Review: 'Mexican Gothic' by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 As I've said before, I am always hesitant to read a book at the height of its popularity. I have broken this rule recently with some Fantasy books and decided to include Mexican Gothic in that rule-breaking because I simply couldn't leave it in the bookstore all on its lonesome. Despite reading all the hype over the last year it seems I've managed to stay amazingly unspoiled and Mexican Gothic came as a complete surprise to me. 

Pub. Date: 6/30/2020
Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books

He is trying to poison me. You must come for me, Noemí. You have to save me.

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 . . .

This novel first caught my eye when it was described as Lovecraft meet the Brontës. I love the Brontës, adore them,  and Lovecraft has left his own indelible impression upon my mind. I did wonder how Moreno-Garcia would tackle Lovecraftian horror, however. Lovecraft's work is considered almost the definition of the eldritch, things that are beyond our understanding. However, Lovecraft was also deeply racist and anti-Semitic, which shows in his work and in the horror it spawns. It is always the non-whites who are slavish to the eldritch horror, who must be despised and avoided along with the horror. Within the first few chapters of Mexican Gothic Moreno-Garcia addresses it. Her Noemí is a clever young woman, educated, and of colour. When she is faced with the Doyle patriarch and his belief in the purity of races, eugenics and phrenology, she shuts it down. Moreno-Garcia doesn't shy away from showing the consequences of colonialism and the generations-long damage it causes, which elevates Mexican Gothic above its Lovecraftian inspiration. 

Noemí is young, beautiful, and rich. She is also educated, kind, and loyal. When her father requests she go visit her cousin Catalina, who has sent worrying letters about ghosts and voices in the walls, she leaves behind her glittering socialite life and heads to High Place, the dark, decrepit, isolated Victorian mansion. At High Place she finds Catalina in need for help, but so far away from everything she knows Noemí struggles to find a way to get her home. Her only aid is Francis, the youngest Doyle who doesn't seem quite as dour as the rest of his family. When Noemí begins to have weird nightmares, however, things slowly descend. Mexican Gothic was not what I expected. I had not expected quite the level of horror and wyrdness that Moreno-Garcia infuses her novel with, although now I see that I should have. Horror is the perfect genre to discuss imperialism and colonialism, as well as the restrictions placed upon women. The way Moreno-Garcia blends these themes into a riveting tale had me hooked straightaway.

Mexican Gothic started garnering acclaim almost from the moment readers got their hands on advanced reading copies. I always get intimidated by this because it makes it harder to form your own, independent opinion when you know something is already so beloved. Hence I end up delaying my reading a bit to give me a little bit of distance and space. In the case of Mexican Gothic I didn't relaly have to fear anything because Moreno-Garcia is a brilliant writer. I can picture everything in the novel so clearly, from Noemí's dresses to the graveyard at High Place. Moreno-Garcia's descriptions are stunning and lush, fitting in perfectly with the Gothic elements of the story. Noemí is a lovely main character, sassy and slightly entitled, but also very perceptive and determined. I was completely engrossed by her from the beginning and was worrying for her pretty much from the moment she stepped into High Place. I haven't read a whole lot of Horror recently, which means that I was kind of surprised by those elements of the story. They are masterfully written however, with the right balance of eldritch horror and human cruelty. I can't wait to keep reading books my Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

I give this novel...

4 Universes!

Mexican Gothic was not at all what I expected but blew my mind regardless. Truly unlike anything I've read so far this year!