A review by applesaucecreachur
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book. This author. Rad does not even come close. The melding of colonialism with body horror with unsettling naturism with sexual violence with classic gothic themes and tropes... I was speechless. There were moments where the prose was so visceral that I physically recoiled.  Other passages took my breath away, often for more than one reason. The plot was smartly woven with secrets and hints, but historical traumas stitched the story together, increasing the reach of its creeping tendrils.
And the protagonist, Noemi Tabada. I'm not sure of her birthday, but this brown, defiant, funny, high-maintenance heroine is giving me major libra vibes and I adore her for it. 
Moreno-Garcia is beyond competent, her understandings of both proper and history combine to create a masterpiece. I hope to reread Mexican Gothic. Maybe I’ll do so during history’s next atom bomb moment.
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