Mexican Gothic

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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 Noemí’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.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

(3 / 5) Huh. This was weird. Pretty gross at times and really out there. 

Let me explain; weird: a house is somewhat cursed and all the inhabitants can’t leave. There is mold growing everywhere and it causes sickness.

Gross: there are many descriptions of somewhat medical ailments on skin, and bile and black sludge coming from bodies and more.

Really out there; wow, that’s an understatement! It’s bizarre and it’s hard to understand what’s going on. You’re purposely given little info but nothing makes sense. The characters are deplorable on purpose and you question anyone that’s seems good. 

Now that being said, I was mostly entertained. I needed to know what was going on but I don’t feel satisfied with that ending. I like how it ended but it feels open ended. Ugh, I hate that!

I wanted it to grab me more but I was mostly listening because I didn’t have anything else. I feel like I wasted those hours. It was interesting, not quite creepy, but intriguing enough to keep going.

Content Summary: F words: 4,  stories of murder/suicide with a rifle, ghosts, unexplained oddities in this house, miscarriages, a man watches a woman bathing and touches her intimately, nightmares like memories of eating people, a woman undressing in front of a man, attempted rape. 

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