Book Review - The Daughter of Doctor Moreau - Silvia Moreno Garcia
Synopsis
Carlota Moreau is a young woman growing up on a secluded estate on the Yucantán Peninsula in deepest Mexico, protected from the conflict between the Mayan rebels and the Mexicans of European descent.
The overseer on the estate is the troubled Montgomery Laughton, who turns to drink whilst dealing with his difficult past. He’s also a hunter, which is why Moreau has hired him.
Carlota’s friends are brother and sister Lupe and Cachito who aren’t what they seem at first. There are also a few inhabitants lurking in the back garden. Into the mix arrives Eduardo Lizalde, son of Doctor Moreau’s patron. His arrival upsets the balance of the household and things will never be the same again.
HG Wells
I knew the name Dr Moreau was familiar, but it was only when I was finishing this book that the authors afterword revealed where I’d came across it - it was the title of a book by HG Wells, in which a shipwrecked man stumbles upon an island on which some strange experiments are taking place. It was then I realised where Silvia Moreno-Garcia had taken her inspiration.
I hate revealing spoilers and after nearly a year of blogging, I’m not going to start now. I’ve never read Moreno-Garcia before (I had heard of Mexican gothic) so not sure what genre this belongs to. I don’t think it’s science fiction - Gothic historical fiction. The ‘feel’ of the book made me think of classic literature from the 19th century.
Setting
Definitely one of my favourite aspects of ‘the daughter of doctor moreau’ was the atmosphere and the setting. It’s quite lush and humid, and you can easily imagine the estate and the courtyard. You really get the sense that it's secluded and self contained, as it needs to be.
There’s also a romance in the book, of which I won’t say too much. One of the relationships didn’t seem age appropriate but maybe that’s just me.
Characters
Each chapter switches POV between two characters - Carlota and Montgomery.
Montgomery is a troubled and damaged character nursing a broken heart that he soothes with an ever present bottle of aguamiel. He cares for his charges, especially Carlota, and has their best interests at heart. He’s a brooding presence in some of the scenes.
Carlota starts off as quite innocent but that changes as the story develops. She loves her family and to her the place she lives is a paradise, but of course nothing stays the same forever and it would be a pretty boring book if it did. I did like her character ‘coming of age’ arc as the story progressed. I also liked her relationship with the other inhabitants.
It definitely had more of a depth to it that I expected - the morality of the experiments, the role of religion and colonialism, although it doesn’t go too far into exploring these theme and it doesn’t get in the way of the story. I liked how the author weaved these complications into the book and I learnt something about this period of Mexican history, which was also expanded on in an afterword by the author.
I liked the prose in ‘the daughter of doctor moreau’, such strong imagery at times.
Overall
I liked it but never loved it. It’s difficult to put my finger on why that is so. For some reason, I couldn’t quite feel enough for the characters. I certainly enjoyed the historical setting and despite a somewhat slowish start, which I didn’t really mind, it certainly picks up the pace. It brings up some interesting questions about identity and morality.
‘The daughter of doctor moreau’ has a cracking pace and is an intriguing, well written book so I will read more by Silvia Moreno Garcia. Such a striking cover as well.
I definately see this as being a great book for bookclubs as it explores subjects such as religion, identity and colonialism and is a fast paced read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Querus books for the Advanced Reader Copy.
The daughter of doctor moreau by Silvia Moreno Garcia
320 pages
July 19, 2022 by Del Rey