September’s book literally fell into my lap. 

I started planning this blog about a year ago. I created lists of topics, themes, pictures, and, most importantly, books. The book list ebbed and flowed. Some titles stood steadfast from their initial inclusion; others fell victim to the backspace key within an hour. A few books stayed on out of some false sense of duty- everyone’s read this book, I should too. On particularly bleak days, I hovered my cursor over those titles, begging myself to delete them. Nothing was stopping me. Yet they stayed, destined to be read if I could find nothing better.

One day, as I was sitting and editing my book list, my boss’s wife stopped into our office. She had a brown paper bag filled with brand new hardcovers and planned on setting them in the office kitchenette for anyone to take. She wanted my coworker and I to have first dibs. My coworker passed on all but one, so the bag was brought over to me. My boss’s wife took out the books one by one, giving me a sentence-long summary for each. I nodded and said, “Yeah, sure!” a whole bunch. A pile accumulated on my desk. 

She held up the last one. After her quick take on the title, my coworker chimed in for the first time: “I’ve heard that one’s scary! I have a friend who read it and she said she had trouble sleeping for a week.” I nodded enthusiastically to add the book to my pile. An unfortunate combination of height, balance, and slippery new dust jackets tipped the pile over and into my lap. The latest book landed on top, face up, the title Mexican Gothic bold against a bright green jacket. 

Now, I didn’t exactly leap over to my book list and add it just for the funny story (though the thought did cross my mind). After a quick look into some reviews, I threw it into the “maybe” list, interested in the idea but not convinced it was worth kicking off other books that scored higher on my ranking system. Weeks passed. The blog was almost ready. Entire spreadsheets were dedicated to scheduling what books I’d read and when. Still, every time I opened my nearly complete list, my eye caught on Mexican Gothic in the sidebar. 

As I evaluated my final list based on the genres represented, I noticed one, glaring omission: horror. While not an obvious disparity to some, I grew up on horror. At ten, my dad handed me his copy of The Thief of Always by Clive Barker and I was entranced. By fifteen, the horror bug had consumed me, my favorite birthday gift being the unabridged version of Stephen King’s The Stand. I dutifully took that brick of a book everywhere, the weight of my backpack doubled by its girth. I read classic horror, modern thrillers, whatever I could get my hands on. If it hadn’t been for college upending my reading habits, my fascination with the macabre might be as strong today as it was then.

Making a reading list for this blog made me realize I hadn’t read any horror in years. Sure, a few classics here and there, but nothing that surprised me or had me double-checking the lock on my door before bed. I thought of my coworker’s friend who had trouble sleeping. What’s fall without a little fear? I deleted one of the books from my list and threw Mexican Gothic in its place.

Mexican Gothic is the sixth novel by author Silvia Mareno-Garcia. It centers on Noemí, a debutante in 1950s Mexico, who receives a concerning letter from her newlywed cousin. To offer her support, Noemí travels to her cousin’s new home in rural Mexico, a house called High Place. While at High Place, she doesn’t only have to contend with the threatening English family her cousin has married into- the house itself begins to haunt her, invading her dreams with blood. She must ally with the family’s youngest son to discover the threat within High Place and save both her cousin and herself.

Looking over reviews and recommendations for Mexican Gothic, I found a couple of consistent comparisons: one, to Jane Eyre, a classic gothic romance; and two, to Guillermo del Toro’s horror films, Crimson Peak referenced specifically. While I’ve missed the boat on Crimson Peak, Guillermo del Toro’s other horror films like The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth are some of my favorites. The atmospheres he creates are uncanny and just dangerous enough to keep you on edge for the entire runtime. Combining that aura of fear and suspense with the gothic plot twists of Jane Eyre gives Mexican Gothic a hearty recommendation. 

Despite those comparisons and winning both the British Fantasy Award and the Locus Award for Best Horror Novel of 2020, the general reviews seem to be middling. The three-ish star rating on some sites is what led it to wallow in the “maybe” list for so long. I’m curious to see why reviewers and award-givers gave it such high praise while the consensus among the public seems to be a collective shrug. Let’s find out together if Mexican Gothic is truly a bone-chilling tale of horror worthy of its del Toro references. 

Fall is quickly approaching. Nights are getting longer, days getting colder. After a rash of heavy, thought-provoking novels, it’s time to let our brains rest with some spooky fun. Curl up with a hot cup of tea, tug on a sweater for those cool nights, and add a little twinge of fear into the season by following Noemí into the dangerous world of High Place. Happy reading!