Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

24 reviews

mypoormeatball's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This was a truly excellent example of horror exploring patriarchy, white supremacy, imperialism, cycles of abuse both personal and systemic, AND how those cycles can begin to be broken. All wrapped up in a deliciously intriguing mystery with a touch of romance — a truly epic haunted house story. I think this book will be taught in colleges someday to students studying  postcolonial and intersectional novels. 

While some of the symbolism is a bit on the nose, I think that’s in the legacy of great haunted house novels!  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Incest, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy

Minor: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism

emsavors's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

What was that???

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

aksmith92's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The setup: Noemí Taboada is partying it up in Mexico City, flirting with cute men, attending debutant-like balls and events, and pondering what she should do with her life when her father notifies her that they have received quite an alarming letter from Noemí's cousin Catalina. The letter reads as if Catalina needs some psychiatric help—she sees ghosts, the walls talk to her, and she is having intense nightmares. It doesn't help that Catalina recently got married to essentially a stranger, and one of European descent no less. They live with his family in the Mexican countryside, where his British lineage once made a name for themselves exploited Mexicans in the mining industry.

Noemí isn't necessarily the closest with her cousin, but she is worried, and her father offers to pay for her anthropology school if she goes to investigate. Therefore, Noemí treks to High Place, where Catalina lives with Virgil, her husband, Virgil's father, Howard, and others in the family, including Florence, Virgil's cousin, and Francis, Florence's son. Noemí discovers that Catalina isn't well, but everything is not as it seems. We trek on a journey with Noemí as she discovers a house that brings about nightmares and a family's past that unravels long-time secrets.

What I liked: I'm going to preface my entire review with this fact: I knew going into this that this wasn't as scary as it may have been set out to be. I forget where I heard it, but I knew that this was not a jump scare horror novel. Regardless, this is an odd tale that intertwines a creepy family and some natural wonders (but not in the best way!). I honestly loved the "horror" aspect to this - an utterly unhinged family and their story and a captivating plot around a house of horrors. I found it unique and compelling. I'm being vague for a reason - I don't want to give any spoilers to the house of horrors, but I thought it was exciting and original. This story made me cringe at parts, so while it didn't scare me a lot, it psychologically spooked me in other ways. Additionally, I thought Noemí was a refreshing and lovely character. She somehow didn't annoy me, which is quite challenging in a thriller/mystery/horror novel like this one. The main character inevitably decides something to further the plot where you want to scream "NO!" That didn't happen to me here, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The slight romance plot was also refreshing as Noemí most certainly didn't act like a woman of the 1950s (at least by American standards). I liked this novel's plot, thriller aspect, and characters.

Lastly, I was struck by the novel's profound symbolism, particularly its exploration of colonialism and racism. The theme of eugenics, set in 1950s Mexico, was a powerful reminder of the country's history. The Spanish conquest, the Revolution, and the exploitation of the land and its people by colonizers all resonated strongly. This voice, so prevalent in the novel, was a necessary and thought-provoking element.

What could have been better: Like many reviews, I must acknowledge that the pacing was a bit uneven. The first half of the book was admittedly slow, but the last 20% picked up dramatically. However, even during the slower parts, I was still invested in Noemí's journey, and it kept me hooked. Some parts were slightly predictable and occasionally dull, and the horror element wasn't as pronounced as I expected (or, at least, in the way I expected). Also, the writing was not atmospheric or flowery for a gothic novel. Still, the gothic elements were at least described - particularly an old, outdated house with no electricity and plenty of bad weather, mist, and fog hovering on the mountain. 

Lastly—and this didn't impact my review, but I think for expectation sake, I will share—this book did not necessarily explain the how behind the horror-like element of it; you were just expected to roll with it. Did it make a ton of sense? No. Nor was there a lot of time explaining it. However, was it interesting and a great take on something different in the genre? Absolutely. 

Overall, I enjoyed this novel, even when the pacing prevented me from rating it higher. I particularly liked the natural elements that weaved into the overall premise, and it was generally well done. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing and Rape

Attempted rape, but it does not happen. However, there is a sexual assault. Suicide is on page, multiple places. Suicide attempt also on page.

lorenag5's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

It’s a page-turner but god the writing is terrible, and so predictable 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

theredheded_bibliomaniac's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The Idea was good 
But 
Implementation wasn't
Maybe coz I have watched a series based on the same concept that's why maybe I didn't like it much 
.
But the three stars is coz she thought of it and implemented it 
.
And 
She was writing like she was explaining it to naive people
Like to someone who is new to thriller or horror
It was slow 
Couldn't grab out attention
.
Just finished it coz we were curious

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

laurenbeetea's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder

errie's review against another edition

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

ender24's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

jlaz_13's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Violence, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicide, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Child death, Cursing, Infertility, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Trafficking

emmalouisereads's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I wanted a spooky read for Halloween and I wasn’t disappointed. Incredibly atmospheric… and genuinely revolting at times. 

It’s a really strange story (that I enjoyed mostly for reasons that would be spoilers and I can’t mention). It certainly won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.

I’d love to see this made into a gothic film. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, Vomit, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment