkkkk
I don't know how to feel about this book but it certainly took me on a wild ass ride.

This story follows Noemi, a flighty, party-going 22 year old who is enlisted by her father to check in on an older cousin, Catalina, who has been whisked away by her mysterious husband and has sent very troubing letters that leave her family members questioning her safety and sanity.

The language and imagery in this was really evocative, Moreno-Garcia's writing style perfectly suited this gothic story. As much as the english major in me was loving the writing I did find myself incredibly bored during the first 100 or so pages of this story and I struggled immensely to feel connected to this story and our protagonist Noemi at first. It really seemed like we kept getting a repetitive collection of scenes and I was so bored with it.

Then things changed immensely after that first hundred pages and I honestly cannot even begin to discuss how swiftly this story changed from the tried and trite gothic tale with the misty, decrepit mansion full of kooky occupants and transitioned into something so uniquely creepy, it made my skin crawl. From the point of the initial reveal onward I felt myself frantically flipping the pages seeking answers to the millions of questions this story raises. I found myself feeling just as confused and tormented as our protagonist and it was quite the experience to say the least, and I won't spoil that adventure for you.

However, I did feel that the exceptionally slow start and also the romance that blossoms in this story did lessen my experience a bit. The romance just felt a bit unnecessary to me and there was no romantic chemistry between these two characters, only shared trauma, why couldn't they just be friends???

Also here's the content warnings which will be considered spoilers to some so avoid if you don't need them

cw: sexual assault, incest, body horror, cannabalism, infanticide, murder

arc provided in exchange for an honest review ...more

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Oct 22, 2020 emma rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-ya, 4-stars, diverse, authors-of-color, recommend, mystery-thriller-horror-etc, historical, reviewed

As an allegory for colonization and its impact on the colonized, this is stunning and gorgeous and I enjoy analyzing it in spare moments, like when I'm tired of working or am eating a cookie that is not so delicious as to require my full attention or am in the shower.

As a story in and of itself, I did not enjoy it. But who cares.

The writing style of this was pretty stilted, in my opinion (and I kept catching myself doing that nightmarish thing where I feel obligated to rewrite awkward sentences) ...more

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Aug 28, 2020 Nataliya rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: locus-winner, 2020-reads, hugo-nebula-nominees-and-winners

Well, there’s one kind of food I’ll stay away from for a while after reading this book.

“So I’ll be wed in the Church of the Holy Incestuous Mushroom?” she intoned. “I doubt that’s valid.”

Mexican Gothic is set in a strange place - an old decrepit English manor house built by the English owners of the now-defunct silver mine, the English who despite living in Mexico for 70 years are dead-set on keeping everything in their small remote dreary domain as *English* as possible, down to the soil that the family patriarch brought with him from England to Mexico. In High Place it’s not really Mexico in the 1950s; it’s gloomy gothic claustrophobic Wuthering Heights-style Old World, complete with the creepy dying patriarch spouting eugenics while not ogling young ladies. The strange uptight and very creepy, once rich but now declining Doyle family inhabits the manor, the damp and moldy house where mushrooms might as well grow out of the walls.

“Treasure troves from their vault, carefully placed in crates, just like the dark earth Howard had packed, so that they might reassemble the world where they’d reigned as masters.”

This is now the family and the house of Noemí’s cousin Catalina who married Virgil Doyle, the heir to the Doyle’s diminished fortunes. And things are not fine with Catalina, based on the frantic and seemingly deranged letter she mails to her family back in Mexico City. And so, wary of possible madness/divorce scandal, Noemí - a heiress, socialite and inspiring anthropologist - is sent by her rich father to figure out what in the world is going on with her cousin.

“Noemí, like any good socialite, shopped at the Palacio de Hierro, painted her lips with Elizabeth Arden lipstick, owned a couple of very fine furs, spoke English with remarkable ease, courtesy of the nuns at the Monserrat—a private school, of course—and was expected to devote her time to the twin pursuits of leisure and husband hunting.”

