Set in 1950's Mexico Noemi is enjoying a life of comfort, attending parties and working on her degree. After her cousin marries a virtual stranger and moves to his home next to an abandoned mine, Noemi receives a disturbing telegram that makes her worry about her sanity. Noemi's father sends her to the home to check on her cousin and investigae what is going on. When she arrives she finds a home in disrepair, a cold family, silent staff, and that her cousin's health is more worrisome than she thought. Despite wanting to leave, she feels she must stay and get help. But when she does try to leave, she finds she can't.

From the cover of the book, I thought I might be getting a historical fiction and that is how the book begins. However, this is a horror book and is really quite creepy. I don't want to give any spoilers away as that is the fun of the book but it has a ghost story/haunted house vibe. There are some serious topics in this book so it wouldn't be for sensitive readers. If you enjoy both historical fiction and horror then pick this up! "Mexican Gothic" is available June 30, 2020.

"Don't build a wall around your own sufferings or it may devour you from the inside." (Frida Kahlo)

Noemi Taboada doesn't know much about suffering. She's a young 22 year old socialite whose only exercise is pushing fancy evening dresses back and forth in her closet. Decisions fall into categories of which parties to attend or not. It's 1951 in Mexico City and as the daughter of a very successful chemical dye businessman all her needs are met. Her father indulges her in piano lessons and patiently awaits her decisions on constantly changing career choices and perspective suitors.

But now Senor Taboada will be asking much of this young woman. He has received a frantic letter from his niece Catalina who hints greatly of a life of disarray and chaos. Catalina married an Englishman in secrecy and haste. The newlyweds live in a Victorian style house in the far off countryside of Hidalgo. Virgil Doyle traces his family back to generations living on the edge of a once prosperous silver mine. Senor Taboada fears for his niece's health and sends Noemi to observe the situation. Noemi will clutch that train ticket that will shuttle her to a life-changing venture she could never dream possible.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia has chosen an absolutely stunning cover for this book. Gaze upon this breath-taking young woman surrounded by the velvet of the swirling design on the wallpaper behind her. In her hands are grasped the sweetness and the delicacy of those flowers. The slope of her fine shoulders may indicate aloof indifference or may reveal the arching stiffness of intensity. You'll come to find out by lifting the cover and stepping within.

Mexican Gothic introduces us to a highly creative and unexpected storyline. Moreno-Garcia has us placing our feet on unstable ground as it turns into a slowly sinking marsh under foot. The pacing is not rushed as we soon take note of what is really happening here. The characters tilt their heads with prim and properness while causing us to take note that there is far more here than the mind can balance. Bravo, Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Just Bravo for such a job well done.

I received a copy of Mexican Gothic through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Random House Publishers and to the talented Silvia Moreno-Garcia for the opportunity.

"You must come for me, Noemi. You have to save me. I cannot save myself as much as I wish to."

This is what is in the frantic, rambling letter from Noemi's recently married cousin, Catalina, and it is what gets the young Mexico City socialite to agree to her father's request to investigate the matter. Noemi heads for the High Place, the crumbling, damp, and drafty English manor-house in the Mexican countryside, owned by the Doyle family, which Catalina recently married into after a short courtship. Noemi is greeted by strict rules from quiet and sullen inhabitants of the house, a library full of material on eugenics, and terrifying dreams of a golden woman. Will Noemi be able to help her cousin, learn the secrets of the High Place.... and save herself?

Another wonderful heart-pounding, page-turner of a novel from Moreno-Garcia, "Mexican Gothic" blends the glamor of 1950s Mexico with the horror and aesthetic of classic gothic literature. It is delightfully eerie and creepy, full of hauntings, cryptic characters, and deep, dark family secrets. A brilliant take on classic elements of the gothic novel, "Mexican Gothic" is a horror novel like no other that will have you holding your breath, wondering if Noemi will be able to free herself of High Place... or if she will be trapped forever.

I'm sorry, I did not like this novel. I thought it was very slow and I had no interest in the characters or plot. It started off very promising with Noemi's first nightmare but didn't go anywhere after that. Based on the reviews, I expected something completely different. This is on me and not the author, who writes very well.

