Certain Dark Things
Certain Dark Things
Certain Dark Things is a fantasy, horror novel written by Silvia Moreno Garcia which takes place in Mexico City during the 1970s. The novel centers on the journey of a young vampire woman who attempts to escape and avoid capture from her rival vampire gang with the help of a young human boy.
The novel was first published in 2016 and since then has garnered various notable mentions.[1]
Synopsis
Domingo, a garbage-collecting street kid, first meets Alt, a vampire descendant from the Aztec people and her loyal companion, Cualli, in a subway car in Mexico City, a city that has banned vampires. Shortly after a brief conversation, Alt manages to convince Domingo to follow her to her apartment where she reveals to him that she is a vampire and drinks his blood for the first time. Domingo begins to develop romantic feelings towards Alt, which later in the novel would turn him into her Renfield. Alt confesses to Domingo that she is fleeing from the Necros gang due to the massacre she committed against their clan; in retaliation, the Necros murdered her mother and her sister, Izael.
Nick, the son of a Necro vampire and his Renfield, Rodrigo, are in Mexico City in search of Alt. Nick's obsession with the idea of capturing Alt alive derives from his feelings of vengeance as well as his sense of machismo. During his search for Alt, Nick causes a scene that grabs the attention of detective Ana Aguirre when she investigates the body of a deceased woman with marks consistent with a vampire attack. This attack is published in all forms of media, which leads a gang member from the Deep Crimson, Kika, to contact Ana Aguirre. Although Ana Aguirre would not like to help Kika capture Alt and Nick, she realizes that she has no other choice since her police department does not respect her nor is willing to help her resolve this case. Ana Aguirre uses her knowledge of how to find and capture vampires to feed information to Kika and her gang in exchange for money.
In order to leave Mexico City, Alt needs not only the help of Domingo, but Bernardino, a Revenant vampire, and Elisa, an old friend of Alt's mother. Elisa agrees to provide the paperwork needed for Alt, such as fake IDs and passports, in order to flee to Brazil with Domingo. Bernardino, although hesitant at first, decides to help Alt by providing her health assistance as well as assisting her in her battle against Nick and his members. By the end of the novel, Alt has developed some romantic feelings towards Domingo, yet decides that it is best for her to continue her trip to Brazil alone.
Characters
Alt- A beautiful 23-year-old vampire woman, descendant from the Aztecs and belonging to the Tlahuihpochtli subspecies. She is described as wearing a black vinyl jacket, heavy boots, and black gloves. She has black hair in a bob cut as well as a hummingbird tattoo on her back.[2] When she is transforming into a vampire, she changes from human features to bird-like characteristics such as talons, feathers, and wings.
Domingo- A 17-year-old street kid who collects cans; he is a garbage picker. He wears a yellow plastic jacket, and his physical features are described as having crooked teeth, messy dark hair, and being thin with long limbs.[3]
Cualli- Alt's genetically modified Doberman. Has a green bio-luminescent tattoo running down the left side of his head. Loyal and attacks when Alt is in danger.[2]
Nick- Short for Nicolas, a handsome 21-year-old vampire who is a member of the Necros clan; his father, Mr. Godoy, being the leader. He has the easy looks, easy swagger of his type, and the bad attitude to match. He wears neat and expensive clothes as well as sported sunglasses and a knowing smirk.[4] Unlike Alt, he has fangs like a traditional vampire would.
Rodrigo- Human Renfield of Mr. Godoy. Described as being an older gentleman, someone who is educated, refined, and effective.[5] Does whatever he is told to do by Mr. Godoy.
Ana Aguirre- A detective in the Mexican police force. Is an expert at catching vampires since she has previous experience capturing and killing them. Despite the experience and knowledge that she has, she is not respected by her peers.[6]
Kika- A member of the Deep Crimson gang. This gang is one of the largest, human organized crime groups in Mexico City. When we first meet her, she is wearing a red overcoat with an equally red lipstick and her hair pulled back.[7] Wearing or having a red tattoo is an indicator of someone who is in this gang.
Izael- The deceased, older sister of Alt.[8] She is the voice in Alt's thoughts, like a conscience.
