Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I have no idea how I should start writing about Mexican Gothic by Silvia Morena-Garcia. Maybe at the beginning. It begins in Mexico City's high society in the 1950s. Noemí is a socialite who likes to party, drink, smoke, and has the tendency to switch partners every couple of weeks. But her life is put on pause when one day she receives a rambling letter from her recently wed cousin, who moved to a house in the country side and who is asking Noemí to rescue her.

Noemí travels to High Place, the house that her cousin lives with her husband and his family. The once luxurious mansion is falling into disrepair, there is mould on the walls and the electricity is barely working. Her cousins in-laws are eccentric (to put it nicely) and racist, they don't talk during dinners and are hostile to their guest. But things escalate quickly once Noemí starts to investigate the mysterious history of High Place after she hears voices in her dreams.

Mexican Gothic also deals with colonialism, racism, and eugenics. This is embodied by the ancient patriarch of the family, who we rarely see, but whose menacing presence we feel weighing heavy on Noemí and the family.

I'm not a big fan of horror movies, but I recently started to readhttps://silviamoreno-garcia.com/novels/mexicangothic/ horror books and Mexican Gothic is thrilling. While it starts slow, by the second half of the book I had to force myself to put it down and go to bed. Big recommendation.

★★★★★