a very haunting house

Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Mystery, thriller, fiction

Rating 9/10

Neomi heads to the High Place to where her cousin resides with her husband due to a recent letter that her cousin sent. Out of concern, she must investigate the odd behavior that was occurring with her cousin. As she resides she is told of the strict house rules as well as the story of the household. However, the townsfolk have a different story about the High Place. A tale of the ancestor going on a murderous rage that led to a suicide afterward with only one lone survivor. Her cousin talks in hallucinogen imagery that only she sees but no one else sees. After seeking a second opinion she was given the warning to leave before things got worse. As she continues to stay she comes across some more secrets about the violence that occurs. 

This was chilling in the sense that it slowly builds up. This was rather a short read but it was fantastic. I didn’t put it down and whenever I did I felt so bad. I needed to figure out what was going to happen. Then when it happened I was surprised. I was honestly hesitant about picking up this book until my boyfriend told me to just read it. He said it would be something I would like for sure and he wasn’t wrong. I did. The writing is well done and very descriptive. I felt like I stepped into the place and felt everything that the main character had felt. The characters were an interesting cast of characters for sure and the interactions felt so natural. Some mystery novels don’t have that feeling but this one did. The main character Neomi uncovering the secret and the truth was really interesting. It did take a long time because of the suspense build-up but it was rather interesting. Overall, I do love this novel. I did see this on TikTok and couldn’t pass up anymore on reading it.

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