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thenoboshow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
abbys's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Suicide, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
amyvl93's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Mexican Gothic is a delightfully creepy gothic read which follows society girl Noemi who is instructed by her father to visit her cousin Catalina at the house of her husband's family High Tower after they recieve a worrying note from her which is dismissed by her husband, Virgil. Noemi soon finds that High Tower is not at all what it seems. She comes across Catalina's mother-in-law Florence, Virgil's brother Francis and their terrifying, eugenics-obsessed father Howard. They are a family of English people with Spanish banned from within the walls and English soil imported for the garden.
Whilst this is a slow burn at first, I thought that Moreno-Garcia did a great job at slowly building up tension and peeling back the truth of the Doyle's time in their home and what really was behind the success and then failure of their failed silver mine. There were some passages in particular that reminded me of The Yellow Wallpaper in its creepiness and the exploration of Noemi and Catalina being women trapped in this deeply patriachal environment. What is extra interesting is the way that Moreno-Garcia explores colonialism through the Doyle family and what really keeps them all in line - which I definitely don't want to spoil - it is very effective and adds another layer of creepiness to the story of the family.
I really recommend this and can't wait to get stuck into more Moreno-Garcia.
Graphic: Body horror and Racism
Moderate: Medical content
jinmichae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Eating disorder, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Medical content, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
sparklefarm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Incest and Sexual assault
Moderate: Child death, Death, Racism, Rape, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Classism
Minor: Body horror, Suicide, Cannibalism, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
folklorisms's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Incest, Miscarriage, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, and Pregnancy
b4phom3t's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Cannibalism, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Sexism, Violence, and Colonisation
Minor: Medical content
ineedrhythm's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Incest, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Gun violence, Mental illness, and Classism
liesthemoontells's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Overall I think this is an accomplished entry into the Gothic literary canon. It takes many of the tropes of the genre (e.g. young female protagonist who wonders if she's going mad, scary house, mean old lady who hates protagonist) and weaves them into a new story.
I was surprised at first at how much the setting is literally a transplanted English Gothic setting into the Mexican countryside, however as I kept reading I was very impressed at how this was used to explore themes of colonisation, misogyny, and the subjugation of poor and female bodies.
The atmosphere in the book begins with low level, constant dread which slowly ratchets up the tension into full panic, and the body horror is incredibly visceral and stomach-turning.
I did however find it dragged in some moments, and the plot became a bit convoluted towards the end. I felt like the book was trying to fence sit on whether or not the cause was supernatural, and having it end up being
I also found
Overall I think this is is a more polished book than Gods of Jade and Shadow, but I found that to be a more enjoyable and emotionally engaging read, hence it receiving a higher rating.
I also think this is a book that would benefit from a second reading once all of the plot twists are revealed.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
theliteraryhooker's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Medical content, and Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Vomit, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury