The Daughter of Doctor Moreau

If there's one thing I really love about Silvia Moreno-Garcia's work is that she's willing to take risks and not just stick to the same ideas all the time. After the success of Mexican Gothic, most authors would say, “I've found my niche” and stick to it.

Instead, she released Velvet Was the Night, a taught political thriller; Return of the Sorceress, a dark fantasy novella; and now Daughter of Doctor Moreau. While even in her earlier work there are clear through lines in thematic content, she's not afraid to experiment with genre.

This book has been called a ‘retelling' of the Island of Doctor Moreau, but I'm not sure that quite fits. It takes the basic idea of a European scientist experimenting on animals to create hybrids, as well as a few of the characters, and tosses the whole thing into a blender with very SMG themes of settler colonialism's impact on Mexico, treatment of women and wealth imbalances.

Chapters alternate between Carlota, the daughter of Moreau, and Montgomery, the new mayordomo of the compound. The major conflict throughout the book revolves around the wealthy Lizalde family, who are funding Moreau's experiments to get cheap labor, and the lengths Moreau is willing to go to with them to not have his funding cut off. Montgomery is a sad, conflicted drunk who has developed feelings for Carlota, while Carlota is a doting daughter who just wants to do the right thing, even if that means marrying the younger Lizalde to keep things flowing.

Spoilers ahead.

If you're aware of the original story, the puma-woman was Moreau's last experiment, and also his undoing. There's some clever conceptual play going on here where Moreau's perfect experiment was ‘saving' his daughter through his tinkering. We aren't clued in to the extent of it until the end, which shouldn't come as a surprise to readers paying close attention. Carlota is forced to become her own woman and cope with the heavy emotions of that transition from childhood to adulthood, including love and overcoming an overbearing parental figure.

Montgomery, on the other hand, is forced to deal with the fact he's still alive and that Carlota needs to figure herself out. This can't be some sweeping romance of a guy saves girl and her hybrid friends and everything works out, which is nice.

Well worth your time to read.