Mexican Gothic
 | |
| Author | Silvia Moreno-Garcia |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | Frankie Corzo |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Gothic horror |
| Set in | 1950s Mexico |
| Publisher | Del Rey (US, CAN) Jo Fletcher (UK) |
Publication date | June 30, 2020 |
| Publication place | United States Canada United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardcover), ebook, audiobook |
| Pages | 320 pages |
| ISBN | 9780525620785 First edition hardback |
| OCLC | 1121602979 |
| Preceded by | Untamed Shore |
Mexican Gothic is a 2020 gothic horror novel by Mexican Canadian author Silvia Moreno-Garcia. It centers on a young woman investigating her cousin's claims that her husband is trying to murder her.
The novel landed on bestseller lists and Moreno-Garcia's writing has received comparisons to Daphne du Maurier and Guillermo del Toro. It also received multiple literary awards, including the Aurora Award for Best Novel, Locus Award for Best Horror Novel, and British Fantasy's August Derleth Award; and a slew of other nominations.[1]
Synopsis
[edit]In 1950s Mexico City, beautiful young socialite Noemí Taboada receives a letter from her cousin Catalina, begging for help. She firmly believes that her English husband, Virgil Doyle, intends to poison her. Suspecting that Virgil may be after Catalina's money, Noemí's father, Leocadio, sends her to the Doyle home, High Place, which is located in the mountains outside of a small town named El Triunfo. Once there, Noemí is struck by the strange and unwelcoming atmosphere of the Doyles' house and the controlling and patronising attitude of its inhabitants. Catalina is proclaimed to be suffering from consumption and Noemí is mostly kept away from her cousin. During an infrequent visit Catalina begs her to seek out a healer living in the small village near the mansion named Marta Duval and pick up medicine that could save her. Noemí does so, but the medicine instead causes a seizure that keeps her from freely visiting Catalina as frequently.
As a result of the drastically decreased visits Noemí spends her time learning about the Doyle family, which also includes Florence Doyle and the frail family patriarch, Howard. The family has a history of incestuous marriages and deep intergenerational traumas, such as one of Howard's daughters, Ruth, killing several family members before shooting herself. Despite being mistreated by Florence and receiving unwanted attention from both Virgil and Howard, Noemí grows closer to one of the Doyles, Francis, who confirms her growing suspicion that the family cannot be trusted.
When she begins to sleepwalk and experience strange dreams and visions, Noemí decides that she must leave the Doyle household, only to be told that she cannot leave. They reveal that Howard discovered a strain of mushroom that has a symbiotic relationship with humans. The Doyles use this fungus and remain at High Place, the house infused with the spores of the mushrooms, which has grown inside its walls and all around it, in order to heal themselves and prolong their lives. Noemí learns that Howard is hundreds of years old, and the history of his immortality is firmly footed in violent histories of colonialism, working class exploitation, and misogynist patriarchy.
As the fungus's potency is lessened depending on the individual's genetics, the Doyles have intermarried in order to ensure that their offspring can also receive these benefits. Because it is interlaced with mycelium and infested with the mushroom's spores, the house can hold memories, which the family refers to as the "gloom". The spores can also help the Doyles control people who have inhaled them, which frightens Noemí. She grows more horrified, however, when she learns that Howard's wife Agnes was used as a sacrifice to grow the spores - and that Howard can use the gloom to take over the bodies of family members, which he's used to further preserve his own life.
The Doyles have found that Noemí's genetics are complementary to theirs and can help perpetuate their bloodline, as the inbreeding has taken its toll on the family, particularly when it comes to producing viable offspring. Howard tells her that she will marry Francis. What he doesn't tell her, however, is that after the wedding he will inhabit Francis's body. They also wish to have access to her money, as the family has become impoverished and no longer runs a successful silver mine as they once did in the town. Refusing to allow his family to carry out their plans, Francis obtains the medicine Catalina sought out earlier in the novel, as it interferes with the mushroom's abilities. Together the three flee the house and manage to set Agnes's body on fire, presumably killing the rest of the Doyles in the process and setting the entire home on fire. Francis, who was bonded to the mycelium through exposure and heredity, is physically affected by the destruction of the fungus. He fully recovers but worries that the fire wasn't enough to eliminate the spores and that he should kill himself to ensure that the family curse is truly ended. Noemí shares his concerns, but assures him that together they can overcome any potential issues.
