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Nebula Award Review — Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Gothic fiction has made a minor comeback, but it’s entirely possible this book is inspired by the “X Gothic” meme circulating on Tumblr. I haven’t seen a Mexican Gothic version, but have no doubt that it’s out there.
This review contains spoilers.
So, What Genre Is It Anyway?
Mexican Gothic starts as gothic fantasy, and it starts as very classic gothic fantasy. A man gets a letter from his niece, Catalina, that indicates she may be going mad. Or being poisoned by her husband. Or both.
He sends the protagonist, Noémi, to check on Catalina and talk her into leaving. Maybe she needs rescue from a con artist, maybe she needs to spend some quality time in an asylum (the book is set in the 1950s).
Noémi finds herself in a hideous old house with insufficient electricity, cold baths, and harsh rules set by the Doyle patriarch. Who is also a eugenicist. And it’s hinted at the start that he might be a vampire.
This sets a scene for a classic vampire novel…
…and then the author goes “Nope. Gotcha!”
In fact, while Mexican Gothic is undoubtedly horror, with ghosts and things creeping out of the walls and strange dreams, it is not, in fact…fantasy. There’s a…