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
ONE OF TIME’S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME • 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
For the first half of this book, I was sure it was going to be at least a 4 star read. It piqued my interest and had me guessing all kinds of really suspenseful/thrilling/horrific conclusions. And then "the reveal" happened and I was incredibly underwhelmed. It could have been so much better, but ended up kinda dumb and convoluted. Because it hooked me so thoroughly from the start though, I'm wavering between 3 and 3.5 stars.
So the setting was great - the house and the family were marvelously creepy (at least at the first half). I really enjoyed the trips into town and all the historical references as well. I particularly liked Noemi - the main character - and Jamie, her cousin's new brother-in-law. There were all these dreams and sleepwalking and references to mold and mushrooms that had me on the edge of my seat guessing all kinds of great potential outcomes. I was reading this with Michelle and we had all these theories.
I think when your theories are better than what the book produces, it's very disappointing. I wish I could rewrite the second half of this book because the potential was there. Instead, I find myself struggling to categorize it. It's almost horror. It's almost thriller. It's almost suspense. I wish I had a shelf for creepy, gross historical...that would fit.
I'm not sad I read it, but I also wouldn't recommend it. I was curious and my curiosity has been stoked. I got this from the library on audio - it was narrated by Frankie Corzo - and she did a really good job with the voices, particularly the Spanish accents when appropriate. I would listen to her again for sure.
