Pulp Fiction discussion

Welcome to our August discussion of Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Born in Mexico and now based in Canada, Moreno-Garcia has become one of the most versatile and acclaimed voices in contemporary speculative fiction. Since her debut novel Signal to Noise, she has built an impressive body of work that refuses to be confined to a single genre, moving effortlessly between horror, fantasy, historical fiction, noir, science fiction, and mystery. Along the way she's earned nominations for the Hugo, Locus, British Fantasy, and Shirley Jackson Awards, while novels such as Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow, and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau have introduced countless readers to her richly atmospheric storytelling.

Published in 2023, Silver Nitrate continues Moreno-Garcia's fascination with blending history and the supernatural, but this time she turns her attention to the Mexican film industry of the 1990s and the lingering legacy of its golden age. At its heart, the novel follows two longtime friends who become entangled in the mystery surrounding a legendary director's unfinished horror film, drawing them into a world where cinema, folklore, and the occult intersect. While horror certainly plays a role, readers familiar with Moreno-Garcia's work know that she's equally interested in character, setting, and the ways the past continues to shape the present.

The novel also makes an excellent fit for our Backstage Stabbings theme. Rather than focusing on detectives or police investigations, it explores the hidden corners of the entertainment industry itself—where ambition, artistic obsession, fading reputations, and old rivalries can be just as dangerous as any criminal conspiracy. It's also exactly the kind of book our club enjoys discovering: a modern work that draws on the traditions of noir and suspense while bringing a fresh perspective, a distinctive cultural setting, and a voice that broadens our reading beyond the familiar classics.

As always, please be mindful of spoilers, especially during the first half of the month. Feel free to share your first impressions, favorite passages, thoughts on the characters, observations about the film-world setting, or anything else that catches your attention as you read. Whether this is your first Silvia Moreno-Garcia novel or you've followed her work for years, I hope you'll jump into the conversation and help make this another lively month of discussion. Happy reading!



How can you resist an author who eats blueberry pancakes? Yum!

Oh, this is nice.
I've wanted to read Moreno-García for a while.
As always, I sign up for too many things all the time, so let's see how the month goes.

Just checking in to see how everyone's doing with Silver Nitrate!

It looks like we've got at least one reader on board already, and I'm curious who else is planning to join us this month. Have you read anything by Silvia Moreno-Garcia before? If so, what was it, and what did you think? This is my first novel by her, though Mexican Gothic has been sitting on my ever-growing TBR pile for quite a while.

And for those who've already cracked the book open, what are your first impressions? No spoilers, of course—just how you're finding the writing, the characters, the atmosphere, or the film-industry setting so far. Whether you're ten pages in or halfway through, I'd love to hear how your reading experience is shaping up.

I'm only two chapters in myself, but one thing that struck me right away is how readable Moreno-Garcia's writing is. I found it very easy to settle into the characters and the setting almost immediately, and before I knew it I was already invested in where the story was headed. I'm looking forward to seeing how the story, and the low-budget Mexican film industry backdrop, develop from here.

I have been wanting to read The Daughter of Doctor Moreau ever since finishing The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells a few years ago, so I went ahead and jumped into this book last night. I'm only up to chapter 3 but what I do like is how there seems to be so many allusions to horror films and the film industry in general, especially ones from the 90s. I am at the point where the meet the director. I like the names Monsterrat and Tristan as well.

This is my favorite book by her, followed by the Daughter of Dr. Moreau.

We're getting close to the halfway point of the month, so I thought I'd check in again and see how everyone is getting along with Silver Nitrate. I'm enjoying it quite a bit so far. Moreno-Garcia is taking her time developing the story, which I appreciate, while gradually layering the mystery and supernatural elements over the friendship between Montserrat and Tristán.

Like Franky, I've been particularly impressed by the sheer number of film references Moreno-Garcia works into the novel. There's obviously been a tremendous amount of research behind the book, especially into Mexican horror and low-budget filmmaking, and I've already found myself stopping occasionally to look up movies, directors, and bits of film history she mentions. I also like the way the 1990s setting places Montserrat and Tristán in a movie business that's changing around them while they're both struggling, in very different ways, to find their places in it.

