Beatriz is the only child of a Mexican general who was executed in the aftermath of the Mexican war for independence. After months of depending on the generosity of her mother’s extended family, Beatriz latches on to Don Rodolfo Salorzano as her best chance of escaping the capital and having a home of her own. The hacienda is prosperous, but the house itself has seen better days. Rodolfo’s sister Juana, used to having the run of the hacienda, is scornful of Beatriz and her plans to update the manse, and refuses to sleep within the walls of the home. The cook, Juana’s close friend, burns copal incense all day long. The upstairs hallway, closed off due to water damage, is strangely cold compared to the rest of the house. And there is the mystery of what exactly happened to the first Doña Salorzano, who died of some kind of illness but no one knows exactly how.
Beatriz soon realizes that it isn’t just her imagination. There is something in the house that despises her, and will do anything to see her gone in one way or another. Desperate, she reaches out to the local priests, who think she’s going mad. The youngest, Padre Andres, a native of San Isidro and a witch to boot, believes her claims and agrees to help. What follows are frightening confrontations between the two and the malevolent spirit as they try to figure out what happened and how they can save San Isidro. And themselves.
Described as Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca, The Hacienda is mostly a very good Gothic horror novel that gets a bit bogged down by its format. The story alternates between Beatriz and Andres’ points of view, but while Beatriz’s chapters go forward linearly, Andres jumps all over the place. I appreciated having Andres’ point of view, and understand what the author was trying to do by keeping certain things a mystery, but I don’t think that aspect was particularly well handled. I did like how the local folklore was combined with Catholicism, and how the specter of the Inquisition hung heavy over the whole novel. Part of why Beatriz is scared to ask for help is because she fears the priests will hand her over to the Inquisition, and much of Andres’ POV reflects upon his fear of being exposed as a brujo and what that would mean for himself and his family. I also appreciated how the haunting was written. Isabel Cañas included some truly disturbing scenes, and you fear for Beatriz and Andres’ safety the whole time.
The conclusion is tense and satisfying, but leaves enough open for the reader to imagine what will happen going forward. If you like gothic horror, give The Hacienda a try.