Sunday, April 18, 2021

Mexican Gothic, by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia

Well, to be honest, horror is not my genre, so for me it was hard to like. It was hard to like for a lot of other reasons too. Our protagonist, Noemi, is a hero but not an engaging one, and the villains are kind of cardboard. Francis, younger brother of main villain Virgil, has a little promise of development but until the last few pages it really doesn't happen.

It's interesting to know that the town Moreno-Garcia describes is based on a real place and in many ways close to it. Mexico is a colonial society so in that way how events unfold (especially for privileged people like those in the story) is going to be familiar. Like other reviewers, I'm not sure what is particularly Mexican about it other than Noemi's fashions--but that may be pretty accurate. Given that the setting is transplanted England I guess it is not surprising that there's not much that's identifiably Mexican--adding it in here might have been artificial.

The writing is good, other than characters that don't develop much. The scenery is evocative, and the sciencey explanation of the supernatural elements works OK. In the end, I'm not sure why I read it. Oh well. 2.5 rounded up.

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