Reviews with content warning for Racism - Mexican Gothic

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

850 reviews

aksmith92's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The setup: Noemí Taboada is partying it up in Mexico City, flirting with cute men, attending debutant-like balls and events, and pondering what she should do with her life when her father notifies her that they have received quite an alarming letter from Noemí's cousin Catalina. The letter reads as if Catalina needs some psychiatric help—she sees ghosts, the walls talk to her, and she is having intense nightmares. It doesn't help that Catalina recently got married to essentially a stranger, and one of European descent no less. They live with his family in the Mexican countryside, where his British lineage ~~once made a name for themselves~~ exploited Mexicans in the mining industry.

Noemí isn't necessarily the closest with her cousin, but she is worried, and her father offers to pay for her anthropology school if she goes to investigate. Therefore, Noemí treks to High Place, where Catalina lives with Virgil, her husband, Virgil's father, Howard, and others in the family, including Florence, Virgil's cousin, and Francis, Florence's son. Noemí discovers that Catalina isn't well, but everything is not as it seems. We trek on a journey with Noemí as she discovers a house that brings about nightmares and a family's past that unravels long-time secrets.

What I liked: I'm going to preface my entire review with this fact: I knew going into this that this wasn't as scary as it may have been set out to be. I forget where I heard it, but I knew that this was not a jump scare horror novel. Regardless, this is an odd tale that intertwines a creepy family and some natural wonders (but not in the best way!). I honestly loved the "horror" aspect to this - an utterly unhinged family and their story and a captivating plot around a house of horrors. I found it unique and compelling. I'm being vague for a reason - I don't want to give any spoilers to the house of horrors, but I thought it was exciting and original. This story made me cringe at parts, so while it didn't scare me a lot, it psychologically spooked me in other ways. Additionally, I thought Noemí was a refreshing and lovely character. She somehow didn't annoy me, which is quite challenging in a thriller/mystery/horror novel like this one. The main character inevitably decides something to further the plot where you want to scream "NO!" That didn't happen to me here, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The slight romance plot was also refreshing as Noemí most certainly didn't act like a woman of the 1950s (at least by American standards). I liked this novel's plot, thriller aspect, and characters.

Lastly, I was struck by the novel's profound symbolism, particularly its exploration of colonialism and racism. The theme of eugenics, set in 1950s Mexico, was a powerful reminder of the country's history. The Spanish conquest, the Revolution, and the exploitation of the land and its people by colonizers all resonated strongly. This voice, so prevalent in the novel, was a necessary and thought-provoking element.

What could have been better: Like many reviews, I must acknowledge that the pacing was a bit uneven. The first half of the book was admittedly slow, but the last 20% picked up dramatically. However, even during the slower parts, I was still invested in Noemí's journey, and it kept me hooked. Some parts were slightly predictable and occasionally dull, and the horror element wasn't as pronounced as I expected (or, at least, in the way I expected). Also, the writing was not atmospheric or flowery for a gothic novel. Still, the gothic elements were at least described - particularly an old, outdated house with no electricity and plenty of bad weather, mist, and fog hovering on the mountain.

Lastly—and this didn't impact my review, but I think for expectation sake, I will share—this book did not necessarily explain the how behind the horror-like element of it; you were just expected to roll with it. Did it make a ton of sense? No. Nor was there a lot of time explaining it. However, was it interesting and a great take on something different in the genre? Absolutely.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel, even when the pacing prevented me from rating it higher. I particularly liked the natural elements that weaved into the overall premise, and it was generally well done.

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adrienne_rennie's review against another edition

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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? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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saracgeib's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

louwheezer's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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kbowles24's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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hexentart's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

An interesting premise, intriguing plot, and a deplorable cast of characters.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It obviously held my interest, but it's rare to not positively engage with any character.

Catalina and Ruth get a pass, but the rest of the characters were either sick, twisted, and thoroughly evil, shallow, self-centered, and pompous, or just woefully pathetic.

Noemi, the FMC/protagonist, is nothing more than a wilful, spoiled, rich girl with delusions of grandeur. She's flaky as hell, uppity, shallow, manipulative, and pig-headed. Not to mention her naivety. She's quite obnoxious and annoying.

I honestly didn't care if any of them made it out alive, but the writing held my interest until the very end. I needed to see how this all resolved; good, bad, or ugly.

Now that's not to say I didn't enjoy the book, it just wasn't quite what I expected. The world building, lore, and horror was top-notch. The characters were well fleshed out and felt quite real; they were all just awful people.

If you're a sensitive reader I implore you to mind your squicks. There's a lot of abuse, gaslighting, and body horror within this book.

I enjoyed it, but YMMV of course.

Content Warnings