Book Review: Mexican Gothic

I was looking at a list of new books when I stumbled accross Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. This book definitely leans toward the interests I had a long time ago (re: horror) and I actually debated myself on whether I would actually read it. Below I'll add a section for believers with the perninent info on how I feel about the book spiritually.

Overview of the Book

Mexican Gothic follows the adventures of a young socialite, Noemí, from Mexico City in the 1950s as she works to unravel the mysteries surrounding the family her cousin married into.

What I Didn't Like

The book is weird, and that might be an understatement.

The first question I had was, if Noemí's cousin alleged that her husband was trying to kill her, why wouldn't her father accompany her? Who sends their party-girl daughter to stay with a potential killer?

I was also disappointed about the way it ended. The author definitely left room for potential sequels, which is great from a buisness perspective, but not so much for the reader. I had questions, just enough to make it unsatisfying, but not enough to care for a sequel.

What I Liked

Although the pacing of the story starts out slow, I found myself sucked in pretty quickly. The way the novel is written, I felt like I was watching the events play out and it was the perfect level of eerie without the gore (well, until the end at least). I didn't see the big reveal coming, which is always a pleasant surprise.

How I Feel About the Book Spiritually

This section will contain mild spoilers.

As far as horror novels go, this is probably the cleanest thing you'll find for Christians. There's a tad bit of sexuality, but nothing too explicit.

One of the major questions in the novel is whether Noemí's cousin is seeing ghosts or not, thus the novel dabbles with necromancy. This is probably the main thing I would gripe about from a spiritual perspective.

The final twist is pretty twisted—it involves incest and a ritual—and some might feel a bit squeamish about it. However, the main character is very aware of how wrong it is; it is immediately condemned by the main character and isn't praised or promoted as something good, which is why it didn't bother me from a spiritual perspective (though it is unsettling).

Would I Recommend?

If you don't like horror, this book is definitely not for you. If you're looking for something that jumps off the pages or keeps you up at night, it's also not for you. However, if you just want something eerie and a little mysterious, this may interest you.