I'm also interested in how slowly Moreno-Garcia is allowing the supernatural side of the story to develop. Rather than immediately announcing itself as a horror novel, the book seems content to let the strange elements creep gradually into an otherwise fairly grounded story about two people, their careers, and an obscure corner of the film industry. So far, at least, that restraint is working for me.

For those reading along, how is it working for you? What do you make of Montserrat and Tristán, both individually and as friends? How are you finding the balance between the characters, film history, mystery, and supernatural elements? Have any of the movie references sent you down your own Google rabbit holes? And for those who've read Moreno-Garcia before, particularly Patty since this is your favorite of her novels, does Silver Nitrate feel representative of her other work, or is she doing something noticeably different here?

I read this a couple of years ago and wasn't quite ready for a reread. That said, my memory of it is pretty close to how you describe it; a slow build, layering details and applying a bit of creep factor. The relationship between Montserrat and Tristán is almost a romance, but not quite, or maybe it is, but it's the kind of contentious, snarky romance I can get behind.

Anyway, I like this one, I loved Mexican Gothic and Certain Dark Things (which, speaking of movies, seems to parallel the plot of a famous early 1940s Hollywood movie), and for some reason bounced off Velvet Was the Night and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. I plan on giving the former a second chance eventually, but will hold off on the latter, since it wasn't that long ago.

We're coming into the home stretch with Silver Nitrate, and Randy's description of the relationship between Montserrat and Tristán as "almost a romance, but not quite" really struck me. Their complicated friendship has been one of my favorite parts of the book, and I think the fact that Moreno-Garcia doesn't make it easy to categorize is part of what makes it work. I've also enjoyed the slow build Randy mentioned. The supernatural elements have gradually become more prominent, but Moreno-Garcia spent enough time establishing the characters and the world of Mexican filmmaking first that I've been invested in the story even when nothing particularly sinister is happening.

It's also been interesting hearing from those of you who have read more of Moreno-Garcia. Between Randy's recommendations of Mexican Gothic and Certain Dark Things, Patty naming this one her favorite, and Franky's interest in The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, I've come away from this month with a much better sense of just how varied her work is. Based on my experience with Silver Nitrate, I'm certainly interested in reading more of her.

We're wrapping up our official August read, so if you've finished—or are getting close—please stop by and let us know what you thought! And as always, there is absolutely no expiration date on our discussion threads. If you're still reading, haven't started yet, or stumble across Silver Nitrate six months from now, the topic will remain open and we'd still love to hear from you.

Meanwhile, it's almost time to head back to school. Our September theme is Scholars, Sins & Secrets, and our winning selection is Gentlemen & Players by Joanne Harris, a dark tale of secrets, rivalries, and revenge set at an old English boys' school. Pick up a copy and join us in September as we trade the shadows of the movie studio for the equally dangerous halls of academia!

I finished a couple days ago. I liked how obviously the author did her homework on this subject and films and liked the homage to the horror films of the 90s and the film industry and as RJ said, Mexican cinema and filmmaking. However, I couldn't really get too invested in the lead characters, Tristan and Monsterrat, and really didn't like when we pull back the curtain into their personal lives because they seemed to treat each other badly quite a bit quite often. I think I just liked when the focus was on the story at hand. I liked how the mystery is set up with the ill-fated director in the first part of the novel, but the second half it felt like things were way too convoluted and messy with the plot as we headed towards the finish line after the unintended damage/evil is unleashed. Sort of a wild goose chase at the end there. So, I was a little mixed in what I thought of the book. 3 stars for me.

I think Silver Nitrate is different from her other books. To me, each one is different from the other. Of the ones I’ve read, the only one that disappointed me was The Bewitching. I did a review of it and need to reread it to remember why (haha: out of sight, out of mind).

In my mind, I have connected this book with Night Film by Marisha Pessl. I love old movies (TCM is my most watched station), and felt that for once, I had books with something I could really sink my teeth into.