Four years back, I saw this book selected as the Goodreads Readers' Favourite in the Horror genre. I had marked it to read and forgot all about it. As part of my Reading Challenge this year, I zeroed in on this book without preconceived notions.
Noemi Taboada is a girl living life to the fullest, loves parties and plans to study anthropology. She is part of the influential Taboada family in Mexico. One day, her father receives a frantic letter from her cousin asking to rescue her. She is newlywed and at High Place, a household in the Mexican countryside. She sets out to check on her cousin on the orders of her father. What happens when Noemi lands at the strange unhospitable household. Something is not right at the place. With limited allies and a dark past, can she uncover what is happening there and save her cousin?
Well! Initially, the book is not a puller. The initial happenings did not induce the tension that I expected from a horror book. It was normal and slow-paced. Character wise Noemi gets the most presence. She is written interestingly but is irritating at places in the first quarter of the book. The younger son of the High Place seemed a well-written character. The author does succeed in maintaining the secrecy of all the characters around Noemi. The twisted and dark history of the house that involves colonialism, patriarchy, the way women were treated and the greed of men for worldly possessions was interestingly brought out. Once you realize that the house is an important character around which the whole story revolves, you get vibes of 'The Haunting of Hill House' at places. The gothic setting is reflected here as well.
Once you get into the rhythm of the story, the read just flies ahead. It does become a fast-paced page-turner. I like how the writer succeeds in maintaining the enigma around the house and its residents. The mushrooms also are an important character and the way it is depicted around the incidents was well maintained. The writing style was simple enough and the author had done a good job detailing the High Place, its eeriness, and the village where it is located. We could visualise what the author wants us to and this I think is an important positive for the story. There are a few moments in the story that seem to move out of the flow and the scene change happens so quick that we get confused. But as I said, only in two or three instances.
In short, if you excuse a sluggish start, you can be in for an exciting read. A decent horror thriller that can keep you hooked up.
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