Rawr Reader,
Happy Spooktober! It's the beginning of the bumper-to-bumper seasons extravaganza with the months flowing into the other like leaves on a breeze. October begins my annual challenge of reading four horror reads during the month, and a little over a week in, I've completed my first book. So far not bad.
The synopsis of Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is provided by Goodreads:
After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin
begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom,
Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the
Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her
cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger,
and Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not 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.
And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive
world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever
leave this enigmatic house behind.
Reference:
This book was a big commercial release of 2020 and I had to wait a few months for my library to have the loan available earlier this year, but I returned it not long after starting. I've decided to give this book another try, which I will elaborate further below.
Review:
Mexican Gothic falls under the type of novel that gets a lot of hype and try as it might, doesn't deliver.
Cosmetically, the inciting incident, the climax, the resolution . . . there were only faint traces of demanding stakes from start to finish. But those are just the poles to the tent, what about the canvas of characters? While the colors described in Mexican Gothic were bold (intentional), the characters were not. In part it was the small cast of characters, in part the characters feeling flat through their dialogue, in part the focus on romance which could have been sidelined so there was more focus on the protagonist's ambitions to help her cousin and with her interactions with the townspeople of El Triunfo.
Being that Mexican Gothic follows one key figure, I'll focus on Noemí. The downfalls of writing in a later era than what the novel is based on is that contemporary ideas tend to seep in, and while attempting to make the novel and its characters "progressive," it does the opposite. Her headstrong independent mind erodes into a submissive handcuffed one the longer she spends at High Palace, the Doyle family home and setting of the novel. The threats that transformed her weren't strong enough for me to believe her character or her personality to shift so dramatically. There's an eager trend in novels of the past decade to have a "strong" female protagonist. One that "don't need no man." That doesn't care about others opinions on her. In that respect, Noemí hits the mark, she's a spoiled, detached young woman who wants to pursue becoming an academic by earning her university fees by accomplishing this one family matter to protect the family reputation. However, there are many female protagonists in literature that are like that and when reading through their perspective feel like they have muscles, bones, and nerves under the skin. Noemí felt more of a caricature than a leading role character. Silly. And while living a "wild" life, on the cusp of uninteresting, And considering I'm always excited to read about a Latina protagonist in mainstream literature (especially when it involves a little bit of magic or magical realism), it's a greater disappointment when the characterization doesn't pan out in a satisfactory manner.
In general, the main characters weren't standout or multi-faceted despite the bright colored clothes and descriptions of the gloomy mansion. If anyone stood out it was the house High Palace: over Noemí, over Catalina—Noemí's cousin, and Virgil—Catalina's husband. There were a few select scenes that started to dive into the horror of this gothic tale, but then it was cut off and reduced to a trope. Suddenly the mysticism of the novel was sapped. It didn't help that the writing of the narrative didn't blow me away. My interest was most piqued when Moreno-Garcia showcased Noemí's knowledge on chemicals; for me—the smartest part of the novel, if it wasn't going to be written like a craft. Ironic, Beauty was a major theme.
I'm not an expert or extensive reader of gothic tales but I know Beauty was an integral placeholder in society and common theme in novels during the height of the Gothic era. People were given opportunities and set up in love matches based off of the superficial characteristics of a desired party (which of course isn't so much different from nowadays but let's set that aside, and I'm ignoring classism because emphasis in this novel was on the superficial), so it makes sense for Beauty to make an appearance in Mexican Gothic. Not just once or twice, beauty is mentioned to an exhaustive, annoying degree. I won't be remiss to admit this ties in with the patriarch Howard Doyle's beliefs, but after a point the incessant mention of beauty and people's looks became gaudy, almost cheap. What irked me was that Noemí wasn't just beautiful, she was an exotic beauty with her darkness and unorthodox behavior amidst the pale European members of High Palace. More of a spectacle like a circus act than a person who happened to have different physical features. Which leads me to one of my biggest problems with the novel.
While being set in Mexico and having a young woman who has the characteristics of many Latinos, this is very much a Eurocentric novel. Nearly every cast member has pale features, has a white name, or speaks only in English. In fact it's stated early in the second chapter that only English is allowed in High Palace. Even a Latina can't be a worthy enough protagonist in a "Latin-set" novel. Noemí's the promiscuous, rebellious, rich young lady with dark features that is the poor influence on the sanctimonious, sterile, pale Doyles. Noemí is Othered in appearances in the household. She is disruptive of the household customs with her talking and smoking. Her one redeemable, likeable trait is having concern for her cousin, but then that is overshadowed by the desire (not love) triangle between Noemí, Virgil, and Francis—Virgil's cousin. Not to mention she is ultimately doing this so her father will pay for her university fees—so if there were no stipulations would Noemí be as willing to travel to this place? I think not. Also the author mentions American scientists left and right, which reflects research from a modern author on a past time than a 1950s woman who, if is actually pursuing to be taken seriously as an academic, would know of any or at least a few prominent scientists in her native country during her time. I'm sure there were at least a couple, c'mon. So yes, technically it's set in Mexico, and there is Spanish thrown in there once or twice, but push those details aside (which the novel does) you would assume this was taking place in England or even New England.
Hands down the American First Edition cover is gorgeous. I'll be bold to say one of my favorite book covers of all time, however that's where the promise and spellbinding efforts of the novel comes to a halt. The twists and horrors of the novel were predictable and reminiscent of other stories that accomplished similar tropes and narratives more successfully. I mentioned in the Reference that I tried reading this earlier this year and gave it up quickly and decided to give it another try for October for several reasons. One, I heard this was being made into a Tv show and am one of those esoteric readers who prefers to read the book before watching the film/Tv show. (At least try to, if it's for a new novel with an adaptation that hasn't been released yet or for an older film/tv show that I didn't know was adapted from a novel beforehand.) Two, sometimes I just start books at the wrong time and it skews my experience of reading and ruins a perfectly enjoyable story, so second chances are well earned. Three, a friend recommended this to me Hey Kelly! :) and if someone recommends a book, especially when it's one I've heard a lot about in reading circles, I consider picking it up more.
While the novel had other issues that made me clash with the basest of bases of reading a book—simply enjoying it—I'll wrap it up here. This is my second novel by Moreno-Garcia, previously having read Gods of Jade and Shadow and enjoying that one more only by a sliver, and this will most likely be my last of this author's novels. Two is usually my limit for an author. If they can't draw me back in by the second book, I won't consider them again. Great marketing, first-rate book designers, alluring titles names, however at the end of the day the story needs to be the real beauty.
I give this book 2/5 stars.
Quote:
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
—Oscar Wilde
My Goodreads:
Next To Read:
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Spoilers:
A lot, and I mean a lot of people who talk about Mexican Gothic and want to compare it to other Gothic/Dark Fantasy entertainment out in the world almost always compare it to Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak. Which is a disservice because the legend gave us Crimson Peak, Pan's Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, and shoot even Hellboy.
Until Next Time,
Nicole Ciel
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