Silvia Moreno-Garcia does a lot of things exactly right in her NYT bestseller, Mexican Gothic.
The author plays with the tropes of Gothic Fiction (think Jane Eyre or Rebecca):
a determined heroine and a brooding house full of family secrets.
This isn’t a genre I tend to read, but Mexican Gothic kept coming across my radar, so I checked it from my local library--and I’m glad I did.
The main character, Noemi, is a flighty socialite sent to the hinterlands to rescue her newly married cousin who may be having a psychotic breakdown.
The musty, mist-enclosed house, High Place, is by turns forlorn and malevolent.
Similarly, the handsome elder son Virgil, her cousin’s husband, is equal parts threatening and enticing. Only Francis, the youngest son, seems to be an ally.
a determined heroine and a brooding house full of family secrets.
This isn’t a genre I tend to read, but Mexican Gothic kept coming across my radar, so I checked it from my local library--and I’m glad I did.
The main character, Noemi, is a flighty socialite sent to the hinterlands to rescue her newly married cousin who may be having a psychotic breakdown.
The musty, mist-enclosed house, High Place, is by turns forlorn and malevolent.
Similarly, the handsome elder son Virgil, her cousin’s husband, is equal parts threatening and enticing. Only Francis, the youngest son, seems to be an ally.
One technique Moreno-Garcia employs especially well is having the heroine insist on a logical explanation for the unusual events she experiences--which invites the reader to embrace the paranormal elements of the story. As the plot unfolds, we become concerned for Neomi long before she awakens to the danger.
Although I wasn't surprised by the cause of Neomi’s nightmares revealed at the end, I was still fully engaged in the narrative and the fate of the characters. The house’s fate felt a bit contrived, but the final paragraph anchored Neomi’s growth as a character, and provided a pitch-perfect resolution to the tale.
Mexican Gothic is a thoroughly satisfying reading experience.
Although I wasn't surprised by the cause of Neomi’s nightmares revealed at the end, I was still fully engaged in the narrative and the fate of the characters. The house’s fate felt a bit contrived, but the final paragraph anchored Neomi’s growth as a character, and provided a pitch-perfect resolution to the tale.
Mexican Gothic is a thoroughly satisfying reading experience.