Release and sales
[edit]Mexican Gothic was released in hardcover and ebook formats in the United States and Canada through Del Rey Books, as well as in the United Kingdom through Jo Fletcher Books, on June 30, 2020.[2][3] An audiobook adaptation narrated by Frankie Corzo was released on the same day through Random House Audio.[4] Moreno-Garcia has also released a book club tie-in that includes a paper doll accompanied by four outfits modeled after the novel's protagonist, Noemí Taboada.[5]
Sales for the novel were high enough for Mexican Gothic to place on the hardcover bestseller lists for the Washington Post and New York Times.[6][7][8]
Reception
[edit]Mexican Gothic has received praise for its atmosphere and gothic concepts,[9][10] which Slate likened to the styles of Daphne du Maurier and Guillermo del Toro.[11] According to Book Marks, the book received "rave" reviews based on fourteen critic reviews with eight being "rave" and six being "positive".[12] On Bookmarks September/October 2020 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a 
(4.0 out of 5) based on critic reviews with a critical summary saying, "A dark and delectable concoction readers can't help but relish," concludes Locus".[13][14]
NPR drew comparisons between the book and "Jane Eyre, Ann Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho, Dracula, Rebecca and that 1958 classic sci-fi movie, The Blob", also praising its sense of dread.[15] The New York Times drew similar comparisons, citing Mexican Gothic's "spunky female protagonist and an ancient house filled with disturbing secrets".[16] The book won the British Fantasy Society's 2021 August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel.[17]
The book was selected for the 2023 edition of Canada Reads, where it was championed by Tasnim Geedi.[18]
Awards and nominations
[edit]Awards are presented the year after the novel was published. The eligibility criteria for the following awards was that the novels nominated must release and publish in 2020.
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Bram Stoker Awards | Novel | Shortlisted | [1] |
| Shirley Jackson Awards | Novel | Shortlisted | ||
| 2021 | Aurora Awards | Novel | Won | |
| British Fantasy Awards | Horror Novel (August Derleth Award) |
Won | ||
| Locus Awards | Horror Novel | Won (1st) | ||
| Mythopoeic Awards | Adult Literature | Shortlisted | ||
| Nebula Awards | Novel | Shortlisted | ||
| World Fantasy Awards | Novel | Shortlisted |
Adaptation
[edit]In August 2020 Milojo Productions and ABC Signature announced that they were producing a limited series adaptation of Mexican Gothic, to be released on the streaming platform Hulu.[19] Moreno-Garcia will serve as executive producer. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the author stated that the series is estimated to be "between 8 and 10 episodes max".[20]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "sfadb : Silvia Moreno-Garcia Awards". www.sfadb.com. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
- ^ Moreno-Garcia, Silvia (2020). Mexican Gothic (1st US Hardcover ed.). New York: Del Rey Books. ISBN 9780525620785. OCLC 1121602979.
- ^ Moreno-Garcia, Silvia (2020). Mexican Gothic (1st UK Hardcover ed.). London: Jo Fletcher Books. ISBN 9781529402650. OCLC 1122873663.
- ^ Moreno-Garcia, Silvia; Corzo, Frankie (2020). Mexican Gothic (audiobook ed.). S.I.: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group. OCLC 1155191372.
- ^ Egan, Elisabeth (July 16, 2020). "Silvia Moreno-Garcia Has Crafts Covered. Bring Your Own Scissors". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ "Hardcover Fiction Books - Best Sellers - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ "Washington Post hardcover bestsellers". Washington Post. September 1, 2020.
- ^ "Silvia Moreno-Garcia's book Mexican Gothic riding high on New York Times best-sellers list". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ Memmott, Carol (June 30, 2020). "'Mexican Gothic,' by Silvia Moreno-Garcia book review". Washington Post.
- ^ Grady, Constance (July 16, 2020). "In the deliciously creepy new novel Mexican Gothic, the true evil is colonialism". Vox. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ Miller, Laura (July 27, 2020). "This Haunting New Bestseller Is Part du Maurier, Part del Toro". Slate Magazine. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ "Mexican Gothic". Book Marks. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ "Mexican Gothic". Bookmarks. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ^ "Mexican Gothic Reviews". Books in the Media. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
- ^ "'Jane Eyre' Meets 'Dracula' In This Sharp, Inventive 'Mexican Gothic' Tale". NPR.org. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ Trussoni, Danielle (July 22, 2020). "Where Evil Lurks". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ "British Fantasy Awards 2021: winners announced | The British Fantasy Society". www.britishfantasysociety.org. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ "Meet the Canada Reads 2023 contenders". CBC Books, January 25, 2023.
- ^ Liptak, Andrew (August 11, 2020). "Hulu is Turning Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic Into a Series". Tor.com. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ "'Mexican Gothic' author Silvia Moreno-Garcia shares what fans can expect from Hulu limited series". EW.com. Retrieved September 10, 2020.