The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
**4.5-stars rounded up**
Minerva was raised on her Nana Alba’s stories. Stories that included bizarre things, superstitions, magic and witchcraft. These shaped Minerva’s interests into adulthood, as many of us can probably relate to.
Minerva is now a graduate student at a prestigious Massachusetts college, focusing on the history of Horror Literature. More specifically, Minerva is researching the life and work of Beatrice Tremblay, a lesser known author of macabre tales, who once attended the same school.
During her research, Minerva discovers that Tremblay’s most famous novel, The Vanishing, was inspired by true events that happened in her own life.
In The Bewitching, we’re treated to: Minerva’s timeline in 1990s Massachusetts; to stories from Nana Alba’s life in 1900s Mexico and beyond; as well as Beatrice Tremblay’s time in school during the Great Depression, and the events that inspired her most famous novel.
This might sound like a lot, with all the different people and places, but trust me when I say, it’s beautifully-woven together into one easily understandable, overarching tale.
Admittedly, I am a huge Silvia Moreno-Garcia stan. I’m obsessed with her ideas and the way she tells stories. While not every single one has been a hit, more often than not, they have been, and I always love diving into a new book from her, as you never know what you are going to get.
I was intimidated going into this, as it is told in three different time periods, following three different perspectives, and I tend to not love sweeping sagas like that. However, I loved each of these perspectives. I was equally enamored by each, which is a hard feat to pull off.
This story is dripping in atmosphere, across all three time periods. It’s amazing to me how she was able to completely capture the essence of all three time periods in such a lush and compelling way.
The characters are full of life and distinct in tone. I loved the mystery, intrigue and lore behind it all. It was so good, I can’t wait to read it again someday. I’d love to take some more time with it; perhaps finding even more connections.
10/10 recommend for Readers who love vibrant, unsettling atmospheres, and witchy stories, both historical and modern. Also, slight dark academia vibes…
Thank you so much to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
I expected to like this, but I was actually surprised at how connected I felt to the story, and how much I ended up loving all the various aspects it was comprised of. This will live in mind for a long time to come!