Mexican Gothic Review, Audacity Book Club

By Nic Daniels

TW: Sexual Assault, Incest

Here’s the first SPOILER: The mushrooms are evil!

Actually, it’s the Doyle Family, but before we go any further, hello readers! Welcome back to the Audacity Book Club. Recovering from our high-flying adventure with The Disasters by MK England, we’re now coming back down to Earth and the past with Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

In 1950s Mexico, Noemí Taboada receives a disturbing letter from her recently married cousin, Catalina. The letter says she’s seeing ghosts, evil is invading the house, and her husband is trying to poison her. Understandably concerned, Noemí is sent to the High Place, the home of Catalina’s in-laws, the Doyle’s. They are a destitute but resilient aristocratic family and from the moment Noemí enters the house, it’s made clear she’s not welcome. That is until the patriarch of the household takes a sudden interest in her. Now, Noemí must fight through the crumbling house, cryptic nightmares, and the parasitic family to escape with her cousin.

This is definitely Get Out but from a female perspective and this mainly shows through behavior. In the first few chapters Noemí mentions how women must be nice and pleasant or they’ll be considered bitches and life becomes rough for them. I think this one statement echoes throughout the entire book. From the moment she enters the house, Noemí has to rely on her charm to be underestimated enough to be safe. While she is intelligent and strong and isn’t afraid to showcase that, she understands very well she’s unwelcome.

She knows she can only push so much because Catalina is under her husband, Virgil’s, guardianship. He has final say in Catalina’s care as well as her money, so Noemí has no jurisdiction to take her without his permission. Noemí also can’t leave the house without supervision of a family member because that would be “indecent.” So, while I’m screaming for Noemí to just grab her cousin and GTFO the entire book, I know it’ll lead to legal consequences that could put them both in a worse position than before.

However, what I love about Noemí’s character is how she picks and chooses her battles without ever losing her conviction. She knows her cousin is ill and refuses to stop fighting for her, even when she is forced to be cooperative with the Doyle’s. I also love how she becomes allies with Francis and the way she falls for him because she finds she can be genuine with him versus her interactions with Virgil, who we can tell is trying to take advantage of her throughout the book despite his “gentleman” persona. Despite being at a disadvantage, Noemí gains a level of power that comes in handy later. 

This is something Noemí learns from the ghosts of the Doyle women. Despite the family being a patriarchy, every major event in the High Place is caused by a woman. Howard Doyle can be pseudo-immortal because of his wife’s sacrifice. The family’s power is crippled and almost ended because of his daughter, Alice. The family and house are finally destroyed because of Noemí.

Honestly, what really drives this home as gothic horror is how, to a certain degree, it’s realistic. In a lot of ways, the first God most people know is whoever is in charge of their environment. That person chooses how big your world is and what your role is in it. Depending on the circumstances, you may have to fight for your life to leave it with no guarantee that you won’t make those same mistakes. Never doubt the power of influence. It can make someone’s life a dream or a nightmare.

What did you think of Mexican Gothic? What was the scariest part for you? How would you have tried to save your cousin? Let me know all your thoughts and more!

Until next time, don’t forget to read audaciously!