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A review by blue_guitar
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-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
3.0
I read this as part of the 2024 r/fantasy Bingo – Author of Color
Given the pedigree this book had, I was really looking forward to reading it. I have to same I'm disappointed with it. I certainly didn't hate it but it was a let down for me overall.
The story follows Noemí Taboada, a young socialite in 1950's Mexico City who is sent to investigate her cousin Catalina after a mysterious letter arrived which seemed full of strange tidings. Noemi then ventures to a rural town and a lonely mansion on a hill where her cousin lives with her husband's old English family.
It's a good set up for a classic gothic horror story. Unfortunately, for about half the book, Neomi (and the plot) just kind of putters along. Long sequences of Neomi wandering around. Noticing the fog, the coldness of the family, the ouroborus symbol (a snake that eats it's tail) this is pointed out many, many times.
It wasn't until about the halfway point that the many divergent elements start to come together and pace pick up but honestly, it was near DNF for me. The picking up part felt like a major ramp up, a zero to one hundred and that didn't feel great. For a gothic horror, I wish more clues were given to what was actually happening before the big reveal.
I also wish there was more of Mexico in the book. Initially it seemed like the themes of colonialism was going to play a bigger role, the family in the book are Social Darwinists, but overall and by the end, it seemed to hardly matter that it was set in Mexico.
Finally, the biggest issue is I think with Noemi herself. She's not the most dynamic or interesting character. She always tells us exactly what she thinks and she never really undergoes any change or growth.
Over all, I think Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a good writer - but this book just didn't hit the mark for me.
Given the pedigree this book had, I was really looking forward to reading it. I have to same I'm disappointed with it. I certainly didn't hate it but it was a let down for me overall.
The story follows Noemí Taboada, a young socialite in 1950's Mexico City who is sent to investigate her cousin Catalina after a mysterious letter arrived which seemed full of strange tidings. Noemi then ventures to a rural town and a lonely mansion on a hill where her cousin lives with her husband's old English family.
It's a good set up for a classic gothic horror story. Unfortunately, for about half the book, Neomi (and the plot) just kind of putters along. Long sequences of Neomi wandering around. Noticing the fog, the coldness of the family, the ouroborus symbol (a snake that eats it's tail) this is pointed out many, many times.
It wasn't until about the halfway point that the many divergent elements start to come together and pace pick up but honestly, it was near DNF for me. The picking up part felt like a major ramp up, a zero to one hundred and that didn't feel great. For a gothic horror, I wish more clues were given to what was actually happening before the big reveal.
I also wish there was more of Mexico in the book. Initially it seemed like the themes of colonialism was going to play a bigger role, the family in the book are Social Darwinists, but overall and by the end, it seemed to hardly matter that it was set in Mexico.
Finally, the biggest issue is I think with Noemi herself. She's not the most dynamic or interesting character. She always tells us exactly what she thinks and she never really undergoes any change or growth.
Over all, I think Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a good writer - but this book just didn't hit the mark for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Body horror, and Sexual assault