Mexican Gothic

I've always somewhat belittled the concept of a 'horror book.' I think there's no possibility of something I can't see or feel scaring me, and I consider it a bit fantastical and ungrounded, like the ghost stories told when I was little. Don't get me wrong, I've read works by masters like Stephen King, but I can only say that they didn't 'scare' me; they were just quality fiction novels. However, if you still have recommendations in the horror genre that you genuinely found scary, ones that you couldn't shake off their impact, please share them with me. When I saw 'Mexican Gothic' in the horror novels section of the bookstore, I don't know if it was because of its cover, but it caught my attention. So, when I stumbled upon a horror novel that managed to pique my interest, I dove into the book headfirst. Did I get scared? No, and thus, my bias continues. Would I recommend reading it? You'll find out in a moment…

When our protagonist, the wealthy, sweet, and pampered Noemi Taboada, receives a strange letter one day from her cousin Catalina, who seems to live in a fairy tale-like mansion with a wonderful marriage, she is very surprised. In the letter, Catalina talks about her husband poisoning her and seeing ghosts. When she reads the letter with her father, they feel like it wasn't written by Catalina's own words; there's more to it than what's written in the letter. Initially reluctant, Noemi sets off towards the mansion called 'High Place,' where her cousin lives, upon her father's insistence. When she arrives at this seemingly remote and empty place, which arouses a sense of unease within her, she is greeted by her cousin's husband, the handsome (but in my mind, a complete weirdo) Virgil Doyle. Virgil tells her that Catalina is ill, he has arranged a doctor for her, but she sees unreal hallucinations. Virgil, taking a rather worried stance, manages to convince Noemi for now.

During her stay, Noemi constantly gets into trouble as Florence, in charge of running the household, imposes bans on things like talking, smoking, and laughing. Florence's son Francis, whom Noemi sees as her only close companion, is quite reserved, obedient to the elders, and constantly tries to get Noemi to adhere to the rules. Besides her struggle to adapt, what she hears about High Place and the mysterious behaviors of the residents gradually make her suspicious. However, when she decides to stay a few more days to make sure, things start to go awry. The terrifying dreams awaiting her, the sounds coming from the walls, and being allowed limited time to see her cousin all mean telling Noemi both to run away and to save her cousin first.

Now, let's get to my comment on the work. Frankly, I'm certain that this is not a horror novel; otherwise, I would do a disservice to the King novels I've read. Nevertheless, when considered as an independent work, I was surprised by the originality of the plot twists. Especially the unexpected turns where all these dreams and hallucinations are tied to a never anticipated reason. Perhaps if I approached this book not as a horror but as a general fiction, I could have liked it more because unintentionally you set certain expectations for yourself, and when you can't meet that expectation, the work you read feels a bit bland. Although the book is fluent, after a certain point, the feeling of reading the same scenes repeatedly and emotionless dialogues among the characters can be tiresome. It becomes quite difficult to immerse oneself in the plot of a book and continue reading from that perspective if you don't warm up to the characters. Of course, these are entirely my opinions; after all, this book has been selected as the best horror novel of the year. Also, it's written by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the author of 'Gods of Jade and Shadow.' In summary, I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading this book, but I must sadly note that it doesn't make it into my recommended list.