Need a slow burn gothic suspense with some horror tints in your life? Then Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the book for you, especially if you like a spoiled debutante as your heroine - and why wouldn't you like her? She is definitely not your usual Gothic novel heroine.
 |
| ★★★★★ |
"Any pleasant activity must also involve the acquisition of a spouse. That is, she should never have fun for the sake of having fun but only as a way to obtain a husband."Noemi, a glamorous debutante, visits her recently married cousin in the Mexican countryside. Here she discovers a world totally different from the chic parties she was used to. But that will not change her mind, she must make sure her cousin is safe and happy in her new marriage to a mysterious Englishman, with an even stranger family.
A Twisted Family
After receiving a suspicious letter from her cousin Catalina, Noemi is sent to High Place to check her cousin's condition. After she arrives at the house, she meets Catalina's new family and something is simply not right... What secrets are they hiding? From the sexist patriarch of the family to the shy mushroom obsessed cousin, all are quite odd and hard to read.
The other characters in the book come across as flat, but it's only due to their creepiness and because we only see them from Noemi's perspective... and they do not like her to see too much. About them or anything else surrounding the family and their family house, High Place. I do not want to give too much from the plot, but let me just tell it's going to be one hell of a ride. And it might even make you scream from time to time. I know I did.
An Eerie Atmosphere
As with any gothic novel, atmosphere is everything and this book got it right! You can feel the unease, the eeriness surrounding High Place. And there are some horror elements that will make your heart race! This book is more character driven, although I would say it's all about the atmosphere rather than anything else. Moreno-Garcia manages to create such vivid and distinctive images that may haunt you for a while.
The pacing is slow, but that only adds to the haunting atmosphere of the house. With each chapter we learn a new piece of the puzzle and are one step closer of solving the twisted mystery Catalina and Noemi stumbled upon. It's amazing and unexpected, and I felt no need for the story to be rushed. This is a book that needs to be slow!
Why Read It?
I wasn't necessarily happy about the actual secret/mystery of the family, but that's because I like my gothic novels a certain way (I wish I could say more, but I really do not want to spoil this for you). But as imperfect as some part are, I still enjoyed it tremendously.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was first published in June 2020
and won 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards for Horror