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A review by ttnnllrr
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book was really fun to read! It was the first gothic novel I’ve ever read so I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into but… wow. This post-colonial take of gothic horror set in 1950s Mexico had me hanging on every word!
Our main character Noemì Taboada, the rebellious Mexico City socialite, is asked by her father to visit her recently married cousin Catalina after they receive a questionable letter from her begging to be saved.
Once she arrives, Noemì finds herself in an old, rundown, isolated English manor called High Place, which sits at the top of a hill in a partially abandoned mining village. The English residents of High Place and Catalina’s in-laws, the Doyles, are strange and have many secrets, as does the house itself.
Noemì stays with the family in order to understand what exactly is wrong with Catalina, and we watch as the tragic, mysterious, and horrific secrets of the Doyle family and High Place are uncovered.
The nightmarish descriptions in this book were phenomenal, it was so creepy! I loved the main character with her tough opinionated nature. The book starts out slow and then suddenly sweeps you off your feet into the crumbling history of the Doyle family and while I was not at ALL expecting the twist/reveal at the end, I found it to be very satisfying.
Our main character Noemì Taboada, the rebellious Mexico City socialite, is asked by her father to visit her recently married cousin Catalina after they receive a questionable letter from her begging to be saved.
Once she arrives, Noemì finds herself in an old, rundown, isolated English manor called High Place, which sits at the top of a hill in a partially abandoned mining village. The English residents of High Place and Catalina’s in-laws, the Doyles, are strange and have many secrets, as does the house itself.
Noemì stays with the family in order to understand what exactly is wrong with Catalina, and we watch as the tragic, mysterious, and horrific secrets of the Doyle family and High Place are uncovered.
The nightmarish descriptions in this book were phenomenal, it was so creepy! I loved the main character with her tough opinionated nature. The book starts out slow and then suddenly sweeps you off your feet into the crumbling history of the Doyle family and while I was not at ALL expecting the twist/reveal at the end, I found it to be very satisfying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault and Incest
Minor: Cannibalism