It's all in the title. It is a horror novel in the tradition of Shirley Jackson set in 1950s Mexico. The setting is as much of a character as any of the actual people; in particular, the house is an unsettling source of evil. I spent a good portion of this book thinking this was a debut author, only to realize this person was also the author of "Gods of Jade and Shadow," a popular title at my library. "Mexican Gothic" will almost assuredly be another popular one, and I would highly recommend it to readers of literary horror.

Wow! What a dark, intriguing, grotesquerie of a novel. I haven't read anything by Silvia Moreno-Garcia before (Gods of Jade and Shadow has been on my TBR list for a while but I haven't read it), so I did not know what to expect. The first half of the book did an excellent job evoking classics like Rebecca and Jane Eyre -- so much so, in fact, I felt like I was reading a much "older" book instead of one coming out in 2020. Evoking those older classics possibly set me up to expect a purely psychological/non-supernatural explanation in the book's denouement. Without getting too deep into the spoilers here, I will simply say that I predict some readers will hate the turn the novel takes, and others to totally love it. While the first half reminded me of Rebecca/Jane Eyre, the latter half put me in mind of Pan's Labyrinth. And yes, I know I am comparing a story set in Spain to one set in Mexico, but it is not simply because both countries are Spanish-speaking. Pan's Labyrinth plays out like a dark, often repellently-lush fairytale, and as Mexican Gothic gets going, it plays with the theme of fairytales with growing intensity, and Noemi's dreams/visions take on that same graphic, lush horror. And as far as setting, both PL and MG are set in "retro" 20th c. eras. Moreover, the version of Mexico portrayed in Mexican Gothic is the world of the white colonizer... the Doyle family, the mansion, the defunct silver mine. In fact, the whole tale easily functions as a metaphor for the grotesque violence and exploitation of the colonizer over the colonized (if you like to read all fancy like that; if you just like to be entertained, this does that, too).

So, bottom line: I would recommend this to readers who love classics like Rebecca/Jane Eyre, but who also don't mind if a book takes them on a much wilder ride than they might have expected!

Mexican Gothic is good, spooky fun. Moreno-Garcia brings some Gothic elements over straightforwardly; others she plays with and gender bends: in this case, we see a bold and fearless lead in the from of Noemí, who comes from Mexico City where she likes parties, concerts, Gauloises, and driving fast cars, but is summoned to a remote part of the country with a plea from her cousin Catalina. When she arrives, she finds her cousin, as well as the strange family that her cousin has married into -- and their seemingly random and strict rules about her conduct.
As Noemí investigates, and tries to understand the history of the place, the family, and Catalina's strange illness, Moreno-Garcia plays with the Gothic traditions around sin and transgression, while also raising questions about the transgressions inherent in white colonialism, and European appropriation of Mexican land and resources. There's plenty to think about reading this critically, but it's also just an excellent creepy ghost story for your summer evening reading.

Mexican Gothic is the perfect read for fans of Stephen King looking for a gothic tale not set in Maine. Creepy, strange and atmospheric, this tale puts old time fairy tales to shame.

I adored Gods of Jade & Shadow and so when I saw the author had a new gothic mystery coming out, I immediately added it to my TBR list. The book fits very neatly into the horror genre, focusing more on the psychological thriller aspect of horror vs. the gore. It also pays homage to the Brontes in their capacity to take a dark family history, a creepy house, and turn it into a page turner.

Full of ambiance, there is a definite atmosphere to the book, and the feel that the MC, Noemi, has for the haunted house in the hills (High Place), which she calls "the gloom' is evident to the reader. Things are not right and almost as soon as you see Noemi step out of the car to see High Place, you want to scream at her, "Don't! Just get back in the car and go!". You know things are going to get worse. You know there's no escape as soon as she enters the house. You know that nothing good can come of this visit, and yet you want to know why it is as it is.

While I do think this fit exactly its description, I didn't enjoy it as much because I think I keep tricking myself into believing I like horror writing, even when it's as stellar as Morena-Garcia. I'm not quite sure why I do this, since I don't care for horror movies. One would think the correlation would translate in my brain, but oh well...

Folks who adores a good sinister horror book will find this very much to their tastes. The characters reveal themselves slowly so you're not quite sure who you should trust, and the mystery of the house itself is both fantastical and nightmarish in one. Moreno-Garcia is an excellent storyteller and I do love that she can jump from genre to genre and do them all justice.

There is so much to love in this book! I'm an academic Gothicist and have--by definition of my work--read countless Gothic novels. And I have never read one quite like this. In this novel, we have the traditional Gothic set up: a remote, crumbling mansion, unrelenting fog, a creepy graveyard, an incestuous regal--and very English--family, suspicious servants, things that go bump in the night, a heroine pursued and trapped in the haunted house . . . there's even undertones of the Yellow Wallpaper here. So what's the catch? It's set in Mexico in the 1950s.

The protagonist is a smart and wild Mexican heiress. She's sent to this remote "English" estate to visit her cousin who has recently married into the family and has sent some alarming letters back home to her family. When our heroine Noemi arrives, she discovers a very English world plopped down in the middle of her country. The family, in typical imperial style, has been there for generations, exploiting the land and the people to make their now-dwindling fortune. They have insisted on a very English way of life, which includes bringing servants, doctors, and even soil from their native land.

This novel perfectly captures the essence of the quintessential Gothic novel from the British tradition, then turns it on its ear by making the English family the "other" while the clever Mexican heroine is prepared to solve the mystery and save herself and those she cares about. It's a creepy read that sneaks up on you with its air of menace. I felt a hint of magic realism through the book that blended in satisfying and sometimes unexpected ways with the Gothic elements. The end might have been a little tighter for my liking, but overall this was a fascinating work that revisioned the traditional Gothic novel in all the right ways.

And the cover art is gorgeous!

I am looking forward to reading more by this author.,

Noemi Taboada receives a letter from her newlywed cousin, Catalina, begging for someone to come save her from a mysterious doom. Her letter is vague and her new husband is a stranger to Noemi and her family so she doesn’t know what to expect.

But Noemi gets on a train and goes to High Place, the mansion in the Mexican countryside that Catalina lives in. Noemi is also not the rescuing type, she is kind of a girly girl and would rather be at a cocktail party but she needs to make sure her cousin is okay so off she goes.

When Noemi arrives at High Place she is greeted by the Doyle family; Virgil (Catalina’s husband), Howard, Florence and Francis. She can instantly tell that something is off about the family, their cherished home is full of mold and slowly falling apart, they have strict rules and will barely let her see her cousin. But she is determined to find out what’s wrong and why her cousin would send such a letter, so she stays.

This was a bit of a slow burn in the sense that the real action didn’t start until about 70% of the book. But leading up to it you have very descriptive, creepy scenes that keep you reading and wanting to know what the heck is happening. High Place is the perfect haunted house setting and the Doyle family are not people you want to be alone with.

I didn’t know where the story was going to go but once it started to pick up I couldn’t put it down. It was very creepy and weird and I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love this author, I love the gothic sensibilities mixed with the Mexican setting, I love how it turns the typical on its head by othering the white characters, I love the atmosphere- so why did I never want to pick it up? I honestly can't tell you, I just know that regretfully the story dragged through the middle for me.

Mexican Gothic, an atmospheric, slow-burn thriller, follows young Mexican socialite Noemí Taboada from chic, 1950s-era Mexico City to the fog-laden, remote mountain home of the wealthy and mysterious Doyle family. After receiving a troubling letter from her cousin Catalina, newly married to Virgil Doyle, Noemí finds herself staying with the enigmatic family in High Place, their sumputous, yet dilapidated, home. While she spends her days helping her cousin recover from a mysterious illness, Noemí cannot suppress her curiousity and begins to explore the mysteries of the house and its inhabitants - but some houses are meant to keep their secrets. When increasingly strange and terrifying things begin to occur at High Place under cover of darkness, Noemí must find a way to protect both the favor of the Doyle family and her cousin - and her own sanity.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s MEXICAN GOTHIC was a delightful diversion that I whipped through, which had the unfortunate side effect that I didn’t retain it very well. Nevertheless! Noemi Taboada is a glamorous, somewhat flighty socialite in 1950s Mexico City. When she gets a disturbing letter from her newlywed cousin implying her new marriage may not be proceeding...normally, Noemi travels to rural Mexico to her cousin’s husband’s large English estate to investigate. When she arrives, her welcome is cold. The residents of the crumbling manor speak only English, and the aging patriarch is oddly obsessed with both Noemi and eugenics. With great force of will, Noemi unearths the secrets of violence, bigotry, and madness plaguing the house. But will she get out before the madness claims her, too?