Oh how I love a good old-fashioned Gothic novel and "Mexican Gothic" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia definitely did not disappoint! This book is everything a reader could want from a Gothic novel-it has mysterious characters, it is set in a spooky and isolated Victorian mansion, there is an eerie graveyard, the protagonist is a beautiful and clever woman-but with a Mexican twist! "Mexican Gothic" is a highly satisfying read and will keep the reader turning pages as fast as he or she can. It is one of those books that you want to devour in one sitting.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy of this truly fabulous book. I will be recommending it to all of my reading groups. Five out of five stars!

I have chills. Horror is not a genre I tend to gravitate towards but this was mesmerizing. The book grabbed me and wouldn't let go. It's a story that made me feel in need of a shower with its descriptions of rot and ruin. It didn't feel grotesque, because the author gave it life. The writing of Silvia Moreno-Garcia is magnetic. This book is a mystery dripping with poison waiting to devour you in the deepest, darkest shadows.

This is a mysterious story, revolving around family secrets and a sinister home reminiscent of Manderly from the classic, Rebecca.

Mexican Gothic takes place in 1950’s in Mexico. The main character, Noemi, is a young debutante firecracker of a girl. But the real character MVP of the story is the sprawling house, known as High Place. It had a life of its own and that element was fun.

Although this story was intriguing, I felt like I had an overall disconnect with the characters and couldn’t quite get there when it came to forming a bond with them. I also felt like it went on redundant circles at times. There were some aspects I really loved, like the inclusion of Mexican culture and the haunting atmospheric qualities associated with the home. I also found the topic of eugenics to be a creepy and an startling component.

Overall, it was a unique read that thriller lovers should check out!

[Review will be posted 6/23/20]

I devoured this book in one sitting; I simply couldn't pry my eyes away until the end... CREEPY house, CREEPY people, & excellently plotted Gothic thriller set in 1950s Mexico that you won't be able to put down!

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

The tightly woven narrative of Mexican Gothic fills you with a sense of foreboding early on, that tension slowly builds as the story progresses. The atmosphere is immersive and eerie, but so are the characters. Everyone and everything filled me with unease and I love how ominous and horrifying the book is.

"They're cursed, I tell you, and that house is haunted. You're very silly or very brave living in a haunted house."

This is definitely a plot & mystery-driven novel, but I love that all of the characters feel as real as the main character and narrator Noemí. She's a vain socialite in her 20s, a bit unlikeable for me but also caring for her cousin and deeply inquisitive. I like her strength to buck convention and challenge societal expectations, and I appreciated how nuanced she felt - unlikable, yet I found myself rooting for her.

"In a sense all dreams foretell events, but some more clearly than others."

I love how time and reality slowly begin to blur. Like the fog that blankets the mansion's grounds, there's an eerie dreamlike quality where you're not sure what you're seeing. (Honestly, this is what I wished The Haunting of Hill House was.) I loved how everything pieced together into a truly horrific last quarter of the book that left my horror-loving heart so satisfied!

Overall, this book was incredible and I can't stop thinking about it a week later. Mexican Gothic has a slow start that is true to the Gothic Horror genre and builds tension slowly. If you liked Crimson Peak, this book matches that aesthetic and vibes well in my opinion.

Content warnings: body horror, cannibalism, child death, gore, incest, racism, sexual assault

eARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Quotations are taken from an uncorrected proof and subject to change upon final publication.

[This review contains spoilers and I received a copy of the book from the publisher. Opinions are my own] This was this my first book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia but I believe this was also only my second ever fantasy novel. Not going to lie, THAT COVER was so gorgeous and the title was so cool that I immediately knew I was going to read it. No matter what the book was about, lol! I can honestly say, it did not disappoint. Omg, I don't even know how to describe this gothic jewel. We have Noemi who goes to visit her cousin and then gets sucked into this creepy world. There are so many layers to finding out the truth of what is going on at High Place that you can't help but turn the pages. I honestly couldn't tell if the dreams were actually happening or if they were really dreams. I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS! Did Virgil rape Noemi? Either in the tub or after? I couldn't tell! And oh poor Francis, I kept wishing him the best but kept assuming he'd have to be sacrificed (luckily, he makes it, yay). UGH, what a great book! I want to read more like this. I also want this dress to be made for me because it's gorgeous. The end.

