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I finally picked up Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic and it was just the creepy chilling read I was looking for this spooky season! It's mysterious and bizarre with just a hint of the supernatural, making it the perfect spooky read for Halloween!
Noemi receives a troubling letter from her recently married cousin, Catalina. The letter doesn't make much sense and doesn't seem like the Catalina Noemi knows. Since Catalina implores Noemi for a visit, Noemi's father convinces her it's the right thing to do. When Noemi arrives at Catalina's husband's family home she notices right away how cold it looks. In fact, it's pretty cold inside as well as are her cousin's new family members. Florence, in particular is one of the coldest of the house's residents. In fact, the only normal one is Florence's son, Francis who is friendly with Noemi and proves to possibly be her only companion in this house other than her ailing cousin.
That Noemi is mostly barred from seeing Catalina also troubles her. No one seems to want to let Noemi in to see Catalina and even in the rare moments that she gets to spend with her, Catalina doesn't seem like herself. She didn't remember writing Noemi even. Then in a moment of lucidity she asks Noemi to go into town and seek out a medicine woman to get more of a tonic she was taking that would help her sleep.
Virgil, Catalina's husband is another character who is straight up bizarre and mysterious and maybe a little creepy. Okay, he's kind of downright creepy! Noemi is plagued with strange dreams that feature Virgil as well in most amorous situations.
This read definitely kept me turning the pages and trying to guess things and figure out what was behind all the strange going-ons in this house. Let's just say, I never even got close! Lol. It's definitely one you will need to pay attention to, which I admit to getting a little distracted when reading on my break. So I might have missed a thing or two, but it wasn't enough to dissuade me from the story!
The creepiness factor was what kept me going. It was so strange and weird and creepy too! I ate up the weirdness because it was done so well! I love when a book can really suck you in with that kind of pull! I also enjoyed how the mystery was drawn out in increments. There was also just a hint of romance going on with Noemi and Francis. It was subtle and very much fit with the mood of the story and I enjoyed it quite immensely! A little romance added to a horror story is always nice if it fits in right!
All in all, Mexican Gothic was a very entertaining read! It was a dark and atmospheric kind of read that is perfect for this time of year! If you're looking for a spooky mysterious kind of read, I would highly recommend this one!
Overall Rating 4/5 stars
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It was easy to kiss someone when it didn’t matter; it was more difficult when it might be meaningful.Highlighted by 2,095 Kindle readers- “So I’ll be wed in the Church of the Holy Incestuous Mushroom?” she intoned. “I doubt that’s valid.”Highlighted by 1,150 Kindle readers
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| Gods of Jade and Shadow | Velvet Was the Night | The Daughter of Doctor Moreau | |
| The Mayan god of death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this dark, one-of-a-kind fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore. | A simmering historical noir about a daydreaming secretary, a lonesome enforcer, and the mystery of the missing woman they’re both desperate to find. | A dreamy reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Mexico. |
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Wow! Mexican Gothic definitely checks all the boxes for a true Gothic Horror! I could see Vincent Price revelling in the roll of Howard Doyle! The eerie setting of house and surroundings takes on the role of a character, drives the plot, gives the reader chills and a sense of foreboding. While characters seem tortured and dark, leave you wondering what is real and what is imagined, is something wrong, dangerous, or alluded to but everything is really fine...Woven well as Noemi is drawn into the chill raising atmosphere, searches for answers, wonders what is truth, what can be trusted...plotting and planning to escape the horrors while fighting to hold on to the good she found...A great read anytime but definitely perfect for spooky season
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TripFiction
Gothic melodrama set in MEXICO
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 16, 2020
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 16, 2020
I confess that this took me out of my comfort zone, I am not naturally drawn to the gothic/horror genre but I have to say it was the cover that swung me in the book’s favour; that, and also because it was set in Mexico. Just see, the power of the book cover ad location!
Catalina is living with her husband Virgil Doyle, in the misty mountains near El Triunfo in the family mansion, where patriarch Howard Doyle is still wheezing away his days on his looming death bed. The family have mined the silver in the area for several generations. Catalina has sent a letter to her cousin Noemí’s family in Mexico City and Noemí is despatched to check on the health and well-being of Catalina. It seems that she might be experiencing psychological disturbance.
Noemí arrives and almost immediately a shiver runs down her spine. It is a dank and dreary building, and the household is ruled with an iron fist (absolutely no speaking over dinner), with sharp-tongued Florence as at the helm.
As Noemí delves deeper, she discovers all kinds of horrors and mysteries – and death.
It is a reflective storyline, leaving the reader to ponder whether the house is sick or whether the sins of the ancestors – colonisers plundering the land for its resources – are being visited upon this generation.
I was enthralled by the first third of the book, the writing and storytelling fully drew me in. Thereafter it levelled out for me. The longer she stays, the more Noemí sinks into the bowels of the sinister clutch of the house and its occupants. She starts to sleep walk, apparently, and the blur between reality and ghostly adventures starts to add confusion to her days. Soon thereafter it goes into more otherworldly realms. This is not my genre of choice and sometimes one just needs to step out of one’s comfort zone and expand one’s horizons. In many ways I am very glad I have read it. The New Yorker says its addictive prose “..is as easy to slurp down as a poisoned cordial…” It is indeed!
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Kelly Ann Mealia
A promising book that didn't deliver
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 30, 2022
Kelly Ann Mealia
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 30, 2022
And then, I got to the final part. It was such a let down for me. I'm keeping tight lipped on purpose as I don't want to spoil it for anyone. I've read some books that take bizarre turns, and it works but this was just a tad too odd. I do really want to read more books by Moreno-Garcia though as I loved how atmospheric and eerie the writing was.
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Amazon Customer
Tacky pile of crock
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 7, 2021
