A Book A Week

My summer reading has been veering more into the horror side of things recently. I usually try to exclusively read creepy books closer to Halloween, but they've been really hitting the spot this month. One of my favorite spooky reads of the past several years is Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. That story combined a gothic romance with supernatural elements making for a memorable and engrossing read. On the heels of a breakout week at the theatrical box office thanks to "Barbenheimer", it feels serendipitous that Moreno-Garcia's latest effort be set amongst Mexico's film industry. Silver Nitrate, which I received from Moreno-Garcia's publisher, sees the author write an homage to a country's cultural contribution with a suspenseful, magical bend. 

The film industry in Mexico City in the 90s is something of a boy's club. Yes, Montseratt's talents as an audio engineer are undeniable, but the industry at large barely tolerates her, let alone celebrates her skills. She's getting some work, but not enough to financially support herself. As if her troubles at work weren't enough, Montseratt worries constantly about her sister who has cancer. Between the demanding hours caring for her family and the grueling schedule, she keeps to churn out enough film to make ends meet, Montseratt is at her wit's end. 

Things take a turn when Tristán, an aging soap star who happens to be Montseratt's best friend/crush, invites her to dinner with his elderly neighbor. It is revealed that the neighbor is none other than Alberto Urueta, the legendary director of some of Mexican cinema's most revered horror films of the 50s. As the trio talks, Urueta reveals that his only regret from his career is not finishing his final film. The unfinished picture is a legend in and of itself, one that both Tristán and Montseratt want to help bring to light. All they have to do is complete some of the dialogue, a task that Montserrat seems perfectly suited to. As they set out to complete the work, the true nature of the film is revealed, one that explains why the movie may be best left incomplete. 

I have to admit that I wanted to enjoy this book a lot more than I actually did. The premise of a mysterious film that contains otherworldly powers is instantly intriguing. There's only one problem, it took forever to get that hook set up. I'm certain this is just a case of the book not matching my own personal sensibilities, but I kept getting distracted during the opening portion of the work. The setup and the descriptions of the character's various traits just didn't really capture my attention. Once the supernatural element was revealed, the story found a decent momentum. Again, I've read mostly positive reviews of this book, so I seem to be in the minority of reviewers with this opinion. To me, though, Siver Nitrate never truly captures the same sense of magic that Mexican Gothic did. There are plenty of cool moments of revived dead, classic film nods, and an antagonist that is truly wicked. For me, that combined with the early pacing issues makes for a middle-of-the-road read. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2023, 42)

I recently completed my goal of reading 52 books in a year. This is the fastest I've ever completed this objective, meaning that I read at a pace that exceeded a book a week. For the first time in A Book A Week's ten-year history, I'm left with the luxury of an entire extra month of reading time. I have a few recently published books that I'd like to get to, but first I've pulled a title from my backlogged TBR list. Mexican Gothic made huge waves when it was first released back in 2020. I had freshly started my own bookstagram account, and it seemed like every reader was reading Silvia Moreno-Garcia's book. The wonderful @lindseyreviews passed her copy of the novel on to me, and it has been sitting unread on my shelf ever since. 

Noemí's life has been one of privilege. As the daughter of a wealthy Mexican businessman in 1951, she lives out her days as a socialite, going to grand parties and constantly changing her studies on a whim. Her father has never asked much of her. He allows her to live her life in relative peace. But now an urgent letter from Noemí's cousin Catalina has arrived, and he wants her to intervene. Catalina was hastily married in secret and has since lived at her husband's compound, a dilapidated vestige of his family's glory days. Catalina's letter is vague, but there is no doubt that she is in some kind of distress. Noemí is tasked with visiting her cousin's new home and checking in on her well-being. 

The crumbling walls of High Place stand as battered reminders of the place it used to be. As Noemí enters the country estate, she is greeted by a peculiar cast of characters, each as inscrutable as the next. Each family member who inhabits the manor greets our heroine with a standoffish air of superiority, either unwilling or unable to illuminate the truth behind Catalina's mysterious affliction. The longer she stays in the home, the more peculiarities arise. There is something off about this place. There is something even more off about the people who call it home. As strange happenings begin to unfold around her, Noemí will need to solve the riddle of Catalina's message before she completely falls under the spell of High Place. 

I notoriously put off reading hyped books for far too long, only to fall in love with them years after the hype has passed. With Mexican Gothic, I find myself in that place again. Moreno-Garcia's writing in this book is pure magic. Atmospheric suspense fills each page, tantalizing us along the slow-burning mystery that unfolds with precision. There's a lyrical quality to the prose. The physical location and time period become like the characters themself, as much a part of the overall story as the people who inhabit them. More akin to gothic romance than horror in the traditional sense, Mexican Gothic expertly balances character development with supernatural intrigue. I will admit that I did see the ending coming well before it was revealed, but the ambiance of the writing more than made this one worth the read. Mexican Gothic has got the goods. I totally understand and agree with the hype it has received. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2022, 54)

"Music and comic books. Why couldn't that be life! Why was life so dull, so gray, so bereft of any surprises?" 

Last summer author Silvia Moreno-Garcia's novel Mexican Gothic seemed to be the talk of the bookish community. I quickly procured a copy of the book for myself to see what all the fuss was about. Then, like too many of the other hyped "must-read" books that I buy, I never got around to actually reading it. So much time has passed, in fact, that Moreno-Garcia has already released another novel. I didn't want to miss out on her work again, so when her publisher offered me a copy of Velvet Was the Night, I was happy to accept it. 

The year is 1970. The place, Mexico City. Young Elvis is a bit odd for a man of his generation. He loves to watch classic movies and listen to old rock 'n' roll. Heck, even his chosen name is inspired by the King of Rock himself. Elvis isn't a bad guy, at least not in his own eyes, but the man he works for is a different story. Who is this mysterious figure? As the novel opens, we're not exactly sure. All we know is that this boss has tasked Elvis and the other members of his goon squad with disrupting the political activism that is threatening to overtake the Mexican government's status quo. 

Maite's life is about as far from action and excitement as you could possibly imagine. The young secretary diligently works her mundane job each day and spends most of her off time at her apartment reading the latest installment of Secret Romance. She fantasizes about being a character in those serialized stories, finding a hunky man to sweep her off her feet as she endures daring adventures each week. Alas, a life of romance and intrigue is not in the cards. The most adventure she'll have today is feeding her neighbor's cat in the apartment next door. But here is where things begin to get interesting. You see, Elvis has been tasked with keeping an eye on none other than Maite. Why? Well, let's just say that Maite is about to fall into a conspiracy even wilder than the stories she reads. 

Like the great noir novels that seem to have inspired it, Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a quick little thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep the pages turning. The cat and mouse aspect between the two main characters propel the plot forward while also revealing little details that deepen our understanding of them.  The ordinariness of Maite, in particular, served as a nice foil to the outrageous action that was unfolding around her. Despite all these positives, I couldn't help but feel like something was missing from the book. The disparate elements of political activism, a budding romance, and an unlikely hero's journey were fun to read about at the moment, but I didn't feel a true sense of arrival or completion when I finished the final page. Velvet Was the Night ended up reading more like the serialized stories that Maite read. I had fun breezing through the pages, but the story didn't move me beyond the entertainment of reading it. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that, so I hesitate to say I didn't like the book. Like Maite at the start of the story, I think I was probably just hyping myself up for something more than was being offered. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2021, 29)