Listen to a sample
Mexican Gothic
- Author
- Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- Narrator
- Frankie Corzo
- Publisher
- Quercus
- Publish Date
- 10 September 2020
- Run Time
- 10 hours 40 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Rating
- 5.0 (1 review)
Not available in your country
We don't have the rights to sell this audiobook where you are. If it's already in your library you can still listen to it in My Books.
What to expect
He is trying to poison me. You must come for me, Noemí. You have to save me.
When glamorous socialite Noemí Taboada receives a frantic letter from her newlywed cousin begging to be rescued from a mysterious doom, it's clear something is desperately amiss. Catalina has always had a flair for the dramatic, but her claims that her husband is poisoning her and her visions of restless ghosts seem remarkable, even for her.
Noemí's chic gowns and perfect lipstick are more suited to cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing, but she immediately heads to High Place, a remote mansion in the Mexican countryside, determined to discover what is so affecting her cousin.
Tough and smart, she possesses an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: not of her cousin's new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi's dreams with visions of blood and doom.
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family's youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family's past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family's once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.
And Noemí, mesmerised by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to leave this enigmatic house behind . . .
(P)2020 Random House Audio
Critics Review
-
Brilliant, beautiful, gripping, a necessary read
Anna Smith Spark, author of The Court of Broken Knives
-
Mexican Gothic is the subversive, seductive, satisfying haunted house story I didn't know I needed. I genuinely couldn't put it down
Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January
-
Mexican Gothic is an intense, beautiful monster of a novel. Moreno-Garcia's gothic plot is as sharp as a razor and twice as dangerous. Like any good terror, I couldn't look away. Lush and lyrical writing makes this a vivid, seductive read
A. J. Hackwith, author of The Library of the Unwritten
-
This was lovely. Reminded me of the old Mary Stewart romance mysteries mixed with a healthy dose of Lovecraftian horror--in other words, a classic Gothic horror romance, told with perfect skill and elan. Can't say I'm surprised though: Moreno-Garcia is a master who writes with a deft hand and a flare for beautifully evocative details. Seriously loved everything about it, which was so engaging I read the whole thing last night
Jenn Lyons, author of The Ruin of Kings
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
To use the author's own phrase, there's a 'velvet black decadence' to Mexican Gothic - it is a luscious, sensuous take on a haunted house novel that will effortlessly wrap you in its spell. I loved it
Alison Littlewood, author of Mistletoe
-
Clever, wicked and winning. Moreno-Garcia well and truly hits the mark with Mexican Gothic
Angela Slatter, author of the World Fantasy Award-winning The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings
-
Blends chilling scenes of all-out horror with elements of traditional gothic . . . It's Lovecraft meets the Brontës in Latin America
Guardian
-
With peculiar characters, a family curse and enough suspense to hold the reader's attention, it is the perfect summer read
The Lady
-
This pitch-perfect Gothic tale is a delicious, delicious delight
Heat
-
Masterful . . . a gloriously moody adventure. Spooky, smart, and wry. Chic, no-nonsense Noemí Taboada is one hell of a tour guide through this world of mystery, scandal and spirits
Victor LaValle, author of The Changeling
-
Darkly brilliant and captivating. Readers who love old houses and family secrets will devour this book (as I did!). The setting itself - High Place, with its reputation for devouring the dreams of young women - is a character in this marvelously fantastical novel. From 1950s glamorous Mexican high society to the crumbling pride of an abandoned silver mine, Moreno-Garcia enthralls with this twisty tale of love and betrayal
Yangsze Choo, New York Times bestselling author of The Night Tiger and The Ghost Bride
-
Tense, atmospheric and beautifully written, Mexican Gothic will carry readers back in time to 1950s Mexico where a dark secret looms large, insidiously winding its way through the pages. A spellbinding, suspenseful, immersive read!
Chanel Cleeton, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of The Last Train to Key West
-
A gorgeous piece of work . . . absolutely terrifying, and it has stayed with me in a powerful way
Sarah Gailey, Hugo Award-winning author of Magic for Liars
-
So powerful I sometimes had to look away . . . plays all the classic Gothic tropes with deft confidence while weaving in a much more modern and visceral strain of horror
Vivian Shaw, author of the Dr Greta Helsing series
-
Stylish and sinister . . . a gothic masterpiece
Gwenda Bond, New York Times bestselling author of Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds
-
A fitting example of a new American Gothic novel, as Moreno-Garcia re-imagines this classic genre. You'll certainly find yourself caught between gasps of horror as you start to unravel this mysterious story, just remember to leave the light on as you sit down for a good read
Starburst
-
When it comes to the horror, though, Moreno-Garcia gets it absolutely right... it's enormously fun
Telegraph
-
Moreno-Garcia is having a blast playing with the conventions of Gothic literature
Locus
-
Moreno-Garcia writes with heated abandon . . . Mexican Gothic's fearsome storytelling can't be contained
Shelf Awareness
-
Moreno-Garcia weaves elements of Mexican folklore with themes of decay, sacrifice, and rebirth, casting a dark spell all the way to the visceral and heart-pounding finalé. Fans of gothic classics like Rebecca will be enthralled
Kirkus
-
Mexican Gothic terrified and fascinated me. Silvia Moreno-Garcia proves once again that she's a genre-jumping wizard, one of the most exciting and necessary authors writing today
Charlie Jane Anders, award-winning author of The City in the Middle of the Night
-
A shiver-inducing tale combining touches of Northanger Abbey with bits of the Gormenghast trilogy thrown in for good measure . . . a fascinating atmosphere of dark dreams and intrigue
