Reviews with content warning for Police brutality - Velvet Was the Night

Civil unrest in 1970s Mexico leads a well connected student activist, Leonora, to go into hiding over some photographs that show what the state doesn't want seen. This story follows Maite, her neighbor, as she tries to figure out what happened to Leonora, and Elvis, a private militia thug assigned to tail her.

Absolutely loved the characterization and character development. I could see where others would not find the plot very compelling but I enjoyed it. I especially liked how the interpersonal dynamics played out. Compelling prose.

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alisonvh's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The writing could be better, but the plot completely sucked me in. I devoured this book in just a few days when I was on vacation.

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buer's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Velvet Was the Night is a historical fiction with a strong romantic bent, starring Maite and Elvis. Maite is a woman in her thirties who loves reading romance and listening to records in lieu of having the husband and children that her mother keeps pestering her about. When her neighbor, Leonora, asks her to cat sit while she is out of town, Maite acquiesces - only to find herself suddenly living a life akin to the ones she reads about in her graphic romances. On the other side of the equation Elvis is a young man who has always existed on the criminal side of things. He too loves records and books and he has a strong sense of ethics that drive him to sometimes make surprising choices. The historical events surrounding this story are true, but the main players are fictional, making for a pulpy thrill ride in the midst of a tumultuous historical time in 1970s Mexico City.

Both Maite and Elvis exist in shades of gray. Maite technically a law-abiding citizen, but she lies to her co-workers, despises her family, and has a penchant for stealing small trinkets from people she knows or works for. Elvis has a job that has him beating people up and threatening them constantly, but is profoundly loyal and has a strong sense of ethics that sometimes make it hard for him to do his job. Over the course of the story both Maite and Elvis become even more gray as they grapple with their personal ethics and their current lifestyles.

I personally found Maite to be a pretty obnoxious. She is incredibly self-deprecating and is constantly day dreaming about sex. She only wills herself to act when a man is a part of the equation. However I'll be the first to admit that in spite of me not liking her as a character, Moreno-Garcia did a great job of shaping action around a stagnant and unlikable main character and constantly throwing her into contrast against Elvis.

My usual disclaimer: I listened to this book rather than reading it, which makes it difficult to evaluate the writing. Gisela Chípe was a great narrator, although a few of her deeper voices felt a little cartoonish and I didn't love how ditzy Leonora sounded. She is easy to listen to for long stretches and is overall very engaging.

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