Mexican Gothic doubles as a haunting gothic mystery and a colonial allegory.
The story features young socialite, Noemí who is forced to uproot her swanky, sophisticated life of parties and convertible rides when she receives a troubling letter from her newly-wed cousin, Catalina. Noemí relocates to a rundown mining town to reside with Catalina, her husband Virgil Doyle, and the rest of the Doyle family at an estate known as High Place.
While the haunting ambiance made this a pleasurable read, there was more to be desired from the characters. Noemí is a charming and audacious woman navigating racism and gender politics in 1950s society. Though she is perfectly suited for the role of gothic heroine, the audience is made to read between the lines to understand her relationship with her cousin and the men in her life.
The pace was undeniably slow––a difficult read for some but completely appropriate for the gothic tradition it follows in. After semesters of gothic literature, it was refreshing to read a story that subverts the genre and dares to face eugenics and sexual assault trauma head-on. The story meshes gothic elements like the decaying (and obviously haunted) estate with a fifties twist, complete with a 2020 sense of social awareness. The final product reveals a haunting and poignant piece that offers autonomy and grace to our central figure Noemí.
It's an immersive read that completely sucks the audience into the unsettling world of the Doyles that Noemí ventures into. The mystery evolves into something much larger than the typical gothic novel and each page keeps us guessing.
4/5
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