The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

A lavish historical drama reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Mexico.

Carlota Moreau: a young woman, growing up in a distand and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of either a genius, or a madman. Montgomery Laughton: a melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. And outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his scientific experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers. The hybrids: the fruits of the Doctor’s labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows. A motley group of part human, part animal monstrosities. All of them living in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Doctor Moreau’s patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction. For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and in the sweltering heat of the jungle, passions may ignite.

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This retelling of H.G. Wells’ science fiction classic was captivating from start to end. I’m usually not one for science fiction but Silvia Moreno-Garcia has a way of making me read out of my comfort zone and be completely changed by the experience. From the horrors of Mexican Gothic to the adventures of Gods of Jade and Shadow, I never know what to expect from this author but I always come out with a 4-5 star read under my belt. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau was especially captivating for me as I read it while in the Yucatán and felt extremely close to the story because of that. This book followed two viewpoints, both Carlota and Montgomery, and it was so fascinating as those two characters had such different views and experiences with the world that seeing each scene from different perspectives made it all the more mysterious and layered. Even though this novel is technically a “retelling” besides the main premise of hybrids and the Doctor, it was a mostly original story which made it all the better as it was hard to guess which direction this plot would go. I really enjoyed this read and I can’t wait to read more of this authors work (did I add all of the books I haven’t read to my Goodreads TBR as soon as I finished this work? YES).

We start off when Carlota is a young girl and Montgomery is first brought on as the Doctor’s assistant. She’s devoted and obedient to her father, almost to the extreme, and helps him with his experiments and his “care” of the hybrids who she views as family. We also get Montgomery’s POV during this time. Washed up and wasted and seeing an immediate connection in Carlota. He views her the way he’s come to view most women who he cares about: trapped. And after those small glimpses into this early dynamic, we are propelled into the future where Carlota is now a young woman who begins questioning her father’s morals and where Montgomery is even more disillusioned with life and humankind in general. This time jump is very interesting as it skips a lot of the easy dynamic we now see between Montgomery and Carlota, both, whether willingly or not, devoted to taking care of this small world they live in under Dr. Moreau’s supervision. Here is where the son of Dr. Moreau’s benefactor stops by unexpectedly. Montgomery doesn’t take well to visitors as the hybrids in this place are only protected as long as people do not know the truth about them. Eduardo Levalde, however, is determined to understand what is truly going on. Unfortunately, he sees Carlota and falls in love (lust?), and sets off a chain of unfortunate events for everyone involved.

I really liked the easy surface level characterizations in this. Usually I’m a huge fan of dynamic and layered characters, and this book did have that, but in a very subtle “blink-and-you-missed-it” way which gave more focus to the plot and small key elements of the story. Montgomery has a sad and tragic past, we start out thinking poorly of him as he comes across somewhat disgusting not only in his habits but his viewpoints. However, as the book goes on and we get more of him, he becomes much more relatable (although I could have done without the extreme age gap character arc). Carlota starts off almost robotic in her obedience to her father but throughout the novel grows her own opinions and backbone and had such a slow but intricate growth that it felt so natural. There wasn’t some major tragic event that changed her entire personality, her growth came in small increments of original thought and I loved how that was portrayed. I didn’t like how naive she was when it came to certain things but, given she’s been sequestered away from society her whole life, it was understandable.

The setting of this novel, taking place in a historic setting in the Yucatán gave it so much more life and depth than I think the original story had. It felt more realistic with the historical aspect and the jungle setting was fantastic in portraying their exclusion even having been part of a much larger and populated island. It also added another aspect of danger. There’s war happening outside their secluded world, the class system is extremely separated, and race is a main topic of discussion at every meal. Not only is Carlota disparaged because of her race, but also her birth (out of wedlock), and her exclusion from proper society. The hybrids themselves don’t stand a chance in a world of such judgement and disdain. And a wild jungle all around enhances everything just a touch more with the knowledge that anything can be hiding in those trees. It was thrilling and shocking and everything I hoped for in this book.

This was a 5 star read and one of those ones that stays with you after you’ve finished it. A perfect introduction to science fiction if it isn’t your usual cup of tea, and a great story for historical fiction lovers as well. I highly recommend anything by this author but this one has become one of my favourites of theirs.