This is a gothic horror that’s heavy on the supernatural part, which is not to my taste (I prefer my gothic novels to be more of the psychological variety). But Noemi is a compelling, sympathetic character I couldn’t help but root for, and the secrets that infect the very walls of the manor are genuinely disturbing. I also found the book’s voice to be self-assured and, occasionally, slightly amused, which added a much-needed dose of levity to the heavy drama that serves as the book’s plot.

Definitely recommend for people who love a gothic horror with supernatural, almost science fiction-y elements that directs a critical eye on the legacy of racism and colonialism in Mexico.

The Gothic novel has long been a notorious subgenre defined by its unrepentant melodrama, eerie mansions, gloomy locales, and family skeletons lurking in every closet. With her new novel, Mexican Gothic, Canadian author Silvia Moreno-Garcia presents a fascinating new take on the traditional Gothic novel.

In 1950s Mexico, the glamorous Noemí Taboada receives a frantic letter from her newly married cousin Catalina, who claims that she’s being poisoned and begs for Noemí’s help. Though Noemí is more suited to fashionable parties and dates with handsome young men, she can’t refuse Catalina’s pleas, and so she sets out for High Place, a neglected mansion in the Mexican countryside. There, she meets Catalina’s new family, the Doyles: Virgil, her menacing and yet alluring English husband; Howard, the family’s patriarch, who develops a strange obsession with Noemí; Florence, with her strict rules regarding behavior; and shy, gentle Francis who actually seems to want to help Noemí, but may have dark secrets of his own. Though she is in equal measures repulsed by and infuriated at these English interlopers, Noemí refuses to abandon her cousin. So she puts her intelligence and wits to work and sets out to discover the mystery of Catalina’s illness. But the more she digs, the stranger and more violent the story becomes. And what’s more, the house seems to have a life of its own, working its way into Noemí’s dreams until she is unsure of the line between reality and nightmare. And the longer she stays at High Place, the more Noemí finds that she might never be able to leave.

“She looked over her shoulder before turning a corner. He seemed a bit ghostly, still standing by the doorway, with the glow of the lanterns and candles in his room lighting his blond hair like an unearthly flame. They said, in dusty little towns around the country, that witches could turn into balls of fire and fly through the air. That’s how they explained will-o’-the-wisps. And she thought of that, and of the dream she’d had about a golden woman.”

The traditional Gothic heroine is often a naïve ingenue, a young woman who takes a position as a governess in a strange old house or who marries a rich, handsome man with an air of menace about him. This heroine eventually discovers the tragic truth of the place she has come to– often at the risk of her life or virtue. In early Gothic tales, such as The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole or Dracula by Bram Stoker, however, the heroine is often a passive character who exists to be threatened and then rescued by the brave men around her. This narrative doesn’t play well in the twenty-first century (nor did it work for the Brontë sisters in the nineteenth century, whose Gothic heroines seethe with barely repressed fury), where works like The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova or Guillermo del Toro’s 2015 film Crimson Peak feature proactive women who refuse to be overwhelmed by their circumstances. With Mexican Gothic, we have another entrant into the list of strong women facing surreal circumstances. Though the rules of High House are strict and its silences overwhelming, Noemí is not cowed by them. She goes out in search of answers, and when her nightmares begin turning into disturbing reality, she does not forget who she is or what she does– or does not– want.

