Mexican Gothic

By: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Narrated by: Frankie Corzo

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “It’s Lovecraft meets the Brontës in Latin America, and after a slow-burn start Mexican Gothic gets seriously weird.”—The Guardian

ONE OF TIME’S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME • WINNER OF THE LOCUS AWARD • NOMINATED FOR THE BRAM STOKER AWARD

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, NPR, The Washington Post, Tordotcom, Marie Claire, Vox, Mashable, Men’s Health, Library Journal, Book Riot, LibraryReads

An isolated mansion. A chillingly charismatic aristocrat. And a brave socialite drawn to expose their treacherous secrets. . . . From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes “a terrifying twist on classic gothic horror” (Kirkus Reviews) set in glamorous 1950s Mexico.

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.

“It’s as if a supernatural power compels us to turn the pages of the gripping Mexican Gothic.”—The Washington Post

“Mexican Gothic is the perfect summer horror read, and marks Moreno-Garcia with her hypnotic and engaging prose as one of the genre’s most exciting talents.”—Nerdist

“A period thriller as rich in suspense as it is in lush ’50s atmosphere.”—Entertainment Weekly

Lacking, Disappointing, Not Developed

I was completely sold on the overwhelming amount of positive reviews for this book. I was SO excited. The premise is unique, the location and characters are unique, and other people seemed to really love this book. Initially I thought it was the narration, I just could not get into the story. But I really tried to stay with it because some of the BEST books start off slow and turn into something magically if you just persevere. As the chapters rolled by I watched my hope evaporate by the minute. No character development, no atmosphere, no depth whatsoever, completely 2D characters. It was such a letdown. The dialogue is super basic, it was just so vanilla. Pedestrian. The writing doesn’t ever CONNECT you to the places or people. There is no feeling. It’s vapid and boring. Sorry, I know everyone else seems to think this book was just phenomenal, I want my money back. Total letdown.

Lush and engrossing

Even if Gothic horror isn't your jam, give this a try. This book packs the surreal dreariness of the genre with none of the tired drag of other Gothic novels. I'm sure I'll be digesting themes from this book for a while, but it offers an authentic and timely reflection on the violence of colonialism and rape culture. Perfection.

I really enjoyed this!

It's a little silly, yes, but overall the story progressed really well and was entertaining! I couldn't really call out the twist early, which is always a good sign. A different review said they could totally see this being a Guillermo del Toro movie, and I definitely agree!

The narrator got a bit annoying sometimes, and the author's constant description of the appearances of the characters were a little unnecessary in my opinion, but I didn't really bother me that much.

Mostly average

The story moves very slowly and takes too long for the action/big reveal. The reader was really average and not that engaging either.

Don't Hate Me

I liked the plot, but felt that there wasn't too much depth to the characters. not very vivid descriptions. Also, the narrator didn't help at all. Some things were not pronounced properly in Spanish. I was originally interested because of the Lovecraftian vibe, but feel like I came out empty-handed.