Alana's Old Favorites & New Discoveries - November 2023
Hi all! I’m Alana, and I’m the Adult Programs Coordinator for Ida Rupp Library. My blog posts will consist of older favorites and recommendations along with new finds in the wide world of entertainment. I never limit myself based on audience or genre, so whatever your preference, I hope I can help you find your next watch, read, listen, or play-through!
Last month’s post was about an old favorite, so it only makes sense that my follow-up be about a new discovery, right? In the spirit of the season (Halloween is right around the corner!), this month’s pick is Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, a book that touches on magic, the occult, and the ghosts of our pasts.
The book follows a duo of main characters: Montserrat, a levelheaded-yet-underpaid sound editor for TV and film contending with the Boys Club that dominates the field; and Tristán, Montserrat’s childhood friend and once-famous telenovela actor contending with a rather gruesome fall from grace. Tristán happens to meet Abel Urueta, a horror film director whose prolific status in the industry has waned to a mere glimmer of what it once was, as a neighbor in his new apartment building when he receives Abel’s mail by mistake and recognizes the name. Montserrat is a horror movie geek and huge fan of Abel’s work, which Tristán is aware of, and so he arranges for the three of them to meet.
Inevitably, their conversation leads to the catalyst for Abel’s disappearance from the film industry: the unfinished movie known as Beyond the Yellow Door. Little is known to the public about this work, and even for a movie buff like Montserrat, most of the conversation around it is speculation. But Abel drops two bombshells back-to-back, telling her and Tristán that not only does he have a cut of the original film, but that it is infused with dark magic, and the fact that he never finished it is the reason he was cursed to never find work in the industry again. If he could just finish the movie, Abel laments, the curse that had befallen him could be reversed. It takes some convincing, but after much discussion on the sorcery involved in making the movie, Abel’s past, and the possibility that Montserrat and Tristán could also have their respective work-related curses lifted, they begrudgingly agree to help Abel and finish the film.
What follows is a supernatural thriller full of twists and turns that takes the reader into the shadows of both its characters’ psyches and the nature of sorcery and spells. The book is a bit slow to start, with lots of detail allowing the reader to get to know its characters, but soon amps up to an action-packed narrative that will have you on the edge of your seat. This book is at once believable and fantastic, suspenseful and dark, and boasts a completely unique story within its pages. Some other reviews say that the author focuses too much on the relationship between Tristán and Montserrat, but I appreciated this aspect of the story. It makes more sense that they are so close; they overcome their adversities together and help each other combat the dark forces that threaten them.
In the interest of keeping this review spoiler-free, I’ll stop here. But if any aspect of Silver Nitrate piques your interest, there are several copies available in the library system in both standard and large print, as well as ebook and audiobook availability on the Libby app. Happy reading!
