Quick note before I get into my thoughts on Mexican Gothic and why I recommend it. I have created a little explainer of my approach to book and short fiction recommendations and you can find it here.
First things first. The foremost thing you need know about Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s MEXICAN GOTHIC is that it is a horror novel. The second is that, while everyone’s taste and tolerance for horror varies, it is a legitimately scary and disturbing horror novel. If you’re familiar with Stephen King’s three types of horror (the gross-out, horror, terror) know that this book fulfills all three.
If that sounds like a warning you’d be right. If it sounds like criticism you’d be wrong. MEXICAN GOTHIC is a horror novel and a horror novel that manages to move past creepy to actually scary is one especially deserving of the designation and of attention.
The setup is fairly simple. The year is 1950 and the place is Mexico. Our protagonist Noemi is a socialite from a Mexican family built on new money who has no interest in living anyone’s life but her own. When her father informs her of strange correspondence indicating a potential problem with her orphaned cousin Catalana’s marriage and mental health Noemi agrees to act as the family agent and pay a visit to a remote home in the mountains both out of concern for Catalana and because her father has promised to pay for her education of choice if she can deal with whatever the problem may be.
One of the really interesting things about this book is not only that it delivers exactly what it says on the tin (this is a Gothic novel and it’s set in Mexico) but that our cast of characters are almost completely aware of the fact that they are in such a story. The almost, of course, is carrying a heavy load here. Catalana is well known to be a lover of Gothic romances and fairy tales. Noemi and Virgil, Catalana’s husband, are both aware that Catalana likely fell in love with the idea of getting to be taken away by a handsome man to his family’s dark and lonely manor high up upon a wet Mexican mountain. They are both also aware that a large part of the problem plaguing Catalana may well be her disillusionment when reality turns out to be quite unable deliver the romance she may have envisioned for herself when a scenario straight out of her favorite stories showed up to sweep her away in passion.
Yes, many of this cast of characters understand that they are seemingly living out a Gothic novel but the key thing they aren’t all aware of is that key fact of this story: it is steeped in horror. Though they read themselves as experiencing something akin to Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre, it will begin to dawn on us readers though that Noemi and Catalana may be trapped in something more like Crimson Peak. It is a fun little twist to the story that our characters are quite aware of the literature that has come before their time, but don’t have the important points of reference that New Gothic Romances could have given them. Of course, this tale occurs in 1950 and those sorts of stories weren’t written just yet.
Another important detail that makes MEXICAN GOTHIC unlike it’s characters’ comparable reference points are that first part of the title: Mexican. This isn’t just a Gothic that takes place in Mexico, this is a MEXICAN Gothic. Colonialism is important in this story, racism is important, Mexican history, culture and, I suspect, mythology are important to this story. I say suspect because, not being a person well steeped in Mexican culture myself I am quite sure I am missing things in my experience of this novel. Things Mexican readers wouldn’t and won’t miss. I will note that that does nothing to reduce my enjoyment of the book. Though it makes me slightly jealous of those who will be able to enjoy the book in even more ways. For anyone wanting at least some of an enhanced experience in reading the book there is a great book club kit that can be found here: http://www.randomhousebooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Mexican-Gothic-book-club-kit.pdf
A common praise I have seen of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing in this book is that it is cinematic and I won’t dispute that. The details of the characters, and action, and (especially!) the setting could indeed be filmed exactly as presented on the page. The prose pops and the gorgeous, gloomy, and horrible all come alive. The book evokes a visually stunning experience as much as text can. If people aren’t knocking on Moreno-Garcia’s agent and/or publishers door looking to make a movie of this then the right people have not discovered this book yet.
Of course, a book’s existence is not to become a movie and that is not some badge a validity that should be required. MEXICAN GOTHIC is a novel and an excellent one. It sucks the reader into its world and mysteries and turns the dread and horror up at just the right pace to build to it’s disturbing climax. It’s going to stick with me a long while and, I suspect, will be one of those rare books I actually make time to reread. It’s just too creepy and satisfying to not want to enjoy again.