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

Disappointed

For a book called one of the year’s best 10 by The New Yorker, the NYT, and other reliable publications, this was a surprise. I didn’t like the narration (stilted, and the weird and completely wrong British-ish accent for Frances and others slipped hilariously from New York patrician to cockney to vaguely Brit). I wonder if I would have liked the book more if I had read it, and I might try. Listening, I found it silly and unconvincing. Can’t understand how I came away with such a different take than the high falutin’ publications who raved about it. That’s a mystery in itself.

Starts out good, goes downhill fast

A 22 year old woman is sent to figure out what is going on with her cousin who has married a creepy man who lives in a creepy house with his creepy family. Sounds like the beginning of a run-of-the-mill horror story. But the plot goes downhill fast with 1) a chapter that 'explains it all' half way through (hate that 'explication' chapter - sign of weak writing 2) a bunch of incomprehensible gobbledegook at the end to make it 'scarier.'

The performance is okay. Woman has a nice voice, but on the whole - and as usual - my book club picked a weak story.

Save your credit

This story is all over the place. Poor plot, poorly developed characters. The story is incredibly repetitive.

Loved it!

This story had so many enjoyable twists and turns, I loved it so much. Following the narrator was a bit difficult though. Would still recommend it.

Interesting story

I liked this story, but it moved at a slow pace. I don’t think the pacing would have been so problematic if the narrator didn’t speak in such a monotone. There were a lot of times when I got lost on who was talking because they sounded so similar. I did like how the story unfolded. I think it would make a great screenplay!

Didn’t want it to end

Loved this read! The setting, characters, and plot were so good that I was super sad after finishing it! Narration was amazing and I’ll be looking at more from this author.

Creepy, but Slow

I suspect gothic romance isn’t my thing as this book seemed to take FOREVER to get going. While the author does a great job setting the stage and painting a creepy picture of this bizarre, sinister household, I found myself checking how far I was into the book several times, wondering when it was going to pick up. When it finally does, things go in some wonderfully weird directions, but whether it’s enough to make the listen worth your time and credit probably depends a lot on your patience for tortured reticent men falling for impulsive, rebellious women. Overall, not bad, but for my money, not really worth all the hype.

Great book

I loved it . I was could now wait to find out what was happening next.

I wish I had read this rather than listened to it.

I purchased the audiobook because I had really enjoyed the audio version of Gods of Jade and Shadow. Can a narrator be precise to a fault in their speech? It felt pretentious to me. I thought I would get used to it as the book progressed but I never did. The narrator showed little emotion and did not vary her delivery throughout the more than ten hours I listened. I found the narration distracting.

slow burn lovecraft

if you like slow burn cosmic horror you will love this. The pacing is decent and the characters are very interesting. Narrator is good too!