In another break from the traditional Gothic novel, the setting of Mexican Gothic is not the English moors or a lonely European castle in the woods. As the name suggests, it is set in Mexico, opening up in the glamorous Mexico City where Noemí’s wealthy family lives, and where she rules her social circle. Noemí’s world is one of fashion, light, and color, which is a stark contrast to the gloom and faded colors of High Place. There is no cheer or excitement in the crumbling mansion, only an old English family’s desire to return to their glory days when their control of the local silver mine gave them the money and power to rule over the people of the village below, and use them like disposable tools. Colonialism isn’t just ships sailing into a harbor and taking over entire countries. Sometimes its the ruination of a single town that feeds the endless greed of the conquerors.

Feelings of dread and danger wind their way through this book, creating an eerie and compelling narrative that’s hard to put down. Noemí might never be able to leave High Place, and you may never want to.





Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with a free eBook in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion in any way.

I wanted to preview Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s upcoming novel, Mexican Gothic for two main reasons. First, I’ve been trying to include more writers of color (especially women of color and Hispanic/Latinx writers) in my reading habits. And secondly, I was feeling nostalgic for my gothic literature class in graduate school. So, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to indulge that craving without relying on the old, white, and usually male writers that we covered so thoroughly in that class. The book very much succeeds in many of the aspects that define gothic literature and the circumstances, in many ways, acknowledge the genre’s origins and golden age. But for me, it veered more toward the fantasy/science-fiction end of the Gothic spectrum than I was expecting (and I found the central character a bit more infuriating than I was expecting).

Noemí Taboada is the daughter of a wealthy paint and dye manufacturer in 1950s Mexico City. She’s considered stubborn and lively, bordering on difficult in her parents’ eyes as she pushes to study at university rather than settle into finding a husband they approve of and settling down. But a strange letter from her recently married cousin has her father sending Noemí off on a visit with the hopes of ascertaining just how ill (perhaps mentally ill) her cousin truly is. Upon arriving at the family home of her cousin’s husband and his family, Noemí senses something is off about the Doyles. An old English family who owned the local (now defunct) silver mine, they don’t allow challenges to how they choose to do things – but challenging the way things are done is just who Noemí is.

Perhaps it’s my familiarity with certain gothic tropes that hindered my ability to enjoy this novel thoroughly. The buildup of tension as Noemí tries to get to the bottom of what’s ailing her cousin and the constant obstacle of the Doyle family quickly became tedious to me because I could see where it was headed and just wanted to get there already. And while it’s often expected for the central hero/heroine to be a bit blind to the truth, I found Noemí’s self-doubt when challenged to be odd for her general character and attitude as established early in the novel though, that does get explained away when the truth is eventually revealed (the truth just didn’t really assuage my frustrations).

The time period also felt a little off to me given certain characters’ interests in eugenics and race – it feels like that would make more sense pre-World War II (though there are other elements, like characters’ ages, that can explain an interest into the 1950s). As with many classic gothic novels, race and attitudes of superiority/inferiority creep into the mix, though in a more direct and explicit way than many of the classics.

Several side characters – especially Noemí’s cousin, Catalina – felt underused or under developed. There are a lot of instances where Noemí thinks back on how her cousin used to be, but it’s all telling. I think more detailed remembrances or flashbacks where the reader could more clearly see and get a sense of Catalina would have helped round her out instead of leaving so much dependent on taking Noemí’s word for it (but that might be tied to my own frustrations with Noemí as the central narrative focus).

All in all, while the novel certainly left me tense as the plot progressed, it wasn’t all the kind of tension that made me want to keep reading. And when the twist/explanation came, I felt let down (the same kind of let down I got when watching the final scene of The Prestige, though not to the same degree). I thought it would be more psychological in realistic way and less reliant on a fantastical/supernatural explanation. I still enjoyed it, just not as much as I wanted to.

Mexican Gothic will be available for purchase June 30, 2020.

