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[Content Warnings: Incest, Death, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, Misogyny, and Gaslighting, Eugenics, Violence, Infanticide, Murder, Suicide, Miscarriage, Cannibalism, Human Sacrifice]
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a novel set in 1950s Mexico where Noemí is sent to help her cousin who appears distressed in her new life as a bride to Virgil Doyle. The massive, old and creaky mansion they stay in sets the scene for a typical haunted mansion story and takes a “whodunnit” approach.
I had really really really high expectations for this book – when I first joined bookstagram, this book had just been released and it was everywhere! It sounded right up my street but I never bought it because I wanted the hype to die down. One year later I decided to finally read it after one of my friends bought it for me. This year long lead up to the book now feels like a waste.
This book was advertised as having a romantic Mexican culture with huge twists and turns and an extremely dark plot – sadly, I can only agree with the last statement. Despite being set in Mexico, only two of the characters speak in Spanish throughout the book, but other than that, there is no real Mexican ‘feel’ to the book. The family who lives in the High Palace are English born and migrated to El Triunfo to expand their silver mining business, so while the setting is Mexico, the feel is “big white family who are coming to make money off the backs of Mexicans” kind of vibe. This Victorian setting dominates the narrative, so the ‘Mexicanness’ typically mentioned in book reviews has been overplayed in my eyes.
Additionally, the twist at the end was not only disappointing, but hilarious, but more like you’re laughing because if you don’t you’ll cry. The first 70% of the book is very mystical and intriguing and then the final 30% takes the weirdest turn, into the somewhat paranormal, which just felt like I was reading two different books. It made sense, it wasn’t necessarily that there was a plot hole, but I think the author had this idea late in development and just ran with it, and I’m not sure it paid off.
To add to this, the few characters in the book were either pointless or boring. The whole reason why Noemí travelled to El Triunfo was because of her cousin Catalina, who actually has basically no role in the book. There’s also a doctor in town who honestly adds nothing to the plot other than just to prove that Noemí is a ‘bad girl’ who breaks High Palace rules. Noemí is also a really unlikeable, spoilt character who didn’t really deserve the attention of the book. Francis was cute though, I liked him.
Overall, I’m really disappointed. The spooks were there but then I went from scared to laughing at the drastic turn the book took. Unlikeable characters mixed with nothing really happening for 70% of the book is sadly why I’m rating it the way I have.
Rating: ⭐⭐/5