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A review by mvlee
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I don’t know what to say about this book that hasn’t already been said so, I’ll write my review for others who also don’t usually like to read/watch horror books/movies.
The introduction sets up the story and the characters. Like others have pointed out, this is the only time you can see/feel that the book is set in Mexico. I would have been more interested in this story if the plot was based on real, local/cultural superstitions than what the actual plot was. Maybe Moreno-Garcia wanted the story to be more universal? I don’t know. But the beginning was the most interesting part of this book IMO.
As a person who avoids horror (in books, TV, and movies) 99% of the time, I was able to finish this book through sheer willpower and the ability to listen to the audiobook at 2x speed. I was able to understand what was going on even at that speed and didn’t have to linger too long on the horror and gore scenes, thankfully. That being said, the story actually wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be - again, thankfully. There were lots of creepy moments and I definitely got creeped out but overall, it wasn't too bad. Also, as many others have pointed out, you’ll probably finish this book with a distaste in mushrooms. I sure did. I already don’t like mushrooms (they taste awful!… don’t @ me) but, after reading this, I also don’t want to hear the word mushroom for at least a month.
What I liked:
I did find the “lore” behind the house/mushrooms interesting but, that only had a minor scene and was not the focus of the story. I also appreciated that the main character, Noemi, was smart and strong enough to persevere and stuck to her goal (save her cousin). Hooray for a smart and capable main character!
What I didn’t like:
Aside from the gross and horrific stuff, there wasn’t really anything I thought was “bad.” Everything was written in a way to further the plot and set things up for the ending.
Overall, I’d recommend it since it’s not too scary and does have a pretty interesting story overall. Personally though, it’s not one of my favorites and I’d probably never re-read it.
The introduction sets up the story and the characters. Like others have pointed out, this is the only time you can see/feel that the book is set in Mexico. I would have been more interested in this story if the plot was based on real, local/cultural superstitions than what the actual plot was. Maybe Moreno-Garcia wanted the story to be more universal? I don’t know. But the beginning was the most interesting part of this book IMO.
As a person who avoids horror (in books, TV, and movies) 99% of the time, I was able to finish this book through sheer willpower and the ability to listen to the audiobook at 2x speed. I was able to understand what was going on even at that speed and didn’t have to linger too long on the horror and gore scenes, thankfully. That being said, the story actually wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be - again, thankfully. There were lots of creepy moments and I definitely got creeped out but overall, it wasn't too bad. Also, as many others have pointed out, you’ll probably finish this book with a distaste in mushrooms. I sure did. I already don’t like mushrooms (they taste awful!… don’t @ me) but, after reading this, I also don’t want to hear the word mushroom for at least a month.
What I liked:
I did find the “lore” behind the house/mushrooms interesting but, that only had a minor scene and was not the focus of the story. I also appreciated that the main character, Noemi, was smart and strong enough to persevere and stuck to her goal (save her cousin). Hooray for a smart and capable main character!
What I didn’t like:
Aside from the gross and horrific stuff, there wasn’t really anything I thought was “bad.” Everything was written in a way to further the plot and set things up for the ending.
Overall, I’d recommend it since it’s not too scary and does have a pretty interesting story overall. Personally though, it’s not one of my favorites and I’d probably never re-read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use