Hardcover, 301 pages
English language
Published June 30, 2020 by Del Rey.
From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes this reimagining of the classic gothic suspense novel, a story about an isolated mansion in 1950s Mexico--and the brave socialite drawn to its treacherous secrets.
He is trying to poison me. You must come for me, Noemí. You have to save me.
After receiving a frantic letter from her newlywed cousin, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside, unsure what she will find. Noemí is an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, more suited to cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough, smart, and not afraid: not of her cousin’s new English husband, a stranger who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemí’s dreams with visions of blood and doom. …
From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes this reimagining of the classic gothic suspense novel, a story about an isolated mansion in 1950s Mexico--and the brave socialite drawn to its treacherous secrets.
He is trying to poison me. You must come for me, Noemí. You have to save me.
After receiving a frantic letter from her newlywed cousin, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside, unsure what she will find. Noemí is an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, more suited to cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough, smart, and not afraid: not of her cousin’s new English husband, a stranger who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemí’s dreams with visions of blood and doom. Noemí's only ally in this inhospitable place is the family’s youngest son. But he too may be hiding something dark. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place, as Noemí discovers when she begins to unearth stories of violence and madness. Mesmerized by this terrifying yet seductive world, Noemí may soon find it impossible to save her cousin—or even escape this enigmatic house.
Very gothic old school style horror complete with a crumbling house up a mountain, shrouded in mist and riddled with mycelium. I found this very creepy and engrossing, and the details of the mystery at hand kept me wondering.
This ended up being the third of 4 stories I read this year that were all variations on the Fall of the House of Usher (including the original), and I think it's my favourite. The slow pace with which the protagonist (and by extension us the readers) learn what exactly is up with the house felt realistic and made for great tension because there's such a long period in which it's clear that something is Very Wrong but not what it is. And along the way Moreno-Garcia gets in some choice digs about what colonisers are and do, including to themselves and each other. Deliciously gruesome.
#SFFBookClub May 2023
I won't write a lot because I'm afraid of giving spoilers. The other reviewers here summed up the book nicely. I only knew about this and read it because it is one of the books in this year's Canada Reads. I don't know how it fits the year's theme, and it doesn't feel at all Canadian (despite the nationality of the author), but that shouldn't take away from the book itself.
I understand that Mexican Gothic will be a TV series on Hulu! This is fantastic news, as it is absolutely perfect material for this sort of thing.
Some thoughts: it's a fun, pulpy ride! I was always a huge fan of The House on Haunted Hill (both the original and the remake), so this was a great time. I was confused, though, at the repeated references that the book took place in the 1950s, as there was really nothing …
I won't write a lot because I'm afraid of giving spoilers. The other reviewers here summed up the book nicely. I only knew about this and read it because it is one of the books in this year's Canada Reads. I don't know how it fits the year's theme, and it doesn't feel at all Canadian (despite the nationality of the author), but that shouldn't take away from the book itself.
I understand that Mexican Gothic will be a TV series on Hulu! This is fantastic news, as it is absolutely perfect material for this sort of thing.
Some thoughts: it's a fun, pulpy ride! I was always a huge fan of The House on Haunted Hill (both the original and the remake), so this was a great time. I was confused, though, at the repeated references that the book took place in the 1950s, as there was really nothing else (dialogue, descriptions, idioms, etc) that suggested that it took place at that time. The author's insistence of this fact was like a slap in the face each time because I just didn't believe it. Just set it in 2015 and we're all good.
Content warning Leggeri spoiler sulla trama
Ho visto solo recensioni positive di questo romanzo e l'ho iniziato con alte aspettative ma si è rivelato davvero debole, una delusione :(
La scrittura è semplice e a volte l'ho trovata un po' forzata e stereotipata, non so se/quanto per colpa della traduzione. La cosa non mi avrebbe infastidito più di tanto se la trama e i temi fossero stati gestiti meglio, ma nonostante il romanzo parta in modo interessante la trama si perde per la maggior parte del libro, riprendendosi solo alla fine: la parte conclusiva ha idee e immagini interessanti, soprattutto quando vira finalmente sull'horror, ma è troppo poco e troppo tardi.