There isn't a book I had been anticipating more than this one, it is rare that I'm able to find a book that mingles my love of Gothic subject matters, phantasmagorical imagery, and Mexican folklore & culture. I had no idea that after reading it, I'd have to sleep with the lights one for a couple of nights. But that is what happened.

Unique and terrifying, Mexican Gothic is THE book to read this coming fall. The less you know going in as a reader, the more you are likely to freak out.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is REQUIRED reading. And I sincerely hope there is a Netflix series adaptation- but only if it's created by Guillermo del Toro!!

I'd definitely heard about the upcoming book Mexican Gothic, but it wasn't really on my radar until I received an ARC of it in one of the Penguin cancelled festival boxes--Ladies First. I shelved it and figured I'd get around to it eventually, which I did when I found someone who wanted to trade for it--and I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book! One, I love a good standalone, and two, place-based stories are so intriguing to me. In the end, I KIND of predicted what was going on in High Place, but that's fine, I still enjoyed this book!

In 1950s Mexico, Neomi is enjoying her life as a flirtatious socialite. Then, a concerning letter comes from her newlywed cousin, Catalina, she writes of poison and ghosts and her husband insists she is just sick. Neomi is dispatched to her cousin's new family home,  High Place, to check on her. Is she truly sick? Is her husband trying to steal her money? What Neomi actually finds is much, much more sinister. This strange family is not what she expected. The old, decrepit house truly seems to be rotting. Catalina's sickness is concerning, and when Neomi starts having nightmares, she realizes something truly sinister is going on. Is the house cursed, or is the curse the Doyle family itself?

I was really pleasantly surprised by this book! It reminded me a lot of the movie Ready or Not, which I saw in theatres (RIP movie theatres..) in a good way! Family-based weird place stories are kind of my jam, ya know? Always interesting, even if you can kind of anticipate the ending. Neomi was a fascinating character, and the "reasoning" behind the  spookiness was unique and well thought out, in my view.  I also loved the 1950s Mexican setting--not something you see a lot. Overall, happy I read this book and happy to recommend it to people who like Lock Every Door, Ready or Not, or Catherine House for example.

Mexican Gothic might be the best thing I've read all of quarantine. It was scary, propulsive, and much richer than others in the genre. I absolutely loved the Mexican folklore that is interwoven throughout this week. Everyone should pick this up at once!

As with every review of a Silvia Moreno-Garcia book, I have to repeat that she never disappoints. Even working within familiar tropes and themes she will surprise you with unexpected things. Her characters are vivid and realistic, the dialogue and exposition believable, even when the plot is fantastic.

GoodReads:
I like the ending. The rest of the book took a bit too long to get there for my taste (without enough spookiness in the build-up either). I also was expecting a bit more Mexico for a Mexican Gothic book. I get it that it makes some sense for the spooky family to be English colonizers, but having most of the book set in an English-style house wasn't quite what I was hoping for when I heard a gothic novel set in Mexico.

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Coming June is MEXICAN GOTHIC. Thanks to @netgalley for this advanced copy.
When Noemí’s newly married cousin sends a strange letter to Noemí’s father, he sends her to the Mexican countryside to check on her and protect the family’s reputation. Her cousin has married a man whose grandfather came to Mexico from England to run a nine - he even brought English dirt with him. Her cousin claims to be hearing spirits, and the villagers distrust the home.
I love a gothic story and was so excited for one set in Mexico! I must admit that I personally was a little disappointed because the addition of the English family and their English-style home made it feel much more traditionally gothic than I was expecting. That said, there is some delightful subtle commentary on colonialism and refusal to even attempt to be multilingual. (I wished more of the book was en español). Recommended if you’re a gothic fan looking for something different.

First off... everything Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes is pure gold, and any year that she writes a book, it will automatically be my favorite book of the year. If she writes two, it will be a tie. That's just how it is.

***

Socialite Noemi receives a letter from her newlywed cousin Catalina that is so bizarre and disturbing that she immediately travels to see her. She arrives at the damp, rotting mansion where Catalina lives with her husband and his family, whose fortune has declined but whose self-image of upper-class grandeur has yet to keep up.

