review

MEXICAN GOTHIC – SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA

Mexican GothicMexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
My rating: 4/5 cats
One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

SPOOKTOBER COMIN’ AT YOU LIKE

this is not so much a reinvention of the gothic novel as it is a game of pin the crazytown tail on the classic gothic storyline.

and it is beautifully done.

if you’re a fan of gothic novels, whether they be the The Castle of Otranto or the Rebecca kind, you’ll dig the first 2/3 of this one. it’s all there: big crumbly isolated house, stormy storms, imperiled women, too much silverware, you know the drill.

if this is your first toe-dip into the genre, know that gothic novels are in no hurry to get where they’re going and the characters always take longer than the reader to get a handle on their situation. gothic horror is a slow simmer all about building atmosphere; the descriptions of rooms, wallpaper, clothing, trees. it’s about slowly uncoiling dread. it’s about nothing much happening until it does. it’s about an author walking the ambiguity line between the supernatural and plain old madness for as long as possible before canting the reader one way or the other.

and when this one cants, it cants HARD, shifting into some cronenberg-channelling-lovecraft fireworks that are super-icky and wonderful and it plays far rougher then your typical gothic does.

and i loved it.

a slow burn to an absolute conflagration.

read my book reviews on goodreads

previous
next
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Amazon Disclaimer

Bloggycomelately.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon properties including but not limited to, amazon.com, or endless.com, MYHABIT.com, SmallParts.com, or AmazonWireless.com.

Donate

this feels gauche, but when i announced i was starting a blog, everyone assured me this is a thing that is done. i’m not on facebook, i’ve never had a cellphone or listened to a podcast; so many common experiences of modern life are foreign to me, but i’m certainly struggling financially, so if this is how the world works now, i’d be foolish to pass it up. any support will be received with equal parts gratitude and bewilderment.

To Top