Noemí Taboada is a practical and far from naive young woman, although certainly vain and self-absorbed. In the country where women wouldn’t be even able to vote for three more years, she relies on things she can control - her social status, her looks, her desirability. She hopes to advance her education, but can’t do it without her father’s permission - which hinges on her successfully solving the predicament of her cousin Catalina’s likely madness. And Noemí is also curious and very stubborn, and not too likely to unquestionably put up with Doyles’ stifling and conceited rule-abundant strict strangeness.

“This house is sick with rot, stinks of decay, brims with every single evil and cruel sentiment. I have tried to hold on to my wits, to keep this foulness away but I cannot and I find myself losing track of time and thoughts. Please. Please. They are cruel and unkind and they will not let me go. I bar my door but still they come, they whisper at nights and I am so afraid of these restless dead, these ghosts, fleshless things.”

Like any gothic novel worth its name, Mexican Gothic delivers a creepy haunted house, a remote isolated dreary location, a plucky heroine in danger, an old family full of dark secrets, the past that is buried not as deep as one would wish, a terrifyingly creepy lady running the dilapidated mansion, cemeteries and ghosts, disturbing dreams, a touch of unsettling eroticism (here quickly proceeding to sexual assault), and enough creepy galore to last for a while. Let’s just say that there are certain foods that I feel uneasy eating after finishing this book.

“Noemí, just because there are no ghosts it doesn’t mean you can’t be haunted. Nor that you shouldn’t fear the haunting.”

The haunted house mystery is done quite well. Well, maybe not as much the actual mystery part - there’s no reason why by at least the halfway point you wouldn’t figure out at least some of the reasons for all the strangeness in the house and the family - but certainly the atmosphere is captured perfectly. The suffocating damp gloom of the stuffy decrepit mansion, the moldy remains of former splendor, the rotting books and tarnished silver, the oppressive silence, the entire dreary existence of the corner of the world clinging on to colonialism and vestiges of power and perceived superiority over the people and their land. The dismissive attitude towards those thought of as “inferior” (“You are much darker than your cousin, Miss Taboada”, nastily observes Howard Doyle, and proceeds to inquire, “What are your thoughts on the intermingling of superior and inferior types?”). The increasingly vivid descriptions of the grotesque as we are getting closer and closer to the climax and resolution.

“A body. That’s what they all were to them. The bodies of miners in the cemetery, the bodies of women who gave birth to their children, and the bodies of those children who were simply the fresh skin of the snake. And there on the bed lay the body that mattered. The father.”

It gets quite sinister and not shy on the grotesque. It maintains the sense of unease throughout, feeling strange and haunted and surreal. It also smartly touches on the more “everyday” issues of exploitation, misogyny and eugenics, clashing the pseudo-Victorian sensibilities with more modern - although on their way to become antiquated as well - sensibilities.

Mexican Gothic combines the classic feel of the gothic haunted house story with the refreshing modern take on it. It’s certainly entertaining and made me interested in checking out other works by Moreno-Garcia. Also, no mushrooms on my pizza, thank you very much. And now I’m off checking my walls for any traces of mold.

3.5 - 4 stars, rounding up.

———————

My Hugo and Nebula Awards Reading Project 2021: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more

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Oct 12, 2021 Regina rated it liked it

If I had a dollar for every time I wanted to read a book because of its irresistible paper doll collection… I’d have a dollar. Just look at these beauties! http://www.randomhousebooks.com/wp-co...

Okay, so maybe I had a few more motivations to pick up Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic. The cover (obviously). The horror genre, perfect for spooky Halloween reading season. The #ownvoices authorship during October National Hispanic Heritage Month. The 2020 Goodreads Choice Award win for Best Horr ...more

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About Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of several novels, including Velvet Was the Night, Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow and Untamed Shore. She has also edited a number of anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award-winning She Walks in Shadows (a.k.a. Cthulhu's Daughters). Mexican by birth, Canadian by inclination. ...more