10 Books for Fans of Mexican Gothic

An independent woman called Noemí finds herself in a crumbling manor, trying to unravel a mysterious and sinister plot engulfing a dear family member. Strong-willed and intelligent, she doesn't fit in with the brooding English family her cousin has married into. A dazzling aristocrat and nightmarish visions follow in Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic, which pits the city debutante against her cousin's charismatic husband. If you couldn't stop thinking about the plot of Mexican Gothic, you might like these ten novels that span the gothic, horrifying, and otherworldly.   


Fever Dream by Samantha Schweblin

Still haunted by the eerie nightmares Noemí encountered in the Mexican Gothic book? You'll be riveted by Argentine author Samanta Schweblin's debut novel, Fever Dream. Here we find a young woman dying in a hospital bed somewhere in rural South America. A boy sits beside her, but who is he? As the two weave a 

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tale of toxic family and transgenerational desperation, the reader is left to decide what it all means—or if it's just a fever dream. Read here.

Daughters of the Lake by Wendy Webb

Did the haunting dreams in Mexican Gothic draw you in? Daughters of the Lake is a perfect follow-up. Newly divorced Kate Granger heads to the shores of Lake Superior to rebuild her life. Soon, she discovers the body of a woman. Kate has dreamed about this woman time and again—but who is she? When she takes 

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refuge with her cousin in nearby Wharton, she finds that her connection to the story might be frighteningly intimate. Read here.

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez

This collection of short stories by Mariana Enriquez explores the intersections of feminism, power, and the sociopolitical landscape. Like Mexican Gothic, this book serves up its share of chills and horrors. Whether dealing with fetishes or the darker episodes of human history, Enriquez knows how to tap into the 

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existential dread that you might have felt as you followed Noemí through High Place. Read here.

Lost in Time by A.G. Riddle

This futuristic thriller is set in a world where convicted murderers don't go to prison but are instead sent to Jurassic times. Riddle introduces us to Adeline Anderson, a strong young woman whose inventor father has been forced to confess to a murder he didn't commit. Adeline is confronted by danger and 

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and discouragement at every turn—until she discovers something that changes her world. If you loved the unbreakable spirit of Noemí in Mexican Gothic, you'll be cheering for Adeline too. Read here.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

The best gothic books give us more than just heroines and visceral scares. They give us a window into morality and human possibility that is, dear reader, often the most terrifying thing of all. So it goes with this contemporary classic from Donna Tartt, where we meet a classics professor in New England who 

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introduces his dedicated students to a different, more exciting kind of life. Like Mexican Gothic's Noemí, the students learn just how entrancing the dark corners of the soul can be. Read here.

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White Is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

The Silver family estate in Dover, England, has been home to generations of strong women. When Miranda's mother dies suddenly on a trip, the connections of the Silver women across time—and through the family estate—become apparent. Afflicted by mysterious ailments and haunted by voices that seem to 

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be coming from the house itself, Miranda must confront dark secrets in her family's legacy to survive. Like Mexican Gothic, White Is for Witching is a gothic story situated at the intersection of race, identity, and feminism. Read here.

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

This gothic horror tale might sound familiar. After all, Ruth Ware takes elements of plot and title from Henry James' classic story, "The Turn of the Screw." As in the older tale, this "Turn" is the story of a young nanny who accepts a position at a country estate that seems too good to be true. Of course, it is! In the Mexican 

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Gothic book, we found our heroine gazing past the deceptions of the "perfect family" into the dark truth. You'll find the same in this hard-to-forget novel. Read here.

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

Forced from her home during the Mexican Revolution, Beatriz agrees to marry a wealthy widower. Ignoring rumors about the sudden death of his first wife, Beatriz moves to the country security of Hacienda San Isidro. But soon, she's plagued by the feeling that the hacienda is not what it seems. With only a 

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bewitching priest to help her, Beatriz must find out what is wrong with San Isidro before she, too, dies unexpectedly. If you liked the creepy atmospherics of High Place, this might be the perfect new read. Read here.

Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy

Fans of bleak and hopeless gothic novels, this one is for you. A more traditional Southern Gothic, McCarthy's second published book is headlined by a young female protagonist wandering the Appalachians in the early 19th century. Her stamina and persistence might remind the reader of Noemí from-

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Mexican Gothic, but beware: there are no happy endings in this grim book that has left many readers pondering its philosophical lessons. Read here.

Tuscan Rose by Belinda Alexandra

Set in the era of Mussolini, Tuscan Rose follows an orphaned baby named Belinda from her mysterious arrival at a convent to her placement as a governess at a country estate. Belinda soon finds that the estate hides dark secrets—perhaps even her own. If you couldn't put down the Mexican Gothic 

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book until you uncovered what High Place was hiding, try this one. Read here.

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Bonus Picks! Watch and Listen to These Titles Similar to Mexican Gothic 

The Orphanage El Orfanato

Loved both Mexican Gothic and the horror classic The Devil's Backbone? Meet The Orphanage. Directed by Guillermo del Toro's longtime friend J.A. Bayona, the film follows Laura as she brings her children to visit her childhood home—which was once an orphanage for disabled children. We all know Laura's made 

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a terrible mistake, but it sure is fun to watch. You can stream The Orphanage for free on Tubi TV or rent it on Apple TV, Prime Video, or Vudu.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Based on the classic book by Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in the Castle tells a story of family secrets and hidden rituals set on an island in mid-century America. Like Mexican Gothic, this is the tale of a cousin trying to make sense of a sinister home. If you've read the book, you'll appreciate the 

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faithfulness of this 2019 adaptation. You can stream We Have Always Lived in the Castle on Peacock or Prime Video with a subscription.

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