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A review by boocwurm
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
5.0
"It's impossible to get out of this house."
In 1950s Mexico, young socialite Noemí Taboada receives a disturbing letter from her recently wed cousin Catalina. Sent by her father to check on Catalina's wellbeing, Noemí begrudgingly heads to the dilapidated former mining town of El Triunfo and her cousin's husband's estate, High Place. Almost immediately, Noemí is struck by the eeriness of the house--its damp, dark nature. The house seems almost alive, maybe more so than its inhabitants, who treat Noemí like a child, force her to adhere to strict rules and limit her interactions with her cousin. Soon, Noemí is being haunted by horrendous visions of the past as she tries to uncover what is going on with her cousin and the family who is holding her hostage.
I was extremely excited for this book, and it certainly did not disappoint. I devoured the pages, eager to discover what was truly behind the horrors of High Place. I believe it's much more gothic than it is horror, but gothic it is. From the moment Noemí begins her journey to High Place, we are left with an unrelenting feeling of suspense and dread, beginning with the mist and darkness surrounding the house and ending with the mold patterns that dance on the walls. It was just jam-packed with gothic and grotesque goodness.
I didn't love Noemí right away--she's brash and rude, and some of the things she said gave me pause because they seemed so out of place at times. However, her non-conformist attitude stood in stark contrast with the tight-lipped conformist nature of Howard, Virgil, Florence and Francis, and in the end, I rooted for Noemí all the same.
The theme of colonialism is so evident in this book, and I want to read it again to tie all the bits and pieces Moreno-Garcia linked between the pages. I thought the horrific events that take place later in the novel were brilliantly linked to the concept of colonization, and I left the book feeling as though everything I initially found odd or didn't like about the book was ultimately done with purpose.
The "big reveal" toward the end was definitely hinted at but still interesting to uncover (and I definitely gagged more than once), but I won't say more for fear of giving it away.
Overall, I feel like this book was brilliantly done. It was a quick read for me, it left a lot to consider, and it will make a fantastic movie or TV show someday.
In 1950s Mexico, young socialite Noemí Taboada receives a disturbing letter from her recently wed cousin Catalina. Sent by her father to check on Catalina's wellbeing, Noemí begrudgingly heads to the dilapidated former mining town of El Triunfo and her cousin's husband's estate, High Place. Almost immediately, Noemí is struck by the eeriness of the house--its damp, dark nature. The house seems almost alive, maybe more so than its inhabitants, who treat Noemí like a child, force her to adhere to strict rules and limit her interactions with her cousin. Soon, Noemí is being haunted by horrendous visions of the past as she tries to uncover what is going on with her cousin and the family who is holding her hostage.
I was extremely excited for this book, and it certainly did not disappoint. I devoured the pages, eager to discover what was truly behind the horrors of High Place. I believe it's much more gothic than it is horror, but gothic it is. From the moment Noemí begins her journey to High Place, we are left with an unrelenting feeling of suspense and dread, beginning with the mist and darkness surrounding the house and ending with the mold patterns that dance on the walls. It was just jam-packed with gothic and grotesque goodness.
I didn't love Noemí right away--she's brash and rude, and some of the things she said gave me pause because they seemed so out of place at times. However, her non-conformist attitude stood in stark contrast with the tight-lipped conformist nature of Howard, Virgil, Florence and Francis, and in the end, I rooted for Noemí all the same.
The theme of colonialism is so evident in this book, and I want to read it again to tie all the bits and pieces Moreno-Garcia linked between the pages. I thought the horrific events that take place later in the novel were brilliantly linked to the concept of colonization, and I left the book feeling as though everything I initially found odd or didn't like about the book was ultimately done with purpose.
The "big reveal" toward the end was definitely hinted at but still interesting to uncover (and I definitely gagged more than once), but I won't say more for fear of giving it away.
Overall, I feel like this book was brilliantly done. It was a quick read for me, it left a lot to consider, and it will make a fantastic movie or TV show someday.