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Horror movies aren’t for everyone, and silver screen and arthouse horror films, in the style of Dario Argento for instance, have an even more niche audience. While you don’t have to love these movies to eat up the book I’m recommending, fans will enjoy a thrill of recognition reading this supernatural thriller following an underdog sound editor and an aging actor. But, truly, anyone who enjoys a solid horror novel with a healthy dose of nostalgia will be thoroughly entertained by this book from a talented and prolific writer of speculative fiction.
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
It’s the ’90s. We’re in Mexico City. The film industry is thrumming along but Montserrat can’t get a break because she happens to be a woman. Being a sound editor is her chosen work and she’s damned good at it, but the field is a boys’ club that gatekeeps the best jobs. Then there’s Montserrat’s longtime friend, Tristán, who was a big deal back in the day but whose career hasn’t aged well thanks, in part, to a tragedy that was picked up by all the tabloids. The tides seem to be turning for Montserrat and Tristán when they meet a now elderly legend of the silver screen who enlists their help in finishing a film project with a secret, fraught history.
Reading this book felt like watching a cult horror film, hitting me squarely in my wheelhouse, and the pacing was perfect for a thriller. The scenes actually felt written for film, especially toward the end when classic elements of horror really came into focus. While the material is familiar to anyone who spends time with the genre, with a cursed project, a secret crush, underdogs, and Nazi enemies, I can always count on Moreno-Garcia to keep it fresh. It’s not just that the story is set in Mexico City, which remains a less visited region in horror, but the perspective is unique. This is a distinctly feminist tale and one that incorporates film and, specifically, Mexican film history. Better still, Moreno-Garcia brings her particular knack for creating interesting and unexpected characters to Silver Nitrate. Maybe it’s because I share her love of film, but I found Montserrat both likable and relatable, and I appreciated that her complicated relationship with Tristán was one founded on a deeply rooted friendship.
This is a thrilling read, a cinematic experience, and a romp starring two endearing, if flawed, characters. Grab a bowl of popcorn and enjoy!
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