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faeriequeenlauren'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
5.0
I loved the development of the relationship between Francis and Noemí and even though I’m not obsessed with Francis as a character, I liked where the story went. It was never too heavy on the romance side of things, which I felt was appropriate for the subject matter.
Moreno-Garcia’s writing style is beautiful. I loved the words she used to describe things and I felt like her vocabulary choices really emphasized the haunting, disturbing nature of what was happening.
I also loved Noemí as a protagonist. She was smart, headstrong, self-assured, etc. She never let the chaos around her completely consume her, which I loved. In addition, she was an active player in the narrative of the story, and lead many events, rather than just letting them happen to her.
Overall, if you like Crimson Peak, Jane Eyre, The Invitation, We Are What We Are, or anything with a strange family with secrets living in a creepy gothic manor, you’d probably love this.
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism
throneofpages1'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
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Child death, Gore, Rape, Cannibalism, and Abortion
antoniav's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Blood, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Murder
Minor: Racism, Sexism, and Classism
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Vomit, Medical content, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Drug use, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, and Alcohol
Smoking. Eugenics, dated language. Illness, epidemic. Seizure (non-POV character). Paranoia, surveillance. Sexual coercion, overriding of will.emsim's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Incest, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Minor: Cannibalism
eve81's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
Moderate: Incest
katsmeowbrown's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Cannibalism, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism
cafi's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I love the setting of it being in Mexico, and the main character being an intelligent, strong-willed brown woman. And maybe I’m just a sucker for my romance but I loved the ending.
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Incest, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
bex77's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
As far as content, I personally felt that it was descriptive enough to illicit suspense and dread but not so descriptive as to be disturbingly graphic. The profanity was minimal, but strong.
Overall, this was a fun, fast-paced read that really fit the criteria for both my Summer and Fall booklists, which I found perfect for the in-between feeling of back-to-school season
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Infertility, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Grief, and War
thebakersbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"Mexican Gothic is a fun romp through a trove of Gothic tropes, including a dark and gloomy house, an alluring yet dangerous man, a family with secrets, and things that go bump in the night. But it's also a story about those other ghosts: the ones that were left like a scar on the land."
The book tells the story of Noemí Taboada and her travails while visiting her cousin in a very strange house full of even stranger people. It's also threaded with topics like colonialism, eugenics, and exploitation of several types. The narrative gets much darker than I expected, although with my new knowledge of gothic writing I'm now aware that's typical of this kind of novel.
I finished this book in just over 24 hours *while in the middle of moving,* which is to say I got a bit swept up in the story and am having a hard time teasing apart exactly what made it so excellent. Some things I really enjoyed were the symbolism and the theme of modernity vs. decay, as well as the juxtaposition of upbeat, progressive MC Naomí and the moldering house and family with whom she stays. Naomí's personality made the book less scary than it might otherwise have been, I think, because she stays funny, determined, and outgoing through many awful situations.
I'm pretty sure I'm the last person to read this book, but to anybody who hasn't: I absolutely see why it's popular and I can't recommend it strongly enough. That said, I highly advise checking out the content warnings first because there are MANY. My cw list below involves a few spoilers, but they're nonspecific and don't directly ruin any major plot points. Anyway, Mexican Gothic reaffirmed my status as a Silvia Moreno-Garcia fan to the point that I'm tempted to break pattern and read another book by her ASAP when I'm supposed to be working through my TBR in order.
content warnings: body horror, cannibalism, spousal abuse, medical abuse, mentions of mass murder, gaslighting, incest, infanticide, eugenics, racism, sexual assault, mentions/implications of rape
Graphic: Body horror, Incest, and Racism
Moderate: Child death, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, and Colonisation
Minor: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Gaslighting