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The Daughter of Doctor Moreau

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Start date: October 1, 2024

Finish date: October 31, 2024

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September-October 2025: The River Knows Your Name
By Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴… , Founding Retro Chick · 1 post · 8 views

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Oct 09, 2024 Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu rated it really liked it

Shelves: thriller, horror, autumn-2024-mystery

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a reimagining of the beloved and unsettling HG Wells' novel, The Island of Doctor Moreau. Silvia Moreno-Garcia's work pays homage to the original while adding her own unique twist, making it a must-read for fans of the classic.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia introduces readers to several characters who live in a remote area of the Yucatán Peninsula in the late 19th century. The story has two primary narrators, Montgomery Laughton, who oversees Dr. Moreau's creations and ass The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a reimagining of the beloved and unsettling HG Wells' novel, The Island of Doctor Moreau. Silvia Moreno-Garcia's work pays homage to the original while adding her own unique twist, making it a must-read for fans of the classic.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia introduces readers to several characters who live in a remote area of the Yucatán Peninsula in the late 19th century. The story has two primary narrators, Montgomery Laughton, who oversees Dr. Moreau's creations and assists in his experiments. Laughton is an interesting character with a complex history and has a tumultuous relationship with Carlotta Moreau, the doctor's daughter. Carlotta Moreau is also a primary narrator. Carlotta is described as unwell, subject to fits, and requires medical supervision. She's young and fanciful, described as being in love with love. When Eduardo, her father's benefactor's son, arrives on the isolated estate, the two fall passionately in love. Determined to be together, Eduardo proposes marriage to Carlotta, and she accepts. At this point, Carlotta's life is rose-colored with promises of romance, but that will not be the case.
One criticism I've read of the narration is the overlap of storytelling, and I agree. The alternating perspectives can be disorienting at times, and I would have preferred the book written solely from Carlotta's point of view while not diminishing Montgomery's voice. This could have provided a more focused narrative and a deeper exploration of Carlotta's character.
I loved how the themes are woven throughout the story, similar to those in the HG Wells' novel. Montgomery's past trauma is evident, and I appreciated his compassion for the hybrids due to his own experiences with humanity. The consequences of science without morality are also apparent in how Moreau's benefactors perceive and treat the hybrids, similar to how the indigenous Mexicans are treated. The treatment of women is also explored, as how Carlotta is considered a property and not her own person, which contrasts with how the benefactors in the novel treat the hybrids and indigenous. Montgomery contrasts Eduardo, observing that not all men consider Carlotta or the hybrid's property. Through his eyes (and Carlotta's), readers see the hybrid's humanity and the moral responsibility of respecting nature.
I enjoyed most of the writing, particularly the vivid descriptions of the Yucatán Peninsula and the complex characters. I was invested in the novel's outcome because of the well-paced plot and the emotional depth of the characters. The ending was a roller coaster, and I appreciated the excitement of the climactic conclusion.
I recommend The Daughter of Doctor Moreau to fans of HG Wells' original work and science fiction novels. ...more

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Sep 30, 2024 Theresa rated it really liked it

Shelves: coming-of-age, fantasy, dragons-spotted-in-the-wild, feminerdy, classics-and-classic-redos, thrillers, historical-fiction, science-climate, scifi, gothic

The author sets her retelling of H.G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau in the Yucatan, initially in 1871, then the bulk of the story in 1877. The background is against a time of colonialism, as well as civil war unrest and rebellion, here involving the British, the upper crust Mexicans who are descendants of the original European settlers, and the Mayans who basically serve as the field workers to the Mexicans. The Yucatan is, due to its geography, isolated much as an island is. Hence many a crim The author sets her retelling of H.G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau in the Yucatan, initially in 1871, then the bulk of the story in 1877. The background is against a time of colonialism, as well as civil war unrest and rebellion, here involving the British, the upper crust Mexicans who are descendants of the original European settlers, and the Mayans who basically serve as the field workers to the Mexicans. The Yucatan is, due to its geography, isolated much as an island is. Hence many a crime against humanity can be perpetuated with little chance of interference. It also makes it politically difficult to maintain order.

The story is told in two alternating viewpoints. First is Montgomery Laughton, the man who arrives at the beginning of the story, in 1871 to serve as Dr. Moreau's mayordomo of his Yaxaktun ("green grotto" in Mayan), caring for the small hacienda while Moreau worked on his scientific experiments. What exactly those scientific experiments are is revealed very early (of course - we all know what the classic story is about), that is the animal/human hybrids being created by the good doctor. We soon find that there is a Mexican patron funding this work whose political reasons for doing so relate to the political background of the story.

The other viewpoint is the voice of Carlotta, Moreau's natural daughter, who is 14 when Montgomery arrives and already beautiful, with a sweet unaffected mien, and an obedient daughter, naive to the world, knowing only Yaxaktun and the world in the books she reads, mostly about pirates, adventure, and science. From the beginning we are told that Carlotta was very ill as a child and that Dr. Moreau through his genius was able to save her through his experiments. He is also highly protective of her out of love. Or so it seems.

The young handsome son of the Mexican patron arrives without warning in 1877, setting off a sequence of events that reveal many secrets, as well as leading to passion, violence, and tragedy. For Carlotta, it triggers both the end of her childhood and her belief, even faith and trust, in Yaxaktun as a sanctuary, and leads to her owning her own uniqueness, intelligence, strength and power.

For me the alternating chapters in different voices occasionally grated because you would find yourself going back and in part revisiting a scene you just read, down to the exact dialogue, though with of course viewpoint changes, though I did not feel a significant difference in them - the tone was too similar. It might have benefited from an occasional third viewpoint but there really wasn't another that would work. This to me was perhaps the greatest weakness as it deadened the story a bit during the first third or so. But that's just a quibble.

One of the great strengths is how the author brought the humanity of the hybrids to life, because of course what the hybrids are is another human race though most in the story consider them animals at best and monsters primarily, but never human. Of course, no surprise one of the themes explored is just who are the monsters.

I found it interesting that Wells' classic scifi novel was published in 1896, meaning the author set up a plot that could have served in part as inspiration for the classic; a bit of tongue in cheek perhaps? I wouldn't put it past Moreno-Garcia! As I read I could not help but think of Lock In which I just read and the Hadens who were created by a pandemic virus, and also Jurassic Park which addresses man's arrogance vis. scientific experimentation. ...more

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