Deirdre answers “I get the notion, after reading a lot of...”

A Goodreads user asked this question about Mexican Gothic:

I get the notion, after reading a lot of reviews, that this book tries waaaaaay too hard to shoehorn every single issue-of-the-day into it (feminism, racism, sexism, colonialism...). True or not so much?

Deirdre I feel that the issues that were brought up were very organic to the story being told. I think it is sometimes hard for people who are not as affected…moreI feel that the issues that were brought up were very organic to the story being told. I think it is sometimes hard for people who are not as affected by racism, sexism, colonialism, etc. to imagine how deeply these issues impact those affected by them, to the point where books with these themes get (often unfairly) get labeled as being "too political" or "too PC". Are these issues sometimes handled in books in clumsy, heavy-handed or shallow manner? Sure. I don't feel that this was the case with Mexican Gothic. To me it was an entertaining read that I feel also touched on important and topical issues (the impact of colonialism, for instance, is something that resonates powerfully and harmfully to this day) in a deft manner. (less)

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