Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Book review - 3.5/5
“Turns out you don’t need a heart to live, after all.”
1979, Baja California. The climate is arid and the setting of the novel is desolate. Dead sharks are dragged onto the beach by fishermen and violently gutted. Every inch of them is used in order to generate a profit. The novel’s opening scene of shark carcasses festering on the boiling sand sets the incredibly dark tone of Moreno-García’s first noir.
The novel is narrated by Viridiana, a disillusioned 18 year old woman, who lives in a dead-end Mexican town. She is well-read and dreams of becoming something bigger and better than what most of the women in her town become (such as a wife or mother). The opportunity to achieve this is presented to her when 3 Americans require her services as translator. However, things take a turn for the worst when one of the Americans mysteriously dies. Their death begs the question as to who these Americans truly are and whether Viridiana can trust them.
Untamed Shore is a coming-of-age which explores what happens when naivety leads you into dangerous waters and what happens when one’s innocence is abrasively taken. Viridiana’s account feels strangely familiar as I’m sure many of us have made poor judgements of people’s characters in our past, whether it be an ex-lover or a friend. However, Moreno-Garcia pushes this even further by presenting what could happen when a misjudgment of someone’s character can go criminally wrong.
Staying true to the noir subgenre, this book doesn’t necessarily end happily or morally. Its conclusion sat very uncomfortably with me and even though it fit with the trope of the morally ambiguous noir protagonist, it made me feel like the story wasn’t properly resolved.
Although I enjoyed reading this book, it definitely wasn’t one of Moreno-García’s best works. The characters felt superficial and in Viridiana’s case, stereotypical. It was difficult to feel connected or invested in any of them. Also, this edition of the novel has a lot of grammatical errors and typos which really stopped me fully enjoying it.
“Turns out you don’t need a heart to live, after all.”
1979, Baja California. The climate is arid and the setting of the novel is desolate. Dead sharks are dragged onto the beach by fishermen and violently gutted. Every inch of them is used in order to generate a profit. The novel’s opening scene of shark carcasses festering on the boiling sand sets the incredibly dark tone of Moreno-García’s first noir.
The novel is narrated by Viridiana, a disillusioned 18 year old woman, who lives in a dead-end Mexican town. She is well-read and dreams of becoming something bigger and better than what most of the women in her town become (such as a wife or mother). The opportunity to achieve this is presented to her when 3 Americans require her services as translator. However, things take a turn for the worst when one of the Americans mysteriously dies. Their death begs the question as to who these Americans truly are and whether Viridiana can trust them.
Untamed Shore is a coming-of-age which explores what happens when naivety leads you into dangerous waters and what happens when one’s innocence is abrasively taken. Viridiana’s account feels strangely familiar as I’m sure many of us have made poor judgements of people’s characters in our past, whether it be an ex-lover or a friend. However, Moreno-Garcia pushes this even further by presenting what could happen when a misjudgment of someone’s character can go criminally wrong.
Staying true to the noir subgenre, this book doesn’t necessarily end happily or morally. Its conclusion sat very uncomfortably with me and even though it fit with the trope of the morally ambiguous noir protagonist, it made me feel like the story wasn’t properly resolved.
Although I enjoyed reading this book, it definitely wasn’t one of Moreno-García’s best works. The characters felt superficial and in Viridiana’s case, stereotypical. It was difficult to feel connected or invested in any of them. Also, this edition of the novel has a lot of grammatical errors and typos which really stopped me fully enjoying it.
Untamed Shore is a little rough around the edges - such that, while I think it is one of the most physically beautiful books I've read in a while, I found myself thinking it would feel more appropriate to be reading it as a worn old paperback with scuffed corners and creases across the cover. There's an atmosphere to it that would be enhanced by that sense of age; an atmosphere that was also heightened by the early summer warmth and the still, slightly humid atmosphere of my apartment before the landlords turn the central air on for the summer. A languid, summer heat, befitting the story of a young adult in that phase of life when she's done schooling, done with her home town, but can't yet leave, she doesn't have the resources. I read it quite fast, but it feels sometimes like it's going slowly - or at least, at the necessary pace. This book feels exactly right for what it is.
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This might deserve a higher rating. Honestly, it's more me than the novel that knocked those two stars off. It's a pretty good noir thriller. It reads well enough: Moreno-Garcia paints a vivid picture with her words. I like the general plot and the basic ideas of it, but I just can't stand reading books where the plot relies on people doing really stupid things over and over to make it move forward. It's especially frustrating for me when the protagonist is smart and even says straight up that they know they're doing the wrong thing. It doesn't matter if the bad decisions are exactly the kind of bad decisions that an intelligent, lonely teenager would make. I just don't like that feeling of frustration.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I don't quite know what to say. This book turned into something I couldn't have expected.
There are a few bit of similarities between US and Mexican Gothic. Not so much in tone but characters and their relationship to one another. If you liked MG you might like this one.
I didn't dislike the development that happens. If you know you know. But it did feel a but too melodramatic. Even if it was enjoyable. There is also a slightly unsatisfied feeling at the end where something is left ambiguous. It would have felt cathartic to have that one question answered.
I like where the MC left the story.
Would have liked more with the sharks though. There's a lot of emphasis on sharks and not enough payoff in my opinion. At least have one character at some point fall into the water and get dragged down.
There are a few bit of similarities between US and Mexican Gothic. Not so much in tone but characters and their relationship to one another. If you liked MG you might like this one.
I didn't dislike the development that happens. If you know you know. But it did feel a but too melodramatic. Even if it was enjoyable. There is also a slightly unsatisfied feeling at the end where something is left ambiguous. It would have felt cathartic to have that one question answered.
I like where the MC left the story.
Would have liked more with the sharks though. There's a lot of emphasis on sharks and not enough payoff in my opinion. At least have one character at some point fall into the water and get dragged down.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a fast read. Silvia Moreno-Garcia can really write that small-town claustrophobia so well that I was so frustrated and angry on behalf of the protagonist. It was a bit too close to the home too, having some experience with very traditional catholic upbringing myself.
Viridiana is a very vivid and believable protagonist, and I liked her development through the book a lot, even though there were some moments in the middle that made me want to scream at her (like I said, very believable as a character). I liked the ending a lot, how she transformed as a character, what she learned. Mystery part was a bit too predictable, but the overall atmosphere, realistic characters and prose, made it easy for me to read and enjoy the book a lot.
Also, I like the trope of femme fatale and this book delivers it on more ways and does not disappoint.
Viridiana is a very vivid and believable protagonist, and I liked her development through the book a lot, even though there were some moments in the middle that made me want to scream at her (like I said, very believable as a character). I liked the ending a lot, how she transformed as a character, what she learned. Mystery part was a bit too predictable, but the overall atmosphere, realistic characters and prose, made it easy for me to read and enjoy the book a lot.
Also, I like the trope of femme fatale and this book delivers it on more ways and does not disappoint.