It’s a page-turner but god the writing is terrible, and so predictable 

I loved Noemi. She’s fierce and bright and a force of nature. The author weaves this story well. I hate to say it, but I started to doubt Noemi in the middle. It got me too. The story gets a tad slow right in the middle, but the ending is like rolling down a steep hill. I was right on the edge of my seat. And most importantly, it ends hopeful. 

The ending made me tear up. Happy tears.. 🥹

Mysterious, but it kinda goes on for too long.

Also unsure of the intention behind the numerous times the "forced" lust was mentioned. It seemed unnecessary for how ambiguous it was.

Obviously the pacing of gothic books is its own thing but if you anyone asked me if I thought what this book was going to be about, I would not have been able to guess no matter what. I think this is a book that succeeds at making you like a pretty unlikable MC (but it's really done by making everyone else in the story the most terrible people ever). The imagery was really well done and the callbacks to details were really good.

 

It’s great for gritty scene lovers, and made me compare to books like Annihilation and maybe even Severance or The Raven King. But those books have excellent dialogue, characters, and narrative flow. This book fell flat in all those areas.

I kept having to put this down because the story stiffly shifts from one room, then another, then town, then something trippy happens. The plot was constantly interrupted with stories of past figures and happenings, which would have been something better discovered organically, or detail revealed to the reader through alternate chapters. So what I’m saying is that the book could use some more editing.

By the end, I think it was trying to draw parallels of the Grant Wood painting American Gothic,

if the knowledge of the figures are father and daughter, there’s a light conspiracy twist of incestuous relationship… idk!

The book was certainly unsettling, and full of ‘shrooms. I’m guessing with how often the word “putrefaction” came up, they would be particularly smelly ones! 

Title: Mexican Gothic
Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Genre: Gothic Horror
Rating: 3.00
Pub Date: June 30, 2020

T H R E E • W O R D S

Edgy • Atmospheric • Creative

📖 S Y N O P S I S

When her father receives a frantic letter from his niece begging someone to save her, he enlists Noemi's help, sending her to High Place in the Mexican countryside. Trading her glamourous lifestyle for amateur sleuthing, Noemi doesn't know what to expect when she arrives. She certainly isn't 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 Noemí’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.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Of course, I'd seen and heard all of the hype surrounding Mexican Gothic when it was originally published a few years ago. Honestly, I had no interest in picking it up until it landed on the 2023 Canada Reads shortlist. Even then, I was hesitant as it's not a genre I gravitate towards. In my opinion, it was a rather odd pick for the shortlist. Nonetheless one of my reading goals each year is to read all five contenders ahead of the debates, so I decided to give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised until I got about two-thirds of the way through and it took such a disturbing turn and lost me.

What I like:
• the writing. The writing is phenomenal. So engrossing. So cinematic. So mysterious. So atmospheric.
• the house. The house is its own character and I cannot recall ever reading one quite like this. In addition, the historic setting helped create an unsettling feeling that something wasn't quite right.
• the beginning. Through the first 50%, I was pleasantly surprised and entertained by the narrative. There was more tension and mystery building that anything else.
• the audio. The audio is very well done, and adds an extra layer to the atmosphere.

What I didn't like:
• the second half. The plot started getting weirder and weirder (when it didn't need to). There was significantly more gore and grotesque subject matter. And the story lost me at this point. I don't even think it needed to go the places it when in order to be successful. In fact, I think it would have been better if it hadn't gone that route at all.
• the pacing. The pacing felt extremely slow to begin with (which I was fine with), and yet somehow when I got to the strange twist it felt like it came out of nowhere and the pacing shifted gears to the point it felt rushed.
• the twist. Ugh. It felt unnecessary. And some of the scenes where incredibly unsettling to the point I don't even think they served the story at all. It left me with an icky feeling (which is probably the point), but I read to enjoy myself and it just wasn't enjoyable at all.

Overall, Mexican Gothic is an incredibly creative and disturbing story set in an old house and filled with family secrets. There are certainly some underlying social commentaries on racism and colonialism, but I didn't necessarily find the novel overly thought-provoking or perspective shifting in that regard. In fact, I think it went places it didn't need to go simply to add shock value. It's quite clear I am not the intended audience,, but if gothic horror is your thing than you'll probably love this book.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who like secluded settings
• fans of haunted houses

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"After all, nothing in this place was what it seemed."

"The future, she thought, could no be predicted, and the shape of things could not be divined."