Here's the thing: this started out promising. with its great atmosphere, creepy dreams and one messed up family. I appreciated Noemi's fierceness to find the truth and not stand down. Plus the author is very talented and I do want to try other works by her. But when I read the plot twist, I had to put this down and not continue. The twist is a content warning and big spoiler, but it was disturbing and really made me uncomfortable. I personally don't get why this plot point is used in literature today. I know people love this, but I simply couldn't continue after reading that plot twist and some disturbing images that followed. DNF @ 72%.

For the horror, noir, and gothic fans out there, and those of you who don't even know you are those people - THIS IS FOR YOU. Frankly, this is for everyone, because I think everyone will react to and love different aspects of this.

There's a reason this one has so much hype, and for the most part, it is very deserved. Set in the 1950s in Mexico, Silvia Morena-Garcia (SMG) brilliantly brings the setting to life with rich and elegant prose. The setting itself feels like a character. As we meet and follow Noemi to check up on her cousin, Catalina, who recently married a mysterious guy and moved to his family home in the mining mountain of a tiny town. Noemi seeks Catalina out in her new home after receiving a dizzying letter reporting hauntings, voices, and buzzing sounds, along with alluding yo confinement on behalf of her husband and his family.

Upon arriving, we’re transported to a house that could pass as the creepy house in the Skeleton Key, Crimson Peak, or the Haunting of Hill House. You feel the walls pulsating with some kind of life or energy, but you don't quite know what it is. As Noemi lingers in the house longer and longer, things begin to shift and you begin to wonder what's real and what's not. What is Virgil, Catalonia’s husband, really up to? Can Noemi trust Francis?

While the detail and characterization of the house felt immersive, after a few chapters, it felt a bit slow. After initially arriving at the house and up until a little bit past the middle I found myself just....waiting for something to happen. None of the pieces really start to click together fully until its a breakneck pace to the end. While the ending is satisfying and dark, I felt it was a little rushed. I had to really digest how it all came together to feel like I really understood it, which I felt was at odds with the careful and painstaking set up SMG gave us in the first half. I also felt the rush to tie up the pieces and story left some of the parts that could have used more nuance and development a bit bare.

This was 3.75 for me, rounding up to 4.

Huge thanks to the Mystery Book Club hosted by Boston Book Fanatic (@bostonbookfanatic) and Jordy's Book Club (@jordys.book.club) in conjunction with Random House for an eARC of this one.

There's not much criticism to give - this was incredible.

Haunting and atmospheric, but imbued with a fresh, unique 1950's Mexican setting and a heroine that absolutely and mercilessly steals the show. This is one of those dark, hypnotic tales that requires no knowledge going in - it gets to the point quick and subjects you to an uneasy tone that only intensifies as you turn the pages. There were moments towards the end where I was almost too afraid to keep reading, praying that what I thought was going to happen to this poor girl wouldn't come true. The mystery behind this is expertly crafted, the riddles puzzling enough to challenge veterans to the genre but also palatable enough to those new to the horror scene. Even if you think you know what's going to happen, there's no possible way of guessing the end. It packs a punch. And without a doubt the shining star of this whole read was our protagonist, Noemie. She's introduced as a flippant, flirtatious, demure socialite but underneath she is a fierce lioness. She is crafty and smart and uses her charms to her advantage, outsmarting villains and dodging peril with the grace of a old time Hollwood starlet.

Fantastic read, would recommend to all.

Thank you to netgalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Do you believe in ghosts and other things that go bump in the night?

When Noemi's father receives a disturbing letter in the mail from his recently-married niece, he sends his vivacious daughter to ensure that nothing is amiss. Catalina's remote home is aptly named High Place, as it is located high in the mountains and away from any large city. Upon her arrival, Noemi immediately is taken aback by the run down nature of the home, its strange inhabitants, and the mold growing everywhere. While she finds an unlikely ally in the quiet cousin of Catalina's husband, she begins experience frightening dreams and other hallucinations that make her question everything she believes to be real.

