Book Review: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Unfortunately Mexican Gothic was a mixed bag for me, which I’m really sad about because I am OBSESSED with this cover, I love gothic horror and this just sounded so damn good! But alas, it happens!

“The world might indeed be a cursed circle; the snake swallowed its tail and there could be no end, only an eternal ruination and endless devouring.”

The basic premise is this - Noemí Taboada receives a frantic letter from her newlywed cousin, begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom as she currently resides in a distant house in the Mexican countryside with her new husband’s family.

I’ll focus on the positives first - this novel is quite atmospheric, the Doyle family are unusual and unsettling, as is the house itself. Who doesn’t love a creepy house where darkness lures in the corners?! And I do believe that the bare bones of this story is GOOD. Moreno-Garcia really went for it towards the end, it was bizarre and messed-up, and I really did appreciate that she pushed it to the max.

But... eh. The characters were somewhat flat for me. The first 250 pages were sluggish, with not much happening. Believe me, I’m all for a slow burn, but I need SOMETHING to keep me intrigued. It also ended up being quite predictable, I felt like hints were dropped far too early in the narrative. And I know that it states it is set in the 1950s, but the time period could have been any. The dialogue was pretty modern at times. I wouldn’t have been surprised if someone told me it was current day - just without mobile phones or internet.

So, yeah, a mixed bag. But I wouldn’t dissuade anyone from checking it out, plenty of people seem to love it! There are definite Rebecca vibes, as well as The Haunting of Hill House, I just think they do it better. 3 stars.

Johann

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