"Et Verbum car0 factum est" (and the Word was made flesh -- translated).
Noemí Taboada is a 22-year-old debutante whose life is filled with social delights and parties in Mexico City in the 1950s. Things change for her quite suddenly when her father decides to send her off to El Triunfo to see about her cousin, Catalina. Apparently he'd received a very disturbing letter that indicated a decline in Catalina's mental health. Using a bit of bribery -- Noemí wants to study anthropology at at National University -- her father persuades her to go to High Place and make sure that Catalina is OK. Noemí heads off on the train as planned, expecting to be gone for a short time. She's picked up at the station and driven up into the mountains to a very English Victorian style home that is nearly derelict, has little electricity or modern conveniences, and is possibly haunted. High Place has been in the Doyle family for hundreds of years but is nearly empty of life and servants. What Noemí discovers is so much worse than she could have imagined. NO SPOILERS.
I haven't read horror like this for ages since a Clive Barker obsession many years ago. And the novel is definitely horror with a very high creep factor. Since Gothic fiction refers to writing that has elements of fear, death, horror and darkness -- lots of emotions and maybe romance, I would say that this qualifies. Definitely there's the icky, moldy house, a supernatural phenomenon, a curse, damsels in distress, and lots of doom and gloom. I liked the writing style, the slow build-up of menace and Noemí's descent into the nightmare. It was just the far out factor that limited my full appreciation of the story. It was just too much! But if you're a fan of this type of novel then you're in for a treat. It delivers every necessary piece to satisfy as Gothic literature.
I read this with a friend, though she finished much quicker and enjoyed it more than I did. It intrigued me from the description and I'm glad I had the opportunity to revisit this genre. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Del Rey for this e-book ARC to read and review.
3.5 stars
This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - Gothic Horror
No comments:
Post a Comment