Mexican Gothic
Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Noemí is a well-to-do debutant in 1950’s Mexico City, living for the thrill of the next party, the next handsome young man to charm, and the occasional change in her university major to spice things up. Her life takes an unexpected turn when her newlywed cousin, Catalina, sends her a disturbing letter filled with incoherent accusations of attempted murder and eerie ramblings of spirits and voices in her new home.  

The letter leads Noemí to High Place, a decrepit mansion owned by Catalina’s uptight, English in-laws in an isolated old mining town. Even speaking during meals is forbidden, and the residents of High Place live in a constant orbit of fear around the patriarch of the Doyle family. Noemí pushes the patience of her hostile hosts as she tries to help Catalina, who is suffering from a mysterious illness. The only bright spot amidst the gloom is her new friend Francis Doyle, a bookish and sheltered young man, and seemingly the only Doyle capable of kindness.
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Noemí begins to learn more about the dark history of the family through a series of inexplicable, reality-distorting experiences. The more she discovers, the more unsure she is of anything at all, including whether she can get herself and Catalina out of this melancholic nightmare.

Rich with symbolism of the imperialist, colonial legacy of suffering, Silvia Moreno-Garcia coaxes readers deep into the occult, as layers of reality unfold and re-fold in mystifying ways. Aptly named, the novel has all of the best elements of a gothic tale as rebellious Noemí uncovers the dark forces of High Place while also navigating the forces of societal patriarchy and racism.

Sylvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of the novels Gods of Jade and Shadow, Signal to Noise, Certain Dark Things, The Beautiful Ones, and Untamed Shore. She has edited several anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award-winning She Walks in Shadows. She is a columnist for The Washington Post and reviews books for NPR. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.
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Mexican Gothic is a publication by Del Rey. Click here to purchase.
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Reviewed by
Samantha Olvera
​​3/16/2021

Samantha Olvera is a freelance writer, editor, book reviewer, and avid reader of diverse literature. She currently lives in New Mexico, where she works on a regenerative fruit farm and tree nursery. She is passionate about intersectional feminism, food systems, and lifting up underrepresented voices

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