Noemi blithely bats aside their strange behavior and rules (no loud noises, no hot baths, no smoking, no coffee, etc.) and their well-mannered hostility so she can see to the well-being of Catalina, who is feverishly warning of ghosts and voices in the walls. Her resolve wanes, however, when she begins having the nightmares, too.

If you are a fan of Ms. Moreno-Garcia's work, you know she occasionally dips into the supernatural, but not always. So when I was reading this, I was unsure what we would find -- vampires? ghosts? or simply evil people?

It's delightfully creepy and unsettling, with a unique ending.

It reminded me of Stephen King's The Shining. (Not to say this work is in anyway derivative -- only that it invoked the same sense of dread around every corner.)

Pure gold, I tell you.

This is easily one of the best books I've read this year!
When her cousin Catalina sends an urgent letter asking to be saved from her new husband, Noemi is sent by her father to investigate. Convinced it's only newlywed jitters, Noemi is unprepared for the dangerous and deadly atmosphere of High Place, the gloomy and depressing mansion now home to Catalina. Dark, damp, and oppressing, Noemi is barely welcome in her cousin's home and her visits with her are restricted. Virgil, Catalina's husband, is a little too charming and his overtures leave Noemi suspicious and wary. The mansion's other inhabitants leave Noemi feeling like she is constantly under watch and her every movement and word is criticized. But Noemi is incredibly tough and is intent on finding out the nature of her cousin's mysterious illness and delusions. When Noemi comes too close to the truth for the family's liking, she is placed in a deadly situation with only an unlikely ally at her side. The violent and horrific nature of the family's secret is so unbelievable that Noemi begins to question to her own sanity.
Dark, gripping, and absolutely terrifying, Mexican Gothic is a spell-binding tale of horror, greed, and unbridled power.
This book is absolutely incredible! Silvia Moreno-Garcia weaves a tale that is so engrossing you will find yourself walking the dark and damp halls of High Place alongside Noemi. This is by far one of the most atmospheric novels I've ever read. The tension can be felt on every single page and every conversation felt like a threat. I flew through this novel, unable to wait to find out what was the secret behind this family's odd and controlling behavior. The village near High Place also felt like a depressed and mysterious character. Everyone seemed to fear the family and the mansion itself, but no one would come out and say why. The aura of mystery, confusion, and oppression followed every character throughout the story, no matter where they were.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia is an incredibly talented writer and I encourage everyone to dive into one of her magical and mysterious stories.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title, all opinions and mistakes are my own.

This story is about noemi, she receives a disturbing letter from her recently married cousin, Catalina, in which she talks about ghosts and supernatural happenings in her new home, High Place. Naomi is sent to investigate what’s going on and also to check on the general well being of Catalina. This leads Naomi to a very strange family and an even stranger situation. Weird things are happening and we don’t really know what’s real and what’s a dream. Who’s to be trusted and who’s not. It’s a pretty slow moving book, it’s eerie but nothing really happens until maybe 70% of the way through the story. Honestly, I read this because I was really excited for the Mexican representation but wow was I let down. Our main character is said to be Mexican and a few Spanish terms and cities are thrown around but that’s it. I wasn’t super interested in the reveals and it just fell flat for me.

I was so excited for this one! But the prose simply didn't grab me. I found it a little awkward and the flow was stilted. I stopped reading pretty early so I can't comment on the story or characters. Perhaps I'll return to this at some point, but I just couldn't connect to the writing right now.

A likeable main character and lots of suspense. The mystery dragged on a little long and I should have expected the paranormal element since this is a gothic novel, but it still somehow felt out of place. Still an enjoyable read.

Being a huge fan of Garcia’s Certain Dark Things I was excited to read this new novel . A reimagining of the gothic suspense this book is fabulous . Taking place in 1950s Mexico Noemi a beautiful young socialite receives a letter from her newly married Cousin begging for help . She arrives at the strange , decrepit isolated mansion where her cousin lives and the weirdness begins and doesn’t let up. I’ve not read anything else quite like the horror in this novel . Scary, suspenseful and emotional all make for an original page turner