I didn't start this book with any preconceived notions other than that I loved Gods of Jade and Shadow, Moreno-Garcia's YA Fantasy novel. To be transparent, I am struggling to even find the words to adequately describe my emotions, as this novel was so disturbing, yet compelling, and honestly, felt like a breath of fresh air. Mexican Gothic was a book that left me feeling "what in the world did I just read?!" and transported me to a semi-horrifying world created with lush, beautiful prose. I prefer to reference specific aspects of a novel while writing reviews, but I fear spoiling it for others. Furthermore, the writing and storytelling is so on point that I wouldn't be able to do it justice.

While the novel is slow to start, it's well-worth your patience, and contains elements of eugenics, mycology, folklore, and fairy tales. MIND. BLOWN. If this wasn't already on your list, do yourself a favor and add it immediately. I have never encountered a book like this, and I have no doubt that it will be a favorite of many readers when it hits the shelves at the end of June. Thank you to Del Rey books for the Advance Reader's Copy. I'll be recommending this book to others for quite some time.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. This book was a ride and I’m not going to paraphrase the great description the publisher did for this book. Suffice it to say that the characters were nicely written. Although it took a while to figure out what was happening and how disdunctional the family was, it’s a great story. I did not find it to be a dark atmospheric read but rather a nice story of hauntings. I don’t want to discuss anything that might be a spoiler - the ending was good although it left me wondering is it really the end? I could also see this book made into a movie. I will say if you are a fan of dark chilling gothic books - this is not it. If you like a good story with a mystery, you will enjoy this. Stephen King is still the master of dark creepy takes.

I enjoyed this book and read it very quickly

Pls do give it a try

Whatcha Reading bimonthly post:

Last week I finished Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic (out June 30) after Elyse’s recommendation. I loved it! Socialite Noemí Taboada travels to her ill cousin’s aid after receiving a concerning letter about hallucinations. When she reaches the isolated and gloomy house by the forest, Noemí discovers that her cousin’s English in-laws are not what they seem. This book is creepy AF, so be prepared for spine-tingling dread and gothic horror.


Review:

CW: [murder, epidemic, incest, attempted rape, cannibalism, racism, eugenics, hallucinations, gore (hide spoiler)]

4.5 stars

Mexican Gothic is creepy as fuck and I might never sleep again. I say this with the highest of compliments. It’s a must-read for any lover of horror and gothic literature. I want to send it to my old English teachers; Mexican Gothic begs to be taught/analyzed along with the rest of the gothic horror canon.

I loved it. I’m too much of a scaredy-cat to ever reread it, but I loved it. I adored Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s 1920s Mayan fantasy Gods of Jade and Shadow last year and her foray into 195os Mexican gothic horror is equally brilliant. Not many authors can write well in multiple genres, but Moreno-Garcia deserves all the praise with her success at that feat. I must read her thriller Untamed Shore soon.

Tangential, out-of-context note: I really love mushrooms and now I’m considering cutting them out of my diet. Don’t read at night like me because you will not be able to sleep after finishing at 3 am. 😭

Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia continues to be unparalleled in storytelling ability with her first horror novel Mexican Gothic. Socialite Noemí Taboado would rather attend a party than be weighed down by family responsibilities. Despite being called flighty and unfocused, accurate descriptions if she’s being honest, Noemí is determined to attend University to further her education, even if this isn’t the norm for someone of her social standing. When a letter arrives from her recently married cousin, Catalina, claiming she is being poisoned and alluding to the existence of ghosts in her new home, Noemí is sent to assess whether her cousin is any real danger or in need of psychological intervention. When she arrives at High Place, Catalina’s husband’s family estate, tucked far into the Mexican countryside, the only thing gloomier than the dilapidated house are its inhabitants. With each day that passes Noemí becomes more convinced that her cousin’s erratic ramblings are a sign of something worse than what the family physician claims is just a case of tuberculosis. She is convinced she must find a way to take Catalina way from from High Place and her cold husband. But soon Noemí begins to experience the oddest dreams, begins to hear strange noises and see even stranger visions. Could Catalina’s incoherent ramblings be rooted in truth? As Noemi begins to doubt what is real and what isn’t in the dark halls of High Place, it becomes clear that it isn’t just her cousin who may be in danger.

