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A review by n_asyikin_
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
5.0
TW: The book contained scenes of sexual assaults, a loss of autonomy, gaslighting, physical abuse or assault, graphic depiction of violence.
The book started with our main protagonist, Noemi, receiving a letter from her cousin Catalina, saying that her husband's house was haunted & wouldn't allow her to leave. Noemi, at the height of her youth, was an independent woman, unapologetically living her life in a patriarchal society set in 1950's Mexico. Her wealthy family allowed her some degree of privileges, though misogyny still trapped her from pursuing her dreams of wanting to further her studies in anthropology. But concerns for her cousin's health provided an opportunity, extended by her dad; Noemi was to use her charms to convince Catalina's in-laws to let her returned home. Was what haunted Catalina the ghosts she mentioned in her letters, or was medical treatment what she needed?
From the start, the vibe was strong with a secluded & dilipidated Victorian house up on a hill that has a cemetery at the back. A house with a history of tragedy. Fog added to a sense of eerie anticipation. The atmosphere would not fail you. It was one standout aspect of the book, for me.
Another standout was the description of fairytales in all its gory details & how it was incorporated to run parallel to the situation Noemi found herself in. As she tried to convince the Doyles whilst attempting to uncover their hidden secrets & past, the narrative functioned as a sort of mystery. Misogyny & rascism spoken through postcolonial understanding added depth to Noemi & what she needed to overcome.
And the end, I celebrated what Noemi & Catalina overcame; despite the bloodbath, I welcomed it (was awaiting for it even). Even with the supernatural element imbued in the story, the Doyles (in particular, that wretched Howard & Virgil) perhaps represented the most dangerous threat to the well-being of a woman like Noemi: brown, intelligent & independent, namely white eliticism. The gore felt vicarious for an asian woman like myself.
The atmosphere was great. It was dreary, & gave me a twisted form of joy from the noir visualization that I had in my mind whilst reading it. The racism & misogyny that Noemi went through angered me to no end. Her momentary doubts, as a result of the supernatural & the very mundane-gaslighting, would frustrate you. To be honest, around this time, my frustration made me resent the story a bit; I thought Noemi's tenacity did not deserved this arch. But in hindsight, it was needed. Moreno-Garcia set it up for a justifiable ending.
Although, I did thought some scenes could use more extrapolation, or better precedence; they felt sudden, at times or was just glanced over. For example, Virgil attempted power grab from Howard. I mean, that development did not surprised me, and yet I felt that it could use better lead-ups.
Regardless, it was a gory book in every sense of the word. Some parts were hard to stomach, but the ending more than just make it up for me. And that warm ending was more than deserved for both Noemi & Francis. (P.S: Cheers to kindhearted, respectful man like Francis. It shouldn't be a rarity, but well... this is the world we live in.)
The book started with our main protagonist, Noemi, receiving a letter from her cousin Catalina, saying that her husband's house was haunted & wouldn't allow her to leave. Noemi, at the height of her youth, was an independent woman, unapologetically living her life in a patriarchal society set in 1950's Mexico. Her wealthy family allowed her some degree of privileges, though misogyny still trapped her from pursuing her dreams of wanting to further her studies in anthropology. But concerns for her cousin's health provided an opportunity, extended by her dad; Noemi was to use her charms to convince Catalina's in-laws to let her returned home. Was what haunted Catalina the ghosts she mentioned in her letters, or was medical treatment what she needed?
From the start, the vibe was strong with a secluded & dilipidated Victorian house up on a hill that has a cemetery at the back. A house with a history of tragedy. Fog added to a sense of eerie anticipation. The atmosphere would not fail you. It was one standout aspect of the book, for me.
Another standout was the description of fairytales in all its gory details & how it was incorporated to run parallel to the situation Noemi found herself in. As she tried to convince the Doyles whilst attempting to uncover their hidden secrets & past, the narrative functioned as a sort of mystery. Misogyny & rascism spoken through postcolonial understanding added depth to Noemi & what she needed to overcome.
And the end, I celebrated what Noemi & Catalina overcame; despite the bloodbath, I welcomed it (was awaiting for it even). Even with the supernatural element imbued in the story, the Doyles (in particular, that wretched Howard & Virgil) perhaps represented the most dangerous threat to the well-being of a woman like Noemi: brown, intelligent & independent, namely white eliticism. The gore felt vicarious for an asian woman like myself.
The atmosphere was great. It was dreary, & gave me a twisted form of joy from the noir visualization that I had in my mind whilst reading it. The racism & misogyny that Noemi went through angered me to no end. Her momentary doubts, as a result of the supernatural & the very mundane-gaslighting, would frustrate you. To be honest, around this time, my frustration made me resent the story a bit; I thought Noemi's tenacity did not deserved this arch. But in hindsight, it was needed. Moreno-Garcia set it up for a justifiable ending.
Although, I did thought some scenes could use more extrapolation, or better precedence; they felt sudden, at times or was just glanced over. For example, Virgil attempted power grab from Howard. I mean, that development did not surprised me, and yet I felt that it could use better lead-ups.
Regardless, it was a gory book in every sense of the word. Some parts were hard to stomach, but the ending more than just make it up for me. And that warm ending was more than deserved for both Noemi & Francis. (P.S: Cheers to kindhearted, respectful man like Francis. It shouldn't be a rarity, but well... this is the world we live in.)