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A review by abby_gail_noel
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
5.0
I- I have no words. This book started out slow and I was honestly feeling like it didn’t have much promise at the start, but my mind was changed pretty quickly. I loved everything about this, it really was my kind of book. The writing was phenomenal, and I don’t just throw that word around. I repeat: It. Was. Phenomenal. The kind of imagery was something I’ve only had the pleasure of reading a few times before. On top of that, it was almost like a story within a story.
The first story was what was plainly on paper. The plot definitely got freaky and weird toward the end but I kind of loved it despite my gut reaction. The horror aspects were beautifully, terrifyingly done and this really kind of set the bar for anything even mildly horror I plan to read coming up. This despite the fact that this was not the most intense horror book I’ve ever read, and didn’t fall as heavily into the genre as some of those. I don’t want to spoil too much, but it really was great on the surface level and underneath.
On top of the surface level story was the subtext, which is what pushed this over the edge from a four to a five star book for me. I loved the commentary on race and colonialism in Mexico and on the treatment and objectification of women. I thought it was beautifully, perfectly done, and it really put this book over the top. (The awesome graphic on the inside cover also didn’t hurt in swaying my opinion in favor of this book.)
I’m the end, I think this is going to be a definite favorite of mine going forward, and I think everyone should read it if you don’t mind getting spooked a bit. (My jaw literally dropped at multiple points. My mouth was agape. My eyes wide. Just read it lol.)
The first story was what was plainly on paper. The plot definitely got freaky and weird toward the end but I kind of loved it despite my gut reaction. The horror aspects were beautifully, terrifyingly done and this really kind of set the bar for anything even mildly horror I plan to read coming up. This despite the fact that this was not the most intense horror book I’ve ever read, and didn’t fall as heavily into the genre as some of those. I don’t want to spoil too much, but it really was great on the surface level and underneath.
On top of the surface level story was the subtext, which is what pushed this over the edge from a four to a five star book for me. I loved the commentary on race and colonialism in Mexico and on the treatment and objectification of women. I thought it was beautifully, perfectly done, and it really put this book over the top. (The awesome graphic on the inside cover also didn’t hurt in swaying my opinion in favor of this book.)
I’m the end, I think this is going to be a definite favorite of mine going forward, and I think everyone should read it if you don’t mind getting spooked a bit. (My jaw literally dropped at multiple points. My mouth was agape. My eyes wide. Just read it lol.)