arisbookcorner 's review for:

Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

3.0

dark mysterious sad tense 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: Yes

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VELVET WAS THE NIGHT is an atmospheric, slow burn noir with some 1970s historical details and pop culture references that make it interesting but unfortunately not a noteworthy read. This was the first historical noir novel I'd read so I'm not entirely sure if my problems are with the genre or this book in particular. The plot unfolded at a glacial place and while I knew tension was a key element of noir the plot crawled so slowly here that I wasn't particularly invested. It doesn't help that it revolves around two self-centered apolitical main characters. I didn't mind that they were unlikable but there wasn't much growth or complexity to their personalities. I also really wanted to feel immersed in 1970s Mexico and that strong sense of place and time was missing for me. There's some awkward info dumping through the characters but there are also lots of political events and dynamics that receive only a passing mention that I wanted to know more about. Yes it encouraged me to Google but it also made me feel as though I was missing key context which isn't helped by the characters lack of interest in politics or community. I would have been far more invested if we had focused solely on the leftist community. Finally I am not one of those readers (yet) who can't remember what I read but two years later the ending of this book escapes me. I think that means the payoff wasn't worth it since it wasn't memorable enough to stay in my mind although I remember the characters. Gorgeous cover though, drew me in just like MEXICAN GOTHIC.