Mexican Gothic is the embodiment of a compelling atmospheric read. The moment Noemí arrives in El Triunfo, the novel takes on an eerie tone. The small town is shrouded by a thick fog and moves ever so slowly. As Noemí travels by car on the uneven roads, the presence of civilization dwindles even more. Noemí is used to the city where there is a constant flow of activity. High Place, the Doyle house, is a shadow of its splendor. It has suffered from years of neglect and yet, it still stands. The electric system is unreliable, forcing inhabitants to rely on candles and oil lamps. The walls are lined with portraits of the Doyle clan, watching over the house. Remnants of the past cling to every nook and cranny. The Doyles once ran a successful mine that employed many of the townsfolk, but a series of unfortunate events forced its closure decades before. High Place is far from town, too far away for any regular visitors, not that the Doyles would ever welcome them. Descended from an English family, they have done their best to recreate their homeland in Mexico. Servants have been brought from England and even the very soil was exported as a way to replicate prized foliage. Most of the family speak only English and demand only English to be spoken within the walls of High Place. Their perceived superiority is present in every corner of their estate. The cemetery is a prime example, housing the English workers who died during an epidemic, honored with tombstones, while Mexican workers are left with unmarked graves, no thought given to honor them. The Doyles are invaders but lack the kind of self-awareness to call themselves such, or maybe they lack the empathy. They are selfish and self-serving; every major event in Mexican history is only understood in the context of how it affected the Doyle family.

The Doyles are stuck in the past. Catalina’s husband Virgil is cold and detached, alluring but in an unsettling way. His father, Howard, the Doyle patriarch, is aged and in constant need of care. He is confident in his race’s superiority over Mexican people and openly spouts views rooted in eugenics, volumes of which line High Place’s library. The first chill down the spine Mexican Gothic elicits is not from a ghostly apparition, but the way in which this man appraises Noemí, assessing her mestizo heritage and determining whether or not she is worthy to sit at his table. Florence, Howard’s niece is even more unwelcoming. She insists that Noemí follow the house rules no matter how arbitrary or infantile. Her son Francis is the only kind face in a very frigid family, but lacks the kind of worldliness Noemí is used to. Her presence disrupts the household, but even more so, this house disrupts Noemí, altering her forever. Used to putting on airs, Noemí’s time at High Place tears away at every mask she wears, strips her down to her most base desires and tempts her to give in to the darkness.

With Mexican Gothic, Silvia Moreno-Garcia offers a different take on the genre, where colonialism is the horror story and how this manifests in ways that become more frightening with each page turned. The exploited are never quite free of the actions of the colonizers. This history seeps into the very soil, altering the land. Its consequences are never innocuous and sometimes they are plain insidious. Mexican Gothic tiptoes to a foreboding climax and will follow readers long after they finish the final page.

If you’ve read Gods of Jade and Shadow, Mexicsn Gothis is a testament to Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s breadth and versatility as a writer. This is a departure into Gothic romanticism and horror with a refreshing twist of being set in mid-20th century Mexico with a hint of scifi. Not to mention one of the most stunning covers in the past year.
For those unprepared, as I was, the book does rely heavily on the threat of sexual assault and body horror as a driver of the chills. This can be especially excruciating when deployed with perfectly executed Gothic descriptive pacing. Noemi is a vibrant protagonist and the strengths lie in those twists away from damp, dreary Victorian Gothic, into the glimpses of colonialism and racism in Mexico,

The story is wonderfully written and I was left with a lingering discomfort and uneasy, which, as horror goes, is a success. Though I prefer the mechanism of chills not to rely so heavily on my own experience as a self-identifying woman of “passing” color like Noemi,,that is exactly what makes it so effective as a horror novel. Moreno-Garcia lulls you into sedation with vivid descriptions of Noemi’s life as a vibrant young woman in urban, priviliged life, her interactions with the comforting people of the village outside of the house of slowly unveiling horrors. And then hits you themes of racism, assault and loss of agency with velvety, dulcet tones exactingly deployed in the style of the colonizer’s themselves.