Amazon Cover
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON
IN DEVELOPMENT AS A HULU ORIGINAL LIMITED SERIES PRODUCED BY KELLY RIPA AND MARK CONSUELOS • WINNER OF THE LOCUS AWARD • NOMINATED FOR THE BRAM STOKER AWARD
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.
MY REVIEW
All the classic tropes of the Gothic genre, all tied up into a piñata to be hit and spun with a Latino flavor until destroyed to reveal a treat-filled ending for those who love this type of horror. Set in the mid-1900s, the story centers on Noemi – a happy modern city-bred debutant – who must face an ancient house in the county to visit her newly wed cousin.
An unsettled quiet covers the community sunk beside the mountain-top manor, buildings and people left behind after the silver mines closed and finding themselves unable to relocate. Within the manor, Noemi discovers her cousin may be recovering from a fever illness, according to those that reside there, or her cousin may be been driven mad from the family secrets her groom had hid until marriage. And the longer Noemi stays, the more secrets she discovers about what happened to her cousin, the town, and the family. The question is how many secrets can Noemi discover before she knows too much to be allowed to leave.
Gothic glory-ness – Rich in the Mexican mountains and culture. Deep in the fame and faded fortunes of the failed sliver mines, Machismo culture of the mid-1900s strongly portrayed by the men and internalized by all the women in the book. And a house- oh, the house! Dark, dreadful.
I did find the beginning slow – but the final quarter of the book is worth the slow build. A typical pattern for gothic horror stories. The machismo grated on my nerves, but is appropriate to the time setting and culture.
I read this for my speculative fiction book club. They continue to push me into reads I didn’t know existed but expand my world. Call out to Maven of the Eventide and the rest of my group!