Review #41 of 2021: 

I went into this book with high expectations, especially as someone that likes horror. But honestly, this is a “gothic” book to 200 pages, and then a horror book for the last 100 pages. I think I expected something along the lines of a Haunting of Hill House/Turning of the Screw vibe, but for much of the book, I found the characters turning and turning in repetitive conversations, the protagonist Noemí noticing the same weird symbols around the house, and it became very stale very fast. I think I would have liked this book more if I had expected a true horror novel, or if the book were 75-100 pages shorter. That being said, it really picks up in the last third and mostly makes up for the uneventfulness of the beginning. Initially, I was concerned because much of the horror seemed to be taking place in dreams/hallucinations, which I always think is a cheap card to play in horror. However,

it is later revealed why so much of the horror plays out in dreams, and it’s perfectly consistent with the world-building in the book, so it ended up working for me.

 

Where this book really thrives is in the exploration of colonialism/racism, specifically between England and Mexico. Horror succeeds when it has something to say (The Shining is a commentary on domestic abuse and alcoholism, the Haunting of Hill House TV show is an awesome exploration of the stages of grief and the bonds of family), and I wish this book would have done more with those themes. It stops at “colonialism is evil,” and generally explores some of its effects on Mexican citizens, but because none of our main characters were directly affected by these issues, it seemed less impactful. This book is also a “fish out of water” situation - but none of the characters in the High Place house are likable, and we are given very little history between Noemí and her cousin Catalina, who she visits High House to check up on. So in terms of emotional weight between the characters, I thought it was very flat (when compared to The Shining book and Haunting of Hill House TV series, my two favorites of horror literature, which each have very powerful family dynamics that intensify the story). 

I thought this book could have been better with a faster pace, deeper explanation into colonialism, and more emotional ties between the protagonist and other characters; this book thrives in the last third and when it gets into the weeds on its social commentary. Not sure if I’ll revisit this one soon, but I think I’ll have a better experience on a reread now that I know what to expect.