Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the first book I have read this year that really entertained me. After I finished reading the last page of the novel, all I could think about was how this story is like the movie Encanto—except there is no singing or happiness. Instead, readers get to read a story packed with coercion and attempted rape, murder, incest, and magic rituals with mushrooms. Oh! There is also a love story that does not come to fruition until the very end of the story.
Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed reading the book. Before reading Mexican Gothic, I was only vaguely familiar with the genre. I had only ever read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, so my knowledge of this kind of literature was quite narrow. What I did know is that many stories under this genre are set in isolated locations and have dark and gloomy undertones. Whenever I thought about gothic literature, I thought about horror and the macabre. Moreno-Garcia’s novel seems to check off many of these elements. However, I also think that Moreno-Garcia bit off a little more than she can chew. My vague understanding of the genre makes me believe that her story is impactful and would have been a good introduction to the genre for people who are interested in it. Her story is more than just a creepy tale of a dangerous family. It also raises questions that one might have about Mexican aristocratic culture and the effects that colonialism has in small communities. Yes, these topics are important and should be discussed, but these matters are overshadowed by the diabolical schemes that seem to be included for shock value. Moreno-Garcia muddies her more intricate characters with unnecessary acts of sexual violence towards the female protagonist.
Although there are things that I liked about the novel, the shock value is something that I couldn’t wrap my head around.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Mexican Gothic (2020)
Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Genre(s): Adult, Fiction, Gothic, Historical Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Suspense
Trigger(s): attempted rape, coercion, hallucinogens, incest, racism, sexual violence
SUMMARY
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 Noemí’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.
From Goodreads.com
My Thoughts
THE HOUSE, THE MUSHROOMS, & DOYLE’S POWER
Moreno-Garcia made a lot of emphasis on decay. In the beginning of the story, I was sure that the mold was the thing causing all these issues for Catalina. But the revelation of this mushroom that somehow granted Howard Doyle his abilities was somewhat disappointing. I found it funny that Moreno-Garcia called the so-called “gloom” a rational explanation to Catalina’s deteriorating mental state. To be honest, psychedelic mushrooms and ghost hauntings sound more rational than the canonical explanation. The Doyle family feeding the women hallucinogens isn’t too far from the truth anyway—it literally happens during Noemí and Francis’ “wedding.”
And somehow that kind of control over Catalina and Noemí sounds more terrifying than Howard’s canonical power over the Doyles and the women. The thought of being controlled by drugs or hallucinogens is more realistic than the use of magic rituals and a mushroom that gives one person the power to look into a web of consciousness that is shared among his victims. I think that Moreno-Garcia had an opportunity to use Mexican superstitions and local folklore to her advantage. If hallucinogens needed to be involved, the supposed spiritual presence in the Doyle house would still be as impactful as it was in the story. Howard Doyle’s control over his family through drugs would have been an incredible twist. A drugged maniac would believe that they are a god, and the impressionable would follow and accept the claim. Yes, this would have made the story one about Noemí escaping a cult with her cousin, but it’s not far from the canon material anyway.
THE CHARACTERS
As I read the book, I thought that Noemí was well-written. She’s assertive and intelligent. Unfortunately, Catalina wasn’t as impressive as her cousin. It’s disappointing that Moreno-Garcia didn’t include her more in the story, but hey—someone had to be the unhinged character for the majority of the story. Francis, on the other hand, was mostly likable; however, I was kind of wishing that he would betray Noemí. Moreno-Garcia sets him up to perform a final treacherous act, given his status within the family, but he instead sticks by Noemí and betrays the rest of the Doyles instead. By the end of the story, his love for Noemí suddenly washes away his involvement with the family. Francis isn’t supposed to be a good guy. After all, he was an enabler.
As for the antagonists, the Doyles (save for Francis) were almost the perfect villains. Howard was scary, but Virgil was scarier. However, Moreno-Garcia ruins these characters with their sudden senselessness. Earlier, I mentioned that the female protagonist, Noemí, undergoes a series sexual violence. Noemí is sexually harassed, assaulted, and nearly raped by Virgil while she was under Howard’s influence (or the influence of the “gloom”). And while his actions are evil, they are unnecessary because he was already frightening.
THE EUGENICS STUFF WAS A LITTLE TOO MUCH…
It didn’t surprise me that this story would touch on racism. I noticed that it was prominent in the third chapter where Noemí undergoes a series of questions about racial superiorities, or as Moreno-Garcia wrote it: “the intermingling of superior and inferior types.” The discussions between Howard and Noemí were hard to take in, and his emphasis of his beliefs even more so. As a Latina, I think that discussing racism is important, but for the kind of literature this book falls into, it seems inadequate. Moreno-Garcia makes it clear that Noemi doesn’t believe in Doyle’s creepy ideals, but I’d rather not have the author speak through the character if that makes sense. If the author were to remove this part of Doyle’s character, then he would have still made a big impact on the story. His villainy was made clear when his mushroom trip extended to everyone in the house.
On another note, Moreno-Garcia makes an attempt to establish that Howard’s eugenics beliefs are wrong but contradicts herself by fetishizing Noemí. I’m sure that it’s not on purpose, but I couldn’t help noticing that she makes Noemí more desirable by Howard because she isn’t a white European woman, or a Doyle. The message I received is that Noemí is Mexican and is therefore desirable.
THE LANGUAGE
All I have to say is that I am not a big fan of the dialogue. It’s a bit monotonous and overly pompous. It makes me forget that this story takes place in Mexico. I don’t know if that has to do with 1950s and modern social class disparities, or if it is the author’s language choice. There were times when the dialogue became too distracting; it took me out of the moment. It’s as if the characters aren’t given their own voices. Moreno-Garcia drops this kind of dialogue several times towards the end of the story, which I thought was strange—but it made Noemí seem less of a try-hard.
THE PACING
The pacing of the story is a bit strange. Before the revelations of Howard’s power and the house, the story moved at a slow and steady rate. The pace quickens later on, however, which threw me off. It seemed like there was a lot to cover with very little time given to fully digest the information.
My Review
I give this novel 3 out of 5 stars:⭐⭐⭐
Moreno-Garcia knows how to write creepy scenes. She’s descriptive and she knows how to set the mood. There are various scenes that actually repulsed me, though given the genre of the story, I don’t see that as a bad thing. Although the novel has its flaws, I did enjoy reading this book. I just wish that the story delved into the Mexican culture a lot more than it does. Mexico is riddled with hundreds of wonderful stories about hauntings, superstitions, and other spiritual and supernatural beliefs. So, it is a shame that Moreno-Garcia spends so much time on the shock value that a white European family provides instead of the rich culture that the title of the book seemingly promises.
Moonlit Media Room 