July Book Club: Mexican Gothic, End of Month Post

Okay, so I posted my review of Mexican Gothic today HERE.  This post is for discussion in the comments of the book - I'll try to start with the first comment, since it's not like my review can cover everything and my review has to be largely spoiler free......

WARNING:  Spoilers are fair game in the comments here whereas they aren't in responding to my review directly.  So if you look at the comments here, you cannot complain about being spoiled: that's the point.





Okay spoilery discussion to get this started:  As speculated, old man Doyle was using some force in the house - here magical mushrooms tied to the remains of Agnes - to essentially transplant his mind into new bodies, although I was wrong about the plot being a Get Out like idea - only one Doyle gets to experience eternal life.  Old Man Doyle's racist beliefs and belief in his own superiority is only increased interestingly by having taken the secret to eternal life from customs of natives he found, and then using his wife to make the ritual actually work in a way they never intended.  Eek.

I was not however expecting Virgil to step up as a replacement for his father as villain in the final confrontation though.  Virgil takes his father's racism and adds insane chauvinism to the mix (I mean his father has it too, just can't really act upon it in that old body) which makes him even creepier and uglier honestly than his father - especially as he can adapt such a horrible worldview for the modern world the way his father could not.

It's noteworthy how the two sons essentially act in the Doyle family actually now that I think about it, both raised by an utterly racist and chauvinist patriarch/tradition.  One buys in completely, continuing the evil beliefs while planning on adapting them to new methods, while the other understands that to some extent they're wrong but feels they're inevitable and trapping.  And the book's ending makes you wonder whether or not Francis can ever truly break free of that upbringing - a question it openly leaves hanging.

Anyhow, that's all i got to start, I'm sure I'll think of more to come...