Uno scrittore più forte avrebbe usato tutte quelle pagine sulla protagonista in attesa e (poca) esplorazione della casa e dintorni per creare atmosfera e dare corpo ai personaggi, e se anche un po' di atmosfera riesce a crearla purtroppo i personaggi sono quasi tutti di carta velina, soprattutto Virgil, il cattivo sexy (insopportabile), Florence la vecchia megera (...) e Catalina, la povera vittima che dorme per la maggior parte del libro. La protagonista Noemí invece mi è piaciuta: divertente e ben delineata, ha una personalità leggera ma testarda e se a volte è cattiva e un po' infantile questo non le viene mai rinfacciato dalla narrazione. È l'unica ad essere stata scritta con un po' di tridimensionalità, e anche Francis, l'unico altro personaggio con un po' di conflitto, è molto più debole e piatto in confronto.
Il principale colpo di scena (la causa della malattia di Catalina e degli incubi di Noemí) era intuibile fin dall'inizio, ma sarei stata soddisfatta se il reveal fosse stato ben eseguito, anche perché è un'idea interessante. Non è stato così :/ infodump dopo infodump, il mistero si risolve facendo in modo che i personaggi si alternino nello spiegare tutto, sia le cose ovvie perché sottolineate in ogni descrizione che quelle che non erano mai state menzionate prima. Non proprio una risoluzione soddisfacente.
(Nota soggettiva: non mi è piaciuto molto che le cose paranormali siano state razionalizzate. Lasciate che l'ultraterreno rimanga tale o almeno ambiguo!!! Niente scientific babble nell'horror gotico!!!).
La metafora del colonialismo che si perpetua attraverso le generazioni era interessante, ma il modo in cui sono stati trattati i temi non mi ha lasciato niente. Colonialismo, razzismo, sfruttamento delle donne e dei lavoratori sono cose brutte, ok, sono d'accordo, ma mi sarebbe piaciuto un approccio un po' più profondo, una take un po' più interessante.
Forse le recensioni entusiastiche mi hanno hypato troppo ed è per questo che sono così delusa, boh. Morale della storia: non vi fidate delle recensioni e se volete leggerlo prendetelo in libreria.
Starts slow but eventually delivers a weird and ultimately satisfying tale of nightmarish horrors and awakening to the face the realities of the world with eyes wide open.
Mareno-Garcia presents a lush and atmospheric excursion into the gothic genre. Noemí Taboada is a wealthy strong-willed Mexican socialite who finds herself playing the uncanny hero after receiving a bewildering letter from her cousin, Catalina. The letter propels Noemí to travel to her cousin’s new home, High Place – an isolated English-style mansion – to check on Catalina’s mysterious behavior. Noemi is greeted by moldy wallpaper and in-laws bent on eugenics. Her stay at High Place only feels more and more menacing with each passing night as the unimaginable horrors become more and more richly detailed. Recommended for avid horror or suspense readers who just finished and loved “The Death of Jane Larence” by Caitlin Startling or “Tripping Arcadia” by Kit Mayquist for the creepy underpinnings and culturally diverse characters.
This marks the third book of Silvia Moreno-Garcia I've read this year, and once again she astonishes with her talent. Three markedly different novels in theme and presentation – [b:The Beautiful Ones|33574143|The Beautiful Ones|Silvia Moreno-Garcia|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500030880l/33574143.SY75.jpg|54122902] is a luscious romantic fantasy, [b:Untamed Shore|52715842|Untamed Shore|Silvia Moreno-Garcia|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566950334l/52715842.SX50_SY75.jpg|73113075] is a sun-bleached noir, and [b:Mexican Gothic|53152636|Mexican Gothic|Silvia Moreno-Garcia|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575673549l/53152636.SX50_SY75.jpg|73647361] is a rich twist on the classic haunted house story – but each is a marvel of world-building, with marvelous characters and atmosphere so thick you can see it.
If there is any justice, Moreno-Garcia's many outstanding works will find the appreciation they so deserve.
What a vivid book, so dark and gorgeously detailed. The best modern gothic horror I’ve read or watched, hands down. I loved it.
