Mexican Gothic

By: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Narrated by: Frankie Corzo

Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “It’s Lovecraft meets the Brontës in Latin America, and after a slow-burn start Mexican Gothic gets seriously weird.”—The Guardian

IN DEVELOPMENT AS A HULU ORIGINAL LIMITED SERIES PRODUCED BY KELLY RIPA AND MARK CONSUELOS • WINNER OF THE LOCUS AWARD • NOMINATED FOR THE BRAM STOKER AWARD

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, NPR, The Washington Post, Tordotcom, Marie Claire, Vox, Mashable, Men’s Health, Library Journal, Book Riot, LibraryReads

An isolated mansion. A chillingly charismatic aristocrat. And a brave socialite drawn to expose their treacherous secrets. . . . From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes “a terrifying twist on classic gothic horror” (Kirkus Reviews) set in glamorous 1950s Mexico.

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 Noemi’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.

“It’s as if a supernatural power compels us to turn the pages of the gripping Mexican Gothic.”—The Washington Post

“Mexican Gothic is the perfect summer horror read, and marks Moreno-Garcia with her hypnotic and engaging prose as one of the genre’s most exciting talents.”—Nerdist

“A period thriller as rich in suspense as it is in lush ’50s atmosphere.”—Entertainment Weekly

©2020 Silvia Moreno-Garcia (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“An inspired mash-up of Jane Eyre, Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho, Dracula, Rebecca and that 1958 classic sci-fi movie, The Blob . . . Inventive and smart, [Mexican Gothic is] injecting the Gothic formula with some fresh blood.”—NPR’s Fresh Air

“Stylish and edgy. . . While the book draws inspiration from Gothic classics like Rebecca and Jane Eyre—there is a spunky female protagonist and an ancient house filled with disturbing secrets—its archly intelligent tone and insightful writing make Mexican Gothic an original escape to an eerie world.”—New York Times

“[An] irresistibly dark feminist reimagining of the Gothic fantasy novel . . . It’s all wonderfully creepy, blending chilling scenes of horror with classic Gothic tropes for a seductive and subversive tale. A book to devour in a few—very thrilling—sittings.”—Vanity Fair

Lacking, Disappointing, Not Developed

I was completely sold on the overwhelming amount of positive reviews for this book. I was SO excited. The premise is unique, the location and characters are unique, and other people seemed to really love this book. Initially I thought it was the narration, I just could not get into the story. But I really tried to stay with it because some of the BEST books start off slow and turn into something magically if you just persevere. As the chapters rolled by I watched my hope evaporate by the minute. No character development, no atmosphere, no depth whatsoever, completely 2D characters. It was such a letdown. The dialogue is super basic, it was just so vanilla. Pedestrian. The writing doesn’t ever CONNECT you to the places or people. There is no feeling. It’s vapid and boring. Sorry, I know everyone else seems to think this book was just phenomenal, I want my money back. Total letdown.

Lush and engrossing

Even if Gothic horror isn't your jam, give this a try. This book packs the surreal dreariness of the genre with none of the tired drag of other Gothic novels. I'm sure I'll be digesting themes from this book for a while, but it offers an authentic and timely reflection on the violence of colonialism and rape culture. Perfection.

I really enjoyed this!

It's a little silly, yes, but overall the story progressed really well and was entertaining! I couldn't really call out the twist early, which is always a good sign. A different review said they could totally see this being a Guillermo del Toro movie, and I definitely agree!

The narrator got a bit annoying sometimes, and the author's constant description of the appearances of the characters were a little unnecessary in my opinion, but I didn't really bother me that much.

Mostly average

The story moves very slowly and takes too long for the action/big reveal. The reader was really average and not that engaging either.

Don't Hate Me

I liked the plot, but felt that there wasn't too much depth to the characters. not very vivid descriptions. Also, the narrator didn't help at all. Some things were not pronounced properly in Spanish. I was originally interested because of the Lovecraftian vibe, but feel like I came out empty-handed.

Perfect October listen!

This is my 2nd time listening to this book! It’s a great October read when you need something a bit mysterious and crazy creative! It gets the Halloween vibes going! Hurry up and make this a movie already! I’m keeping it in my library just in case!

Finally, a great gothic novel.

I read the hardcover while I listened to the audible. Very enjoyable. Made me interested to read more. I would read a sequel.

Beautifully written, but.....

two-thirds through the book and it really took a bad turn with the "symbiotic relationship with the fungus". I finished it hoping for an ending describing the whole fungal premise was a bad coma dream, but nope. Ended as a love story.

Narration is superb just wish there was a more realistic, sinister human villain / explanation.

Don’t let the beginning fool you!

In the first few chapters I began to regret my purchase. But once you are at the main setting of the story it picks up. I’m happy I didn’t give up the story. The performance left something to be wanting. More animation, but the fact that she read it with a Spanish accent gained her point. Honestly wish they could have had Gina Rodriguez narrate!

Visceral and Beautiful

I really enjoyed this novel. It was an excellent as well as fresh take on classic tales such The Haunting of Hill House, but with a more vicious edge. I truly couldn’t stop listening, the characters were wonderful (or, in some cases, wonderfully terrible) and I couldn’t recommend this tale enough. Good indigenous characters are also so hard to come by, I was so pleasantly surprised by Noemi’s heritage, the fact that she is never at all ashamed of being Mazatec, and the unflinching disgust held for all white supremacists and casual eugenics. Unfortunately, that has not been my experience with other novels - especially horror novels - which barely hide their racism better than HP Lovecraft did in the Horror of Red Hook. Definitely give this one a chance!