Elisa- Used to be a runner for Alt's mother. She creates fake passports and IDs.[9]
Bernardino- A vampire from the Revenant species. A man with dim, sickly yellow eyes, thin bony fingers wrapped in a frayed crimson robe who leaned on a cane. He has a hunchback and his skin is described as being thin, almost translucent.[10]
Themes
Violence/War- Silvia Moreno-Garcia uses the drug wars in Mexico City to create two types of wars: one between Alt and Nick, as well as a battle between humans and vampires. These two types of battles have made headlines in Mexico City, which have terrorized its civilians. In a conversation with Domingo, Alt explains to him her reasoning as to why she would risk staying in a city that had banned her kind. "I'm trying to get away from some drug dealers," in which she refers to Nick and his father, Mr. Godoy. Alt's "family is in the drug trade. They ran a tidy operation for years and years up North, supplying drugs for the vampire and human markets."[11] As expected, there is a feud between these two types of clans that each family runs, which spiraled into violence. Violent images are scattered throughout the novel, such as memories from Alt's assassinations, the battles between Nick and Alt, and Nick feasting. "Nick slurped at the blood and took another bite of the woman's flesh, enjoying the taste. She whimpered, and in response he bit her harder, bit her right ear and tore a chunk of it."[12]
The second war described in this novel is one between the Deep Crimson, which is one of the five big human gangs who reside in Mexico City, and vampires, in this case being Alt and Nick. There is a description of what this type of gang does to vampires, such as when "fifteen vampires burned to a crisp, their bound corpses a graphic reminder of what awaited any bloodsucker who wandered into this area."[13] Although it may seem corrupt for Ana Aguirre to work with them, she knows that they would be able to deal with them, unlike her police department.
Romance- It took Alt longer to realize the feelings she had for Domingo than it did for him to like her from the beginning of the novel. What essentially makes their romance interesting is the fact that they are two different species. It is the ignorance of vampire culture that Domingo expresses that leads to his normative perspective of his relationship with Alt, ruling the narrative of romance.[14] Domingo's desire for intimacy is projected onto Alt in the form of sexual motivation, which hints at romance. [14] " Domingo wasn't in the habit of prostituting himself...He'd never been a lucky guy, but maybe he was in luck today."[15] For most of the novel, Domingo is the only one who expresses his feelings towards Alt, while she sees their relationship as a transactional one. It isn't until the sexual acts between them occur that they form the idea of romance. The abstract realm of intimacy and love is reached through this physical act.[14]
Chicano/a Literature & Culture
There are various forms throughout this novel in which Silvia Moreno Garcia explores the complexity of this culture despite the inclusion of vampires in it. A feature that makes the fight between Alt and Nick realistic in regards to what occurs in real life in Mexico City is the drug war between them. The parallels between Nick and Alt's antagonism, such as the decapitations, mutilations, and bodies in barrels, correlate with true violent crime scenes between gangs.[16]
In this novel, Silvia Moreno- Garcia challenges the idea that Chicano/a film-making opinions against the use of supernatural creatures to represent real-life monsters in this culture. Film-makers, such as Romero who created the film Night of the Living Dead transformed the early modern horror drama by steering away from fictitious monsters and instead refused plot resolution or social redemption for mainstream Anglo American during a time of social unrest and political instability.[17] Chicano/a film-making took this as an inspiration and decided to portray horror in a similar way. Chicano/a cinema concerned itself with narrating the epic history of Mexican American and redemption through political documentaries, street and prison films etc. rather than the possession, reanimation, or vampire-ism.[17] Despite this idea, Silvia Moreno-Garcia has her own opinions and reasoning as to why she felt the need to write about real-life issues in Mexico city with the use of vampire characters in Certain Dark Things.
Sylvia Moreno- Garcia's grandmother's storytelling painted vivid images of horrors lived in the Mexican Revolution war as well as in witches and winged snakes. It is the use of vampires in her novel that makes it not only easy for herself but readers perhaps to read over tragedies found in newspaper headings such as murder and crime.[18]
References
- ↑ "Certain Dark Things | Silvia Moreno-Garcia". 2016-01-12. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Moreno-Garcia, Silvia (2016). Certain Dark Things. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 4. ISBN 9781250099082. Search this book on
- ↑ Moreno-Garcia, Silvia (2016). Certain Dark Things. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 1. ISBN 9781250099082. Search this book on
- ↑ Moreno-Garcia, Silvia (2016). Certain Dark Things. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 26. ISBN 9781250099082. Search this book on
- ↑ Moreno-Garcia, Silvia (2016). Certain Dark Things. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 24. ISBN 9781250099082. Search this book on
- ↑ Moreno-Garcia, Silvia (2016). Certain Dark Things. New York: St. Martin's press. pp. 62–63. ISBN 9781250099082. Search this book on
- ↑ Moreno-Garcia, Silvia (2016). Certain Dark Things. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 82. ISBN 9781250099082. Search this book on
- ↑ Moreno-Garcia, Silvia (2016). Certain Dark Things. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 21. ISBN 9781250099082. Search this book on
- ↑ Moreno-Garcia, Silvia (2016). Certain Dark Things. New York: