Velvet Was The Night

Last Wednesday I finished reading Silvia Moreno Garcia’s book, “Velvet Was The Night.” This was the second time I’ve read from her the first time was Mexican Gothic. Maite a secretary and Elvis a minor thug in the crime gang The Hawks are looking for Maite’s neighbor, Leonora and the camera which has pictures that have incriminating evidence.  I give this book credit that it got me out of a book rut though not for long because I got back into another one. Although “Velvet Was The Night,” was a different genre than the previous “Mexican Gothic,” it unfortunately makes the same mistake of sounding great on paper but failing to deliver.

Pros

I will give this book credit, the main characters of Maite and Elvis were actually likeable even if at times they were whiny. I like the time period being in the 1970’s during the Dirty War in Mexico and the political unrest. Its something not many know about. The ending and the epilogue were my favorite parts of the book. I like that the points of view shifted from Miate to Elvis. Maybe what would have made it better is if we had gotten Leonora’s point of view since she’s on the run.

Cons

I kept wondering when Maite and Elvis were going to meet and the story was too slow to the point I kept wondering, “When is something exciting going to happen?” It also became annoying when Maite kept complaining about how she feels that she’s not pretty compared to other girls and how lonely and boring her life is. I feel for her but at the same time I wanted to tell her, “If you’re not satisfied with your life do something about it, don’t wallow in grief and self pity.” Elvis did the same thing but I wasn’t as annoyed with him because growing up with the life he had he didn’t have a chance and he ended up in crime. Luckily both characters had a wake up call. Also Maite made such a stupid choice sleeping with Ruben the boyfriend of Leonora. I felt bad but at the same time Maite you knew he still had feelings for Leonora despite the fact they broke up. Did you really expect a relationship? Luckily the ending and the epilogue made up for the rest of the novel.

Overall

Overall while this wasn’t the best book in the world it certainly wasn’t the worst. I know what to expect from Silvia Moreno Garcia. While her books are not for everyone, it’ll keep everyone  invested to read the book if they have the patience for the slow moving story.