Velvet was the Night

Leonora has left town.  That’s not all that unusual in Mexico City during the 1970’s, but the string of creepy men trying to break into her apartment or following her friends is definitely strange.  Student protests, guerilla gangs hired by the government to break them up, and Russian spy activity set a dangerous backdrop to the work Leonora’s friends undertake to find her.  Will they be able to keep her safe and uncover the truth she’s working to protect, or will they become casualties in unrest, too.

Award-winning author Silvia Moreno-Garcia delivers a historical fiction in the noir realm that will surprise readers.  Giving a glimpse of what life was like in Mexico City after the Tlatelolco massacre a few years before, Velvet was the Night weaves action, mystery, and espionage with relatable characters.  Full of descriptive scenes that leap off the page, this book feels made for the screen.

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I give Velvet was the Night 3 out of 5 stars.  I loved this from a historical fiction standpoint, but found it challenging as a reader.  The multiple storylines and character overload left me feeling confused at times and wishing to go back to a previous character’s narrative.  The overt torture and physical violence was also nearly too much for me.  Again, I loved the historical aspect of this – I know nothing about this era and found it fascinating enough that I had to do additional research on it.

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Given the violence and torture, I feel this would be best directed to more mature audiences over 16.  I would also caution against this book for anyone who may have experienced physical violence – the graphic nature was enough to trigger some PTSD reactions in me.  I would recommend this book to readers who are interested in this era of Mexican history or who have enjoyed other Mexican noir novels like Isabel Canas’ The Hacienda. 

I chose Velvet was the Night for the Read With Lindsey Reading Challenge prompt “by a Hispanic author”.  I have read books by so many great Latinx authors over the past few years.  Reading books by diverse authors with diverse characters is so important to me – we really aren’t all that different and literature like this helps show our similarities.

This week’s prompt is in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.  I’d love to hear how you’re celebrating this month – drop your favorite literature and traditions in the comments!

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What I’m Reading

• Current print book: I’ll Be Home for Christmas, Jenny Bayliss
• Current audio book: The Professor, Charlotte Bronte
• Book I’m most looking forward to: Fire Season, Phillip Connors