Uptown Oracle Reads… Mexican Gothic

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.

Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

I’ve been meaning to read Mexican Gothic since Moon pushed it into my hands and then later bought me my own copy anyway. I’m glad to say I wasn’t disapointed, and it even helped pull me out of a slight reading slump too.

I loved Noemi as our main character, she’s strong and stubborn but not at the expense of being feminine. I loved her loyalty to Catalina and the lenghts she goes to in order to help her. Nightmares, sleepwalking and hallucinations start to plague our main character, and whilst she’s gone to help Catalina she ends up walking into a trap she’s struggling to get out of.

The books starts off with a mystery and slowly descends into horror that grips you to the page. The imagery of decay, sickness and rotting is synonymous with the patriarch of the family, and the rotting family tree he’s created. The Doyle family are awful people and as antagonists are easy to hate from very early on in the book.

Mexican Gothic is skin crawlingly creepy in multiple ways. Even in parts where it’s supposed to seem normal High Place oozes creepiness from it’s floor and walls. The house is a character in it’s own right, and dominates so many scenes of the book just from the aesthetic it brings. The creation of the house and backstory of the Doyle family only make the house feel more claustrophobic and like a cage for Noemi.

The book covers some strong topics about gender, eugenics., race and coloniaism. Noemi and Catalina are women in the 50’s so have to be “owned” by the men in their lives, until they fight for their freedom. The antagonists take part in both eugenics and colonialism, and are shown as acts which make them worse people. Howard Doyle uses eugenics for personal gain and “god-like” characteristics, whilst exploiting the resources and labour of Mexico.

The book neatly answers the questions you have about the Horror at High Place, but I loved how there’s clear indicators of what will happen throughout the story whilst still being a shocking revelation near the end. The reasoning is super dark, and I loved the lean into horrific people doing horrific things.

Positives of Mexican Gothic

• Creepy horror and a decaying gothic house
• Intriguing premise and execution

Negatives of Mexican Gothic

• Sometimes gory (and only a negative if you don’t like this)

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