Booklist
-
Moreno-Garcia's energetic romp through the gothic genre is delightfully bonkers . . . [getting] wilder and stranger with every chapter
Publishers Weekly
-
[An] original, well-paced novel . . . great gothic elements with a little VanderMeer creativity thrown in
Library Journal
-
An inspiring and totally original homage to Gothic stories of yore, Moreno-Garcia introduces readers to an awesomely creepy place and extremely evil family whose grip on power relies upon their ability to trap others in their venomous web . . . this is not your mother's Gothic tale
Becky Spratford, RA for All
-
Heart-thumping thriller-chiller
Lancashire Evening Post
-
This twisty horror fantasy is engrossing and wonderfully repulsive
Buzzfeed
-
A gothic chiller, set in 1950s Mexico, that will clamp you in its icy embrace and linger like a nightmare
Daily Mail
-
A gripping read and, despite the horror and violence of the story, it's a strangely beautiful one. This is an impressive chiller-thriller; the writing is steeped in the spirit of the Victorian gothic tale and it's as well done as any recent homage
Barry Forshaw on Crime Time
-
Immersive and suspenseful, Mexican Gothic is up there with this year's best novels
Culturefly
-
Intriguing and disturbing, what starts as a slow burn ends up an unsettling edge-of-the-seat page-turner
The Skinny
-
There are echoes of Mary Stewart and Daphne du Maurier, but Moreno-Garcia has plenty of satisfying twists of her own
i news
-
A superb fireside evening read
NB magazine
-
A pitch-perfect Gothic novel . . . You will be left unsettled, unsteady, and uncertain. You will also be left satisfied
NPR
-
The genre's palette is typically limited, but it doesn't necessarily have to be-as Mexican Gothic amply, deliriously, and gloriously demonstrates. No lazy afternoon spent reading it will ever feel wasted
Slate
-
It's as if a supernatural power compels us to turn the pages of the gripping Mexican Gothic
The Washington Post
-
A period thriller as rich in suspense as it is in lush '50s atmosphere
Entertainment Weekly
-
The books starts off with a mystery and slowly descends into horror that grips you to the page
Uptown Oracle
-
I love a good gothic horror novel and Mexican Gothic didn't disappoint
The Indian Express
-
Gripping, terrifying, atmospheric and suspenseful
Big Issue North’s best books of 2020
-
A deeply, creepy read...builds to a strange, pulsing, psychedelic ending
SFX Magazine
-
This novel gives classic tropes a fresh and thrilling take
Big Issue: Top 5 books if you're into Gothic tales
-
Stylish and edgy . . . While the book draws inspiration from Gothic classics like Rebecca and Jane Eyre - there is a spunky female protagonist and an ancient house filled with disturbing secrets - its archly intelligent tone and insightful writing make Mexican Gothic an original escape to an eerie world
The New York Times
-
An inspired mash-up of Jane Eyre, Ann Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho, Dracula, Rebecca and that 1958 classic sci-fi movie, The Blob . . . Inventive and smart, [Mexican Gothic is] injecting the Gothic formula with some fresh blood
NPR’s Fresh Air
-
[An] irresistibly dark feminist reimagining of the Gothic fantasy novel . . . It's all wonderfully creepy, blending chilling scenes of horror with classic Gothic tropes for a seductive and subversive tale. A book to devour in a few - very thrilling - sittings
Vanity Fair
-
The author's postcolonial spin on the gothic tradition evokes the usual suspects: Daphne du Maurier, Emily Brontë, Mary Shelley, even Anne Radcliffe. Like those authors, Moreno-Garcia works in a tradition in which chills and thrills tap into elemental cultural fears-runaway science, carnal passion. But to these she adds a more politically inflected horror, both ancient and timely
Los Angeles Times
-
A new classic of the genre . . . alluring and foreboding, ambiguous and beautiful. And like its heroine Noemí, it's ambitious, determined, and well worth getting to know
Chicago Review of Books
-
This twisty horror fantasy is engrossing and wonderfully repulsive. . . . This is a must-read for fans of gothic writers like the Brontës, Daphne du Maurier, and Shirley Jackson, and also for those who enjoy the feminist, surreal fiction of Carmen Maria Machado
Buzzfeed
-
Deliciously creepy . . . Read it with your lights on - and know that strange dreams might begin to haunt you, as they haunted Noemí
Vox
User Reviews
Book 5.0
Narration 4.0
- No written reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- Narrator
- Frankie Corzo
- Duration
- 10 hours 40 minutes
- Release Date
- 10 September 2020
- ISBN
- 9781529414585
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Quercus
- Genre
- Historical fantasy, Historical fiction, Horror, ghost stories and supernatural fiction
- Rating
- 5.0(1 review)
- Narration
- 4.0(1 review)
Synopsis
The acclaimed author of Gods of Jade and Shadow returns with a mesmerising feminist re-imagining of Gothic fantasy, in which a young socialite discovers the haunting secrets of a beautiful old mansion in 1950s Mexico. He is trying to poison me. You must come for me, Noemí. You have to save me.When glamorous socialite Noemí Taboada receives a frantic letter from her newlywed cousin begging to be rescued from a mysterious doom, it's clear something is desperately amiss. Catalina has always had a flair for the dramatic, but her claims that her husband is poisoning her and her visions of restless ghosts seem remarkable, even for her.Noemí's chic gowns and perfect lipstick are more suited to cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing, but she immediately heads to High Place, a remote mansion in the Mexican countryside, determined to discover what is so affecting her cousin.Tough and smart, she possesses an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: not of her cousin's new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi's dreams with visions of blood and doom.Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family's youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family's past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family's once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness. And Noemí, mesmerised by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to leave this enigmatic house behind . . .(P)2020 Random House Audio
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.