Mexican Gothic
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
A review
The protagonist of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s novel
Mexican Gothic is twenty-two year old Noemí Taboada, a feisty socialite from
a well-to-do family, who is equally at ease flirting with young men at parties
and studying anthropology at University, despite both activities being
considered quite daring in 1950s Mexico.
Her carefree life is unexpectedly interrupted by an urgent missive
received from her cousin Catalina, recently wed to mining magnate Virgil Doyle. The letter has a series of incredible allegations:
she states that she is being held captive in a haunted house, and possibly being
poisoned. Something is clearly amiss. Noemí
is not particularly keen to play the (potentially supernatural) detective, but
she promises to leave for High Place, the Doyles’ remote country mansion, in
return for her father allowing her to pursue university studies.
When she arrives at High Place, Noemí realizes
that Catalina’s tall tales might not be so far-fetched after all. The Doyles, in fact, make for a weird household,
ruled with a fist of iron by the repulsive old patriarch Harold Doyle. The house itself seems to throb with
malevolence, crumbling under the weight of a horrifying secret…
The novel is called Mexican Gothic and
it certainly delivers what it says on the tin.
Most of the tropes of classic Gothic suspense are thrown into the mix: a
decrepit, haunted mansion; “chosen” brides; a young woman who is, for all
intents and purposes, imprisoned by a smoulderingly handsome yet terrible husband;
a strange family hiding terrible secrets; silent servants; abandoned mines; rituals which seem uncomfortably (to this reader) like blasphemous
versions of Catholic liturgy; a mist-covered cemetery; even magical mushrooms...
Sometimes the dividing line between tribute and
parody can be very thin. Moreno-Garcia’s novel is a such smorgasbord of Gothic clichés
that it easily have degenerated into a parody of the genre. Yet, despite being
over-the-top (as most classic Gothic is), it has enough interesting and
idiosyncratic touches to make it an enjoyable pastiche.
I noted that one of the authors to give early
praise to this book is Yangsze Choo, the author of The Night Tiger (which I review
here). I am not surprised as, despite the contrasting geographical settings, and
the different folkloric traditions they tap into, both Mexican Gothic
and The Night Tiger combine horror and historical fiction, and feature a
likable, independent-minded young heroine. Like The Night Tiger, Mexican
Gothic also has a sentimental subplot which will particularly appeal to fans
of Romance. I confess I preferred both novels' darker aspects…
Kindle Edition, 336 pages
Expected publication: June 23rd 2020 by Jo Fletcher Books
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