Summary: After receiving a frantic letter from her dear cousin, Catalina, Noemi Tobada is directed to head straight to High Place, the creepy mansion her relative now resides in with her in-laws. Noemi’s plan is to discover why Catalina would send such a message and rescue her but all that is tossed out the window when she encounters the new family. From Catalina’s mysterious husband to the sickly patriarch who takes an interest in Noemi’s genetics, Mexican Gothic follows her as she tries to escape the house alive with Catalina in tow.
Date read: June 27, 2022
Rating 5/5 stars
Content warnings: racism, incest, body horror, allusion to sexual assault, gore, child death
Publisher: Del Rey
Aside from diving into memoirs by my favorite celebrities, I’m always searching for a good horror read. This is all thanks to Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn. That ghost story was so good that my expectations for this genre are sky-high. They are so high that Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the second best horror story I’ve ever read. But, let me explain why I give this book all the praise it deserves.
My thoughts on Mexican Gothic
Everything about this bone-chilling tale pleases me to my core.
Moreno-Garcia is an author who executes her research on the geography and culture of 1950s Mexico. She doesn’t overwhelm her audience with one too many artifacts; in fact, she knows when to include them in the scenes. She wants us to observe Mexican culture but to focus on the relationship between the people and the English. If you want an example of showing instead of telling, Mexican Gothic is the solution as it reels you in.
Speaking of telling, I enjoyed the third-person perspective (which is rare for someone who consumes first-person stories). Personally, for Mexican Gothic, an unknown narrator is fitting for this type of tale because it prevents readers from abandoning the story. If Noemi did the talking, we would have more than likely studied her every waking thought. It’s not necessary we know why she chose a yellow dress for the day when her cousin’s sanity is crumbling.
Then again, I highly doubt Noemi would be that type of protagonist if she recounted the events herself. Moreno-Garcia portrays her as a determined individual there to save the day in Mexican Gothic. Not only does she want to escape the creepy mansion, but she wants to prove herself to everybody. She’s not some spoiled, rich young woman who gives up at every inconvenience. Noemi believes she’s more than that. From the moment she arrived to what I call “The Final Battle,” I was rooting for her to come out unscathed.
Virgil, as well as the rest of his sick family, make up for the wonderful cast in Mexican Gothic. He’s definitely someone you question throughout the story. One minute, he supports Noemi’s motives. The next, he’s restricting her to High Place. However, his contradictive actions make up for the expansive plot. Moreno-Garcia didn’t create the basic, “I must save a loved one trapped in a haunted house” storyline. No, she reveals it’s more to the tale than what Catalina lets on. Hence, why this is an “everybody sucks here situation” except Noemi and Catalina. I would include other characters to elaborate, but no one likes a spoiler, right?
If you’re looking for a story that has the hairs standing up on the back of your neck, this is the one.
It’s got a touch of historical, science, and gothic fiction (it’s literally in the title). That many genres in a story makes for an excellent read. What sets Silvia’s work apart from others is her emphasis on Mexican culture and mixing it with horror. It’s a title that’s best as a standalone, even though it would be interesting to see Noemi solve other cases.
However, I would recommend you read this during the day. There’s one particular scene I often reflect on that still sends shivers down my spine. If you are easily frightened, definitely don’t treat this as a bedtime story.