Book Review: ‘Mexican Gothic’ by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
‘Mexican Gothic’ by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is one of those books that you've definitely heard of because at one point or another everyone on your timeline has mentioned it. It’s got a certain allure, from the premise to the spot-on cover. There is “something” about ‘Mexican Gothic’ that has kept calling to me.
Here's the summary:
“When glamorous socialite Noemí Taboada receives a frantic letter from her newlywed cousin begging to be rescued from a mysterious doom, it's clear something is desperately amiss. Catalina has always had a flair for the dramatic, but her claims that her husband is poisoning her and her visions of restless ghosts seem remarkable, even for her.
Noemí's chic gowns and perfect lipstick are more suited to cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing, but she immediately heads to High Place, a remote mansion in the Mexican countryside, determined to discover what is so affecting her cousin.
Tough and smart, she possesses an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: not of her cousin's new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi's dreams with visions of blood and doom.
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family's youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family's past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family's once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.
And Noemí, mesmerised by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to leave this enigmatic house behind . . .”
As per usual, I will recommend you check out the content warnings on TheStorygraph, but the main ones include: violence, body horroy, sexual assualt.
Interesting Beginnings
When me and Sophie put Mexican Gothic on the reading list for Season 4 of The Dark Academicals it wasn't new to either of us.
We each have a bit of a troubled relationship with our first attempt at reading it. Both tried it on audiobook and unfortunately we both DNF'd it!
I will say that reading it physically improved the experience greatly, so perhaps it's one of those books that doesn't lend itself to audio narration.
This actually makes sense to me. Mexican Gothic leans more and more into the surreal and grotesque side of horror which when read with your own inner voice allows your imagination to add a unique interpretation to events as they unfold.
Themes, Issues and… Issues?
There's so much to pull apart in this book. We delve into some of the topics in the episode (click here to listen now!) including colonialism, women's spaces and societal expectations, classic Gothic informing Modern Gothic and Horror, fungi as a metaphorical device...
The list continues because the text is rich.
There are some scenes that are written to unsettle, and they definitely achieve that. The end sequence, for instance, is a real trip, and makes you wonder if maybe you have been effected by the aforementioned mushrooms and spores...
I will admit that I still wasn't entirely bowled over by Mexican Gothic. I love the premise and I adore the way it pays homage to its predecessors while also making new, but I still experienced a kind of disconnect with the characters, and this made me sad.
I know for Sophie this wasn't as much of an issue and so I will say that it's very much a personal preference rather than a fact or a flaw.
In Conclusion
Is it Dark Academia? The question we ask on each episode of The Dark Academicals. Well, I can't give away our conclusion, but it was a really interesting pick for this season.
Mexican Gothic is a book that I will be thinking about for a long time and I would urge anyone who has been on the fence about reading it to give it a go.
Written by Sarah
