Read
May 3, 2022May 2022: Out in paperback. The US edition comes with a moody stepback cover (second, interior cover) by Karla Ortiz.
A finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Selected for CBC Canada Reads longlist, one of the best books of the year according to The New York Times Book Review.
Velvet Was the Night is historical and noir. There is no SFF element.
Here is a book club kit with more info on the time period and background of this novel: http://www.randomhousebooks.com/wp-co...
What is noir?
This is a noir, not a thriller. Both genres get confused. The stakes in noirs are smaller. Nino Frank says noirs are "essentially psychological narratives with the action—however violent or fast-paced—less significant than faces, gestures, words—than the truth of the characters.”
Noir is also confused with its younger cousin, domestic noir. Domestic noirs tend to focus on upper class, white, women and often deal with the home as a space of danger/conflict. VELVET WAS THE NIGHT is historical, simmering noir and its theatre is not the domestic but a vast city in turmoil.
Brief thread on the noir on Twitter: https://twitter.com/silviamg/status/1....
Why is music important in this novel?
The Mexican government was engaged in the suppression of rock music in Mexico at the same time it was attacking students and activists.
Listen to the playlist at Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7oU...
What is the real life context of this novel?
The book takes place at the beginning of the Dirty War in Mexico. One of the POV characters, Elvis, is a member of The Hawks, this was a paramilitary group that was used by the Mexican government to attack, torture and kill protesters. He's not affiliated with organized crime. I say this because one of the early descriptions from my UK publisher said gangster. Not!
Were the romance comic books Maite reads a real thing?
Yup. Romance comic books in Mexico were huge. I've written a bit about comic books, albeit horror ones, here: https://www.tor.com/2020/07/15/mexica...
A finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Selected for CBC Canada Reads longlist, one of the best books of the year according to The New York Times Book Review.
Velvet Was the Night is historical and noir. There is no SFF element.
Here is a book club kit with more info on the time period and background of this novel: http://www.randomhousebooks.com/wp-co...
What is noir?
This is a noir, not a thriller. Both genres get confused. The stakes in noirs are smaller. Nino Frank says noirs are "essentially psychological narratives with the action—however violent or fast-paced—less significant than faces, gestures, words—than the truth of the characters.”
Noir is also confused with its younger cousin, domestic noir. Domestic noirs tend to focus on upper class, white, women and often deal with the home as a space of danger/conflict. VELVET WAS THE NIGHT is historical, simmering noir and its theatre is not the domestic but a vast city in turmoil.
Brief thread on the noir on Twitter: https://twitter.com/silviamg/status/1....
Why is music important in this novel?
The Mexican government was engaged in the suppression of rock music in Mexico at the same time it was attacking students and activists.
Listen to the playlist at Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7oU...
What is the real life context of this novel?
The book takes place at the beginning of the Dirty War in Mexico. One of the POV characters, Elvis, is a member of The Hawks, this was a paramilitary group that was used by the Mexican government to attack, torture and kill protesters. He's not affiliated with organized crime. I say this because one of the early descriptions from my UK publisher said gangster. Not!
Were the romance comic books Maite reads a real thing?
Yup. Romance comic books in Mexico were huge. I've written a bit about comic books, albeit horror ones, here: https://www.tor.com/2020/07/15/mexica...