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The magic of the movies. This phrase carries a special meaning for two childhood friends, Montserrat and Tristán. They love watching old horror movies together, and they both work in the movie industry: Montserrat is the only woman in sound editing production, and Tristán works as an actor, thanks to his good looks, which have gradually diminished by now because of his age and a car accident. They are in their forties, and it became harder for Montserrat to face the mounting obstacles at work and for Tristán to get new auditions. Then Tristán learns that the old movie director lives in his building. He can’t wait to introduce himself and Montserrat to the famous Abel Urueta, whose Mexican horror movies became legendary. This is the beginning of their involvement in another kind of magic, not an enchanting and beautiful kind but an absolute horror. Montserrat discovers she has magic powers, uncovered when she starts reading a book by a deceased German occultist. Tristán starts seeing his dead girlfriend.

Horror is not my literary genre, but I was curious about Silvia Moreno-Garcia, whose books take the publishing world by storm. Now I see why – “Silver Nitrate” is a very engaging novel, and I couldn’t put it down. It’s not a straight horror, although one can surely get scared reading it, but a mixture of styles: a horror novel, a tribute to the old movie world, and the beautiful story of friendship. I especially enjoyed the characters, clearly opposite, as Montserrat is a strong woman who learned early to stand up for herself and her friend Tristán. At the same time, Tristán is vain, non-confrontational, and self-centered, hiding his sensitivity under the handsome interior. He brings joy into Montserrat’s serious life, and she brings responsibility and courage into his. They are yin and yang.

The magic of movies transforms in this novel into black magic, but just like a tremendous black-and-white old movie; I followed this transformation into the darkness and back with great interest. I wouldn’t mind reading more stories of Montserrat and Tristán; for now, I’ll try Silva Moreno-Garcia’s earlier books, and although I doubt I’ll become a horror fan, I hope to have fun dipping my toes into the genre.

SILVER NITRATE, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, 2023