Mexican Gothic

I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. My fiancée read it first but was quite dismissive of it - citing it as being generic and not especially creative. She is quite well read in the gothic genre so there may be some truth to that. A lot of other readers and reviewers have been raving about it online though. I have a lot less reading in this genre than she does so decided to give it ago and I found myself thoroughly enjoying it. The Mexican aspect of this is not really there - you are taken to a creepy European family's house in Mexico - the Mexico location ends up being entirely incidental to the plot. This gothic story really could be set anywhere. However, Silvia's writing style is easy to engage with. She creates an interesting sense of being trapped with an overbearing and frightening set of characters with ambiguous motives. The central mystery of the story is well revealed, even if the mechanism has been used before. To me this is a well executed take on the gothic story. Is it especially ‘Mexican' feeling? No. Is it hugely original? Probably not. Is it fun and easy to read with a satisfying denouement? I certainly think so. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed it.