Mexican Gothic

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Jun 2020 · Sold by Del Rey

About this ebook

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “It’s Lovecraft meets the Brontës in Latin America, and after a slow-burn start Mexican Gothic gets seriously weird.”—The Guardian
 
ONE OF TIME’S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME • WINNER OF THE LOCUS AWARD • NOMINATED FOR THE BRAM STOKER AWARD

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, NPR, The Washington Post, Tordotcom, Marie Claire, Vox, Mashable, Men’s Health, Library Journal, Book Riot, LibraryReads
 
An isolated mansion. A chillingly charismatic aristocrat. And a brave socialite drawn to expose their treacherous secrets. . . . From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes “a terrifying twist on classic gothic horror” (Kirkus Reviews) set in glamorous 1950s Mexico.

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.   
 
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with 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 even 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 Noemí, 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, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

“It’s as if a supernatural power compels us to turn the pages of the gripping Mexican Gothic.”—The Washington Post

“Mexican Gothic is the perfect summer horror read, and marks Moreno-Garcia with her hypnotic and engaging prose as one of the genre’s most exciting talents.”—Nerdist

“A period thriller as rich in suspense as it is in lush ’50s atmosphere.”—Entertainment Weekly

Ratings and reviews

Atmosphere and tension? 10/10. She nails the Gothic atmosphere perfectly and I am honestly disturbed even after finishing the book and it's bittersweet ending. But I don't like the premise. It seems a little too far-fetched for me, too contrived to work together. I don't understand why Noemi was sent in the first place other then to make the story happen. I don't know why she's supposedly connected to this plot shroom (and it is a plot shroom). I understand it's fiction but I just didn't like it. I felt the pseudo science was too forced once the mind powers started to kick in. I'd have preferred they pick a lane between science and magic, whereas this feels like it's in the middle. I also think it goes a little too deep in the violation scenes between Noemi and Virgil, or at least the novel should have a warning in the beginning. I found it deeply upsetting and not in a good way to read. Overall though this is a great writer and I'm sure some people will love it.

Mexican Gothic is descriptive to the point where I was checking around my house for weird fungi growing on the walls. I confess, though, that I lost patience with the mushrooms, trips to town, and visits to the family cemetery. Gothic suspense has always been my favorite genre, but this seemed to stray off to a genre of "Gothic Science Fiction."

I like the story itself but the narration was so poor. It was overly crisp, forced... and often reminded me of a news anchor completely detached from the story. I will try and read this on my own when I have more time.

About the author

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of the novels Velvet Was the Night, Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow, and a bunch of other books. She has also edited several anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award–winning She Walks in Shadows (a.k.a. Cthulhu’s Daughters). She has been nominated for the Locus Award for her work as an editor and has won the British Fantasy Award and the Locus Award for her work as a novelist.