Each Tuesday, I post a Quick List that describes a book I have recently read, along with a quick list of 3-5 other books that are similar. This week, I’m reviewing Mexican Gothic, a modern day Gothic horror novel. Click here for last week’s Quick List of Twisty Psychological Thrillers!
My Current Read:
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia
Rating: 5 Stars *****
Mexican Gothic was fascinating and a great story – not quite scary, but full of suspense and the supernatural. I read this in one weekend. It was so hard to put down!
What It’s About:
Noemi Taboada is a sophisticated, wealthy debutante, loved by her father and adored by all who know her. She gets a letter from her newly married cousin, begging for Noemi to come and save her. Noemi,worried about what could be wrong, agrees immediately and heads to High Place, an old decaying mansion in the Mexican countryside.
She finds her cousin confined to her room, declaring that the voices in the wall want to kill her. Worried for her cousin, she asks her husband to take her to a doctor. But he, alongside all of his relatives that live with them, refuse. Her only ally seems to be a shy, younger cousin.
The longer she stays at High Place the more she notices strange occurrences and she begins to hear the voices in the wall as well.
Will Noemi be able to get her cousin out of the house in time? Or will she succumb to the same fate?
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book. The author has a very descriptive writing style that makes you feel as if you were there. The descriptions of the house and the area surrounding gave me the creeps. The family of High Place have lots of secrets and although live in what was once grandeur, have fallen into a dark and gloomy, decaying lifestyle.
As Noemi begins to unravel the mystery of the family, she becomes more attune to the supernatural in the house. This darkness that lives within seems to stem from the old uncle who lives upstairs, confined to his room. He at once repulses and intrigues Noemi and she begins to suspect that all things evil in that house, begin with him.
The ending was something I never would have come to on my own. This book was truly unique as it included gothic horror and some science fiction, as well. It is definitely worth reading!
Other Psychological Thrillers with Crazy Plot Twists You Won’t Want to Miss
Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
A modern retelling of Turn of the Screw, by Henry James, this book takes place in the remote Scottish Highlands. Rowan Caine comes across a nanny position in the paper that seems too good to be true – big beautiful house, two lovely girls and a very generous salary. Desperate for the position, Rowan will say anything to get the job – and it works. But her dream job soon turns into a nightmare as the big beautiful house suddenly begins to turn on her. When one of the girls ends up dead, Rowan is charged with murder. But is she guilty? Or is something going on at that house that can’t be explained?
…
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
Set in the 1940s, the Ayres family is still living on a once prosperous estate, Hundreds Hall. But finances are strained and they are having to make do the best they can. Roderick returning home from war with injuries makes keeping up even harder. And when strange things begin to happen, the family wonders if Rod’s PTSD is finally besting him or if something more sinister is at play. This book really creeped me out!
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The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Recently made famous again by the Netflix series, the Haunting of Hill House is the quintessential haunted house book. It is the story of 4 people looking for evidence of a haunting. As they enter Hill House, they soon learn that evil is all too real. They all begin to witness strange events, but Eleanor, one of the seekers,seems to be affected by it more than the others. And, as the book progresses, her behavior grows more and more erratic. Will she agree to leave the house before the unthinkable happens?
…
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
This book reminded me of the Haunting of Hill House series on Netflix. Maggie Holt and her parents left Baneberry Hall when Maggie was only a little girl. But that House of Horrors plagued her ever since thanks to the best-selling book her father wrote about their supernatural experiences there, none of which Maggie remembers or believes ever happened. When Maggie’s father dies and leaves the house to her, she decides to return to Baneberry Hall to find out what really happened. Almost immediately, Maggie begins to see that maybe her father didn’t make things up after all!
…
The Shining by Stephen King
This is one of my all time favorite Stephen King novels. And for those of you who have seen the movie (as I have a hundred times) I hope that you will still consider trying the book. While the movie did a good job overall, you know the book is always better!
Jack Torrance gets a job as caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. He brings his wife and son and begins to settle in the luxurious surroundings. But as winter becomes more dark, and the weather turns for the worse, the family begins to feel more isolated than ever and the hotel seems to take on a life of its own.
…
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
