Book Review: Mexican Gothic

Within this Mexican phase, I searched for a good book that could take me deep into the culture and history of Mexico. I usually gravitate towards a historical fiction, but this time I was drawn to a horror genre that had received great reviews. The book Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was published in 2022 and has won worldwide acclaim as a best-seller. I was a little hesitant at first, looking for something more to do with the Aztecs or maybe the revolution, but I was eventually drawn to the 1950s rural setting of Mexico. I am quite satisfied with this selection and found it to be a fairly easy and enjoyable read. 

The front cover certainly has a seductive charm with it's beautiful female heroine dressed in a purple dress holding flowers. Some anticipating thoughts that came to mind before I began was something on par with an Alfred Hitchcock film, such as Psycho (where a beautiful woman is driven to some sort of madness). I later discovered that the setting had to do with a haunted mansion and thus reminded me of Jayne Eyre or Wuthering Heights. I don't think I've ever really read a proper horror book before but this one did have some appeal. With its modern writing it was easy to follow along and to try and guess at what was actually happening. The true appeal to the book is it's feisty and fearless protagonist Noemi Taboada. 

Plot Summary

The story begins in the 1950s Mexico City, where a wealthy socialite named Noemi Taboada is called home from a party by her father. Her father gives Noemi a letter from her cousin Catalina who appears to be in poor condition. He also insists that Noemi go visit her cousin and see what is upsetting her. Noemi unwillingly agrees to visit her cousin, who lives in a mansion in the fictional town of El Triunfo. When she arrives to the house, she is surprised by it's gloomy and somber atmosphere. The house is on top of a hill, surrounded by forests, creeks, and a cemetery. It is referred to as High Place and from the onset it appears Noemi has walked into the cliché haunted mansion. 

She receives a cold welcome from the Doyle family, beginning with the elder patriarch Howard Doyle, his grouchy niece Florence (who manages the mansion), and his son Virgil (who is married to Catalina). The only family member that shows her any kindness is the son of Florence, named Francis, who has a mysterious aloof side to him. When Noemi finally encounters her cousin she finds nothing too unusual aside from Catalina's sleepiness which the family doctor declares as an effect of tuberculosis. However when Noemi visits the town, she meets an old lady named Marta Duval who tells her the shocking story of the Doyles. The Doyle family experienced a terrible tragedy when several members were killed by Howard's daughter Ruth who then committed suicide. 

Noemi begins to understand why everyone is so morose however she keeps a high-spirited attitude and befriends the isolated Francis. She later begins to experience some strange nightmares that appear as if the house is talking to her. Noemi then returns to the town to get some strong medicine for Catalina. The medicine backfires on Catalina, who has a seizure, and Florence and Virgil quickly blame Noemi for this. From that point on the hostility only continues to grow and Noemi begins to wish to leave the mansion. However she also does not want to abandon her cousin in this state, and begins to develop a plan to escape with her. 

This plan is suddenly halted when Virgil and Florence force Noemi to ingest some of Howard's fungus. Noemi experiences a surreal trance where she realizes that the house and the Doyle family are controlled by a network of fungi. Howard has mastered this network and has lived for the past 300 years by taking over other bodies of his family. Furthermore once the fungi is in the body it is impossible to leave the mansion, which suddenly makes Noemi's situation more dire. The family insist that Noemi marry Francis to preserve the Doyle lineage.

Luckily Francis who has developed feelings for Noemi, comes to her rescue and gives her a potion that neutralizes the effects of the fungus. At their wedding dinner, Noemi confronts the Doyles and with the help of Francis and Catalina they shoot Howard Doyle. They escape thru the mines of the mansion, and encounter the corpse of Agnes Doyle (Howard's sacrificed wife). They discover that Agnes is the source of the fungi network and set her on fire which spreads throughout the mansion. Noemi, Catalina, and Francis are able to escape the burning mansion and find refuge in the town of El Triunfo. Francis is in critical condition but he is revived by Noemi in what appears to be a happy romantic ending. 

Book Review

I can see why this book was a best-seller, as it is easy to comprehend, and loaded with fore-shadowing of mysterious events. As I mentioned before I think the main appeal to the book is it's female lead character Noemi. She is attractive, intelligent, confident, competitive, courageous, ambitious, sassy, and classy. She is like the iconic 1950s Hollywood movie star smoking her cigarettes, wearing fancy dresses, and driving in convertibles. So it's no wonder she shines in such a dreary setting where all the Doyle family characters are as dry as ever. She is definitely not your cliché damsel in distress however and despite all the superatural haunting elements she faces it all with great tenacity. 

I do feel there was a lot of mundane activity throughout the middle of the book. Once she arrives in the mansion it's a routine of boring day-to-day interactions with her Catalina, Francis, or Virgil. Sure she begins to have some strange dreams, which no doubt fore-shadow the mystery of the mansion, but it's far too little. She makes a few trips to the town where she interacts with some of the locals but nothing too interesting. Quite frankly I don't think anything too dramatic occurs until the final few chapters of the book. This is why I feel it was ultimately a good book, but not a great book.

While I found it to be an entertaining and suspenseful read, I don't think it was quite the cultural immersion I was looking for. I think despite it's title, it's a story that could have unfolded anywhere really, maybe more so in the countryside of Britain. Once again though the book did have a hook effect, thanks to it's foreshadowing of mysterious events and that does make for a good read. It's good to see the Mexican author Silvia Moreno-Garcia get such praise for this work and surely she has more to offer. I can definitely see this book turned into a television series or movie. I just hope they pick a stunning Latin actress that can match Noemi's fire. It's truly a role that could launch someone's career.