The Bewitching

By: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Narrated by: Gisela Chipe

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • BRAM STOKER AWARD FINALIST • Three women in three different eras encounter danger and witchcraft in this eerie multigenerational horror saga from the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic.

“In Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s sure hands, every uncovered secret is fraught with intrigue and creeping horror.”—Tananarive Due, Bram Stoker Award–winning author of The Reformatory

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, Elle, Kirkus Reviews, Book Riot, Library Journal, Crime Reads, She Reads

“Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches”: That was how Nana Alba always began the stories she told her great-granddaughter Minerva—stories that have stayed with Minerva all her life. Perhaps that’s why Minerva has become a graduate student focused on the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of macabre tales.

In the course of assembling her thesis, Minerva uncovers information that reveals that Tremblay’s most famous novel, The Vanishing, was inspired by a true story: Decades earlier, during the Great Depression, Tremblay attended the same university where Minerva is now studying and became obsessed with her beautiful and otherworldly roommate, who then disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

As Minerva descends ever deeper into Tremblay’s manuscript, she begins to sense that the malign force that stalked Tremblay and the missing girl might still walk the halls of the campus. These disturbing events also echo the stories Nana Alba told about her girlhood in 1900s Mexico, where she had a terrifying encounter with a witch.

Minerva suspects that the same shadow that darkened the lives of her great-grandmother and Beatrice Tremblay is now threatening her own in 1990s Massachusetts. An academic career can be a punishing pursuit, but it might turn outright deadly when witchcraft is involved.

Just the gothic buildup I was craving

Witchcraft, gothic vibes, ghosts, dark academia—yum! So good! Silvia Moreno-Garcia has honed her craft well.

Darkly entertaining.

Witchcraft and the power and seduction of evil, with three narrators in three very different eras. Some very interesting lore. It was well read, the beginning perhaps a bit dull when narrated, but it picks up quickly. Highly entertaining and well written. Some bloody and violent scenes, but proper to the story. I recognized a little bit of Deborah Harkness in the description of magic. I loved the descriptions of country life in the State of Hidalgo. Great book.

What is your weakness?

I loved that this book dissected the characters own desires and showcased how their weaknesses could always be overcome by what is tried and true.

Great Vibes, Slow Burn

This was a hard book to push through. Overall, I really enjoyed it. The blend of Mexican and New England horror was interesting and the characters were consistent. The stakes take a very long time to be established and the story doesn’t ramp until the very end of the book.

Enjoyed the blend of Mexican and American witchy lore

I enjoyed the suspense, the imagery, the character development and the overall story and the writing.