Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I actually got an ARC for this before it came out, but I didn't get a chance to read it. My life a year ago was hectic to the extreme, with very little time for reading. I kept trying to get the audiobook, but I never got around to listening to it. But I realized that was really a blessing because this was the right time to read this wonderful book.
Going in, I had no idea what was going on and what to expect, and I will endeavor to write a review that allows anyone who reads it to have the same advantage. Therefore, I will have to be exceedingly careful in my gushing.
I have to highly recommend getting the audiobook. The narrator was fantastic. I have a feeling she speaks Spanish fluently because her accents were excellent and authentic. I enjoyed her pitch, and the manner in which she was able to deftly switch to different characters, male and female. When a narrator understands the immersive capabilities they bring to product, it enhances the reading experience significantly. The narrator is Frankie Corzo, and I give her kudos.
What really strikes me about this book is the lush, opulent, oh so entrancing descriptive imagery of Moreno-Garcia. This book was a feast for my senses. It was beautiful and strange, but also there were parts that were unnerving or just plain disgusting. I was fully engaged by the narrative. I was seduced by this book. There were times I was afraid to keep listening, but I couldn't turn it off at the same time. In my opinion, the book is very well written in that it is not at all predictable. And each time I thought I knew what was going to happen next, I found myself surprised at where the story went.
Noemi is hard to describe in a few words. I suppose it's easiest to just say that she is a delightfully complex and fully fleshed out character. The beginning of the book she seems spoiled and shallow, but there is something about her that immediately made me realize I cannot underestimate her or easily categorize her. She has an inner resilience and steel that makes her unbreakable. But like good composite steel, she is strong enough to resist the forces that work on her to tear her down. Despite that, there's an inner darkness and turmoil that she had to fight to see her way through this narrative. She acknowledges that dark side of her psyche but doesn't give into to it. I like that her character subverts the gothic story heroine. It's good, because that house, it hides hungry secrets.
I also appreciated Francis quite a bit. He is a character that subverts archetypes and stereotypes in a brilliant way.
Oh there's one aspect of the book that I really loved, but I can't talk about it because I don't want to spoil anyone reading this book. It's just perfect for me.
This book was thrilling and some parts are just so freaking weird and skin crawling. It really drives home how disgusting racism really is. It's hard to say to much about that, because it's so important to the story, but suffice it to say that the book takes a very sharp examination into colonialism, eugenics and white supremacy in a well-integrated and thoughtful way.
There's so much to love about this book. I cherished the last lines of it, and I had this joy when I finished it, which revitalizes my bibliophilic juices. When you read a fantastic book, it just energizes you and makes you clamor for more. For me, Mexican Gothic is one of those books.
*Just as a side note, I absolutely adore this cover..so much!
Going in, I had no idea what was going on and what to expect, and I will endeavor to write a review that allows anyone who reads it to have the same advantage. Therefore, I will have to be exceedingly careful in my gushing.
I have to highly recommend getting the audiobook. The narrator was fantastic. I have a feeling she speaks Spanish fluently because her accents were excellent and authentic. I enjoyed her pitch, and the manner in which she was able to deftly switch to different characters, male and female. When a narrator understands the immersive capabilities they bring to product, it enhances the reading experience significantly. The narrator is Frankie Corzo, and I give her kudos.
What really strikes me about this book is the lush, opulent, oh so entrancing descriptive imagery of Moreno-Garcia. This book was a feast for my senses. It was beautiful and strange, but also there were parts that were unnerving or just plain disgusting. I was fully engaged by the narrative. I was seduced by this book. There were times I was afraid to keep listening, but I couldn't turn it off at the same time. In my opinion, the book is very well written in that it is not at all predictable. And each time I thought I knew what was going to happen next, I found myself surprised at where the story went.
Noemi is hard to describe in a few words. I suppose it's easiest to just say that she is a delightfully complex and fully fleshed out character. The beginning of the book she seems spoiled and shallow, but there is something about her that immediately made me realize I cannot underestimate her or easily categorize her. She has an inner resilience and steel that makes her unbreakable. But like good composite steel, she is strong enough to resist the forces that work on her to tear her down. Despite that, there's an inner darkness and turmoil that she had to fight to see her way through this narrative. She acknowledges that dark side of her psyche but doesn't give into to it. I like that her character subverts the gothic story heroine. It's good, because that house, it hides hungry secrets.
I also appreciated Francis quite a bit. He is a character that subverts archetypes and stereotypes in a brilliant way.
Oh there's one aspect of the book that I really loved, but I can't talk about it because I don't want to spoil anyone reading this book. It's just perfect for me.
This book was thrilling and some parts are just so freaking weird and skin crawling. It really drives home how disgusting racism really is. It's hard to say to much about that, because it's so important to the story, but suffice it to say that the book takes a very sharp examination into colonialism, eugenics and white supremacy in a well-integrated and thoughtful way.
There's so much to love about this book. I cherished the last lines of it, and I had this joy when I finished it, which revitalizes my bibliophilic juices. When you read a fantastic book, it just energizes you and makes you clamor for more. For me, Mexican Gothic is one of those books.
*Just as a side note, I absolutely adore this cover..so much!
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