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, even though she's been in love with him since childhood.
Then Tristán discovers his new neighbour is the cult horror director Abel Urueta, and the legendary auteur claims he has a way to change their lives - even if his tales 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.
As they work together to unravel the mystery of the film and the obscure occultist who once roamed their city, Montserrat and Tristan might just find out that sorcerers and magic are not only the stuff of movies...
I always look forward to reading a new Silvia Moreno-Garcia book, and this one was no exception.
In 1993, Montserrat lives in Mexico City and constantly finds herself fighting to be taken seriously as a sound editor in the film industry. Tristán is her best friend and used to be a popular soap opera star until an accident destroyed his career and reputation. Together, they find themselves caught up in an old curse shortly after meeting an aging cult horror director...
Wow. That was a blast! Another hit from this very talented author. Bravo.
There's so much to love about this book. The fact that Mexico City comes alive within the pages of this story. The way curses, magic, betrayal, and the supernatural are woven perfectly within the complicated, yet strong friendship between the two narrators. How well some of the darkest moments of world history are blended with the allure of old cinema.
Like I said, there's a lot to love in this tale.
Montserrat and Tristán are fantastic characters. So different that they complement each other perfectly. So similar that, of course, they've been friends forever. The honesty and rawness of their individual lives kept me as riveted as the intriguing concept, and the many characters who help make this story shine.
I couldn't stop reading.
Silver Nitrate is an amazing book! First, the characters totally grabbed my attention, because they're all interesting and their voices compelling, but then kept me glued to the pages because the creepy situation that slowly unravels is so fascinating it wouldn't let me go.
Thank you Hachette Australia for sending me a copy of this awesome book.
Silver Nitrate, July 2023, ISBN 9781529418057, Jo Fletcher Books
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