Episode 58: Let's talk about Mexican Gothic

Leaning into the Halloween season, Fable and the Verbivore are unpacking the beautiful creepy complexity of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s gothic horror novel Mexican Gothic.

We jump right into this topic by discussing the oppressive and claustrophobic gothic atmosphere that the author creates, sitting within the realm of traditional classic gothic novels such as Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Rebecca while also channeling a Lovecraftian level of unease and (mostly) bloodless horror. To her unique and atmospheric style, she also focuses a modern lens and light on the ugly and sometimes overlooked truths of the past as well as the present.

In this episode, we discuss Silvia’s masterful setup of intriguing questions within the first chapter - especially the first line, while also fully establishing Noemí Taboada‘s vibrant and strong-willed character prior to her entering into the murky and secretive world of the house at High Place. We discuss how well the elements of the cover art work together to tell part of Noemí’s story, before even cracking open the book and reading one word.

There are also many symbols that she uses throughout the story to help visually show the toxic and parasitic relationships that have been allowed to run rampant and fester within the family. If you are looking for a thoughtfully and exquisitely crafted gothic horror novel, we highly recommend this book!

Author Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s work in many ways feels like it defies categorization or genre, but she seems to write wherever her imagination takes her - having published works in speculative fiction and fantasy, with a recent expansion into crime fiction. We wouldn’t have it any other way and look forward to reading more of her work. Some of her more recent novels include the Mayan myth retelling Gods of Jade and Shadow, sweeping fantasy The Beautiful Ones, and the quiet thriller Untamed Shore.

We hope you enjoy listening to this episode! It was fascinating to share with each other how this story was able to make us feel and the visceral reactions we had to some of the scenes. Keep reading, and writing, and putting your voice out there!

Into the woods,

Fable & The Verbivore

Notes:

The Verbivore mentions that author Silvia Moreno-Garcia has categorized this book as (Adult) Gothic Horror. She has spoken about the importance of correctly classifying this work in several interviews, but here is the link to one such interview where she clearly states the genre:

Fable references the opening sentence of Mexican Gothic and the questions it immediately raised in her mind. Here is that quote:

  • “The parties at the Tunons’ house always ended unquestionably late, and since the hosts enjoyed costume parties in particular, it was not unusual to see Chinas Poblanas with their folkloric skirts and ribbons in their hair arrive in the company of a harlequin or a cowboy.”

The Verbivore uses the term gaslighting when discussing what is happening to Neomi at the hands of the family in High Place. Gaslighting is a form of emotional abuse that’s seen in abusive relationships. It’s the act of manipulating a person by forcing them to question their thoughts, memories, and the events occurring around them. A victim of gaslighting can be pushed so far that they question their own sanity.

The Verbivore mentions the bloodless creepieness in Mexican Gothic that feels almost Lovecraftian in its sense of unease and chilling visuals. While doing research, she found that Silvia Moreno-Garcia wrote the script for a Ted Ed video on H. P. Lovecraft. Here is the link to that video:

Books Mentioned:

Movies Mentioned:

Music from: https://filmmusic.io
’Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

book clubBethany Stedman