Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia | Review

"The world might indeed be a cursed circle; the snaked swallowed its tail and there could be no end, only an eternal ruination and endless devouring."

    Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a modern take on the, you guessed it, classic Gothic horror tale. The novel follows Noemi, a young socialite living in Mexico City in 1950. She's witty and chic, going to all of the right parties and seeing all of the right men, smoking cigarettes and wearing tulle dresses. But when her father receives a distressing letter from her newlywedded cousin Catalina, she hops on a train to High Place, an English manor atop an old mining town. Once there she is greeted with a series of disturbing and horrific events, until she is faced with a choice: leave the house now, or never leave at all. 

    There is so much Gothic influence sprinkled throughout this book and I found it fascinating to try and pinpoint each reference. I'm not too well versed in classic Gothic tales, but I recognized pieces of The Yellow Wallpaper and The Fall of the House of Usher, as well as Dracula and other, more minor, works. It took classic themes from the genre -- the big, dilapidated house; a strange man with a secret; mysterious symbols and images -- and expanded them to fit a more diverse role. There is also a huge focus on colonialism, eugenics, and slavery, all of which are seen through the gaze of the oppressed and not the oppressor, for once. 

    

    The most important aspect of a true Gothic book is, of course, the atmosphere. And Mexican Gothic got it perfect. High Place is terrifying in a very real way. It brings to mind the kinds of mansions the Gang would explore in Scooby Doo: all peeling wallpaper and dusty, sheet-covered furniture. It's the kind of place you know in your heart should be left alone and never touched, even as you're walking through its darkened hallways and gliding your fingers across the oil paintings lining the walls. Stay there long enough, and soon the house will feel alive in its own way, like the walls are breathing and there is a heartbeat somewhere under the floorboards.

"Noemi tried to think of the house filled with the noise of children's laughter, children playing hide and seek, children with a spinning top or a ball between their hands. But she couldn't. The house would not have allowed such a thing. The house would have demanded they spring from it fully grown."

    In case it wasn't clear before, I loved this book. It is an amalgamation of everything I've been especially enjoying lately. Horror and magical realism and beautiful writing. Not to mention the brilliant characters. Noemi, our narrator, had a brilliant inner dialogue. You could see how smart she was -- she was planning on getting her masters degree in anthropology at the beginning of the novel -- and how that influenced the way she handled High Place. It was refreshing to see a smart woman slowly lose her mind, her rationality unable to help her. I also loved how spunky and unapologetic she was. This was not some debutante angel waiting patiently until a man claimed her for marriage, but a fierce, independent woman with her own thoughts and opinions, and rather strong ones at that.  

"She thought that men such as her father could be stern and men could could be cold like Virgil, but women needed to be liked or they'd be in trouble. A woman who is not liked is a bitch, and a bitch can hardly do anything: all avenues are closed to her."

    Overall, I'm very impressed with Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing, and will be picking up more from her in the very near future. I'm intrigued to see if anything will be able to top Mexican Gothic, however, because this was absolutely incredible. 

    I recommend this book to those who like disturbing horror, classic Gothic tropes, and strong female characters. 

    I gave Mexican Gothic a CAWPILE score of 9.00, which comes out to a whopping 5 out of 5 stars.

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I have to say, I'm feeling pretty good about myself right now. I put Mexican Gothic on my latest "5 star predictions" list, so I'm thrilled that it lived up to my expectations. The next book I pick up from this author will probably be The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, since that's the most similar to this novel. 

Let me know what you thought of Mexican Gothic if you've read it in the comments, or tweet at me @AllyEmReads. 

Until next time, friends!