Reviewed by girlinthepages on
Set in 1950s Mexico, Mexican Gothic follows protagonist Noemí, a young socialite who dreams of pursuing a masters in anthropology, to a creepy house in the country called "High Place" after receiving a disturbing letter from her cousin who has married the heir to the estate. Her father, tired of her partying ways, strikes a deal with her- she goes and checks on her cousin, quashing any potential family scandals, and he won't stand in her way of attending grad school. Never one to back away from a challenge, Noemí heads off to the country expecting to swoop in and save her cousin from perhaps an unhappy marriage and some eccentric relatives, but finds herself quite literally trapped in the horrors of High Place, which is as much an enemy and threat to her as those who reside in it.
The mystery of Mexican Gothic is a slow burn, and while undoubtedly atmospheric, I will admit the first quarter of the book or so had my scratching my head as to why it was labeled a "horror" novel. As a reader I could tell there were obviously shady things going on behind the scenes but there wasn't anything outright scary. As Noemí continues to linger at High Place, refusing to leave her cousin under the care of this strange and stern family and their incompetent doctor (who blames her clearly physiologically distraught condition on tuberculosis), the story slowly became more sinister, through increasing nightmares, bouts of sleepwalking, persistent fog/gloom, and never ending mold- mold EVERYWHERE, on the ceilings, in the walls, between the pages of the books...the house truly had an infestation. Given Noemí's father's paint empire and her corresponding knowledge of chemical reactions I thought perhaps the book would follow a more scientific explanation (i.e. everyone in the house is just hallucinating because they're all being slowly poisoned to death by mold spores in the air) but the plot of the book took science and melded it with the horrors of the paranormal to provide the foundations of High Place and the mystery surrounding the Doyle family. I can't say much more than that without getting into spoilers but it was DEFINITELY something I hadn't seen done before (although admittedly I have hardly read/watched any horror so keep that in mind!)
Noemí was a great protagonist for a story like this. She was a great blend of being strong yet still a normal person who also fell vulnerable to a house full of psychopaths at times, which is completely realistic (at least I assume, lol). She had moments of doubt or weakness but also balanced that with her natural predisposition toward resiliency and courage, and she was smart and could hold her own in conversations with the entitled, elitist Doyles (who, in a twist surprising no one, are huge Eugenicists). I also loved reading about her outfit descriptions, a bright spot in the perpetually dreary manor. Noemí's fashions were sophisticated and colorful, and I loved that she was both an intellectual AND committed to fashion (and she herself even ruminates on why these two traits are often treated like they are mutually exclusive).
Now, the more "horror" type elements definitely pick up in the second half of the book, when Noemí learns the true history of High Place and the Doyles. While still not exactly "scary" in the traditional, jump-scare type way, this book definitely WENT THERE in terms of weirdness, unsettling descriptions, and gore. I honestly felt some of the gore was a little over-gratuitous, but then again once you realize what the root cause of the evil in the house is probably nothing will surprise you (show spoiler)[I never thought I'd see the day where basically an evil fungus is the villain by way of glowing mushrooms but here we are. ] I was definitely intrigued by the backstory of the Doyles and how they came to claim their horrific power (and everything did tie together neatly in terms of the other odd things happening in the town) but it was also just weird. So weird as to be much more absurd rather than frightening for me personally.
Overall: As I've mentioned throughout this review, I'm not a huge horror fan and therefore Mexican Gothic, while an intriguing read for me, didn't rank an overly high review because at the end of the day it really wasn't my cup of tea. BUT I do think it was well written and a really interesting twist on the classic "haunted house" story, and I enjoyed the experience of reading outside of my comfort zone.
This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 8 August, 2020: Finished reading
- 8 August, 2020: Reviewed