Silvia Moreno-Garcia is an author to watch. For years I’ve seen her name circling the SFF/Horror circles in which I lurk. Unfortunately, I’ve not had room in my review queue for one of her books until I was given an opportunity to review her latest. Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia lived up to the hype that surrounded her. She’s an author that will go on my watch list, which is getting very large by now. Her character work is wonderful, and I love the setting of Mexico City in the 90s. There’s much to love about this book.
Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone.
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TL;DR
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a slow build story about a sound editor and aging actor awakening long dormant magic from Nazi occultism hidden in a Mexican horror movie. Recommended.
From the Publisher
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the New York Times bestselling author of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau and Mexican Gothic comes a fabulous meld of Mexican horror movies and Nazi occultism: a dark thriller about the curse that haunts a legendary lost film—and awakens one woman’s hidden powers.
“No one punctures the skin of reality to reveal the lurking, sinister magic beneath better than Silvia Moreno-Garcia.”—Kiersten White, #1 bestselling author of Hide
ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE SUMMER: The New York Times, NPR, Chicago Tribune, Paste, Lit Hub, CrimeReads
Montserrat has always been overlooked. She’s a talented sound editor, but she’s left out of the boys’ club running the film industry in ’90s Mexico City. And she’s all but invisible to her best friend, Tristán, a charming if faded soap opera star, though she’s been in love with him since childhood.
Then Tristán discovers his new neighbor is the cult horror director Abel Urueta, and the legendary auteur claims he can change their lives—even if his tale of a Nazi occultist imbuing magic into highly volatile silver nitrate stock sounds like sheer fantasy. The magic film was never finished, which is why, Urueta swears, his career vanished overnight. He is cursed.
Now the director wants Montserrat and Tristán to help him shoot the missing scene and lift the curse . . . but Montserrat soon notices a dark presence following her, and Tristán begins seeing the ghost of his ex-girlfriend.
As they work together to unravel the mystery of the film and the obscure occultist who once roamed their city, Montserrat and Tristán may find that sorcerers and magic are not only the stuff of movies.
Review: Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Montserrat, the main character, hustles. She’s a contract employee for a sound editing house that works in Mexico’s film industry. In the 90’s, she struggles to find enough work in the boys club of her industry. But Montserrat works hard and will get projects done. This is partially because she’s devoted to movies and partially because she has no other life. Montserrat works and has little else in her life, with which, to be fair, she seems okay. She does however have her best friend from childhood, Tristán, and she has her sister, who is fighting cancer. Tristan lives with the reputation of having killed his starlet girlfriend in a car crash despite the fact that he wasn’t driving. His acting career was cut short by the deceased woman’s powerful father. Tristán has never forgiven himself and lives in fear of reporters doing stories about the starlet. In moving to a new building after yet another relationship end, Tristán meets an older man, Abel Urueta, who lives in the same building. The man directed some of the horror movies that Tristán and Montserrat love. Abel’s career took a downturn after a failed project, and in horror fandom, the failed project has achieved a mythic status. Montserrat knows about it and wants to learn more, maybe even see if there’s any film left to view. When Tristán and Montserrat befriend Abel, they learn that the mysterious film was actually a magic project by a Nazi mystic who fled to Mexico City. When the film was abruptly cancelled, bad luck fell over all involved. Abel believes that finishing the film can reverse the bad luck. But in finishing the mystics work, they release more than anyone expected.
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a third person novel set in 90s Mexico City. Montserrat and Tristán are the point of view characters. This is a slow build novel in which the action really begins about halfway through. It’s a beautifully built world with a magic system that makes sense.
Montserrat and Tristán
Slow Build
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia has a very slow build. The actions begins around halfway through the book. It was a little too slow for me; however, I was stuck to the pages. Moreno-Garcia builds out the world of Montserrat and Tristán beautifully. We get the parts of 90s Mexico City and the Mexican cinematic industry that involve them. I enjoyed the setting and learning about the industry. Montserrat’s job is fascinating, though I know nothing about it, but it’s her employment situation that’s frustrating for me as well as her. Moreno-Garcia has seated her characters in enough setting and background to make it interesting. In fact, I liked it so much, I’d like her to write a book about the Mexican cinematic industry, whether in the 90s or another time is her call.
The downside is that so much background and setting work to set the story up pushes it to roughly halfway through the story. Until then, the story lacks horror elements, unless you count the exploitation of Montserrat by her employer, which is horrific. The slow build even after the horror begins. Normally, I wouldn’t have minded it, but with over half the novel done, I wanted more horror, and the slow build didn’t deliver. Though there were horror elements, I don’t know if I’d call this a horror novel. It was a fun novel, but it was missing a lot of tension for me. Montserrat and Tristán rarely felt in danger, and even during the finale of the book, I didn’t feel any danger.
Conclusion
Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Silver Nitrate is a slow build novel set in 90s Mexico City. It’s beautiful, and Moreno-Garcia’s character work is masterful. I will reiterate, aspiring authors should study her work. Though the book was a little slow for me, it made me a fan of Ms. Moreno-Garcia. I plan on seeking out more of her work. Recommended.
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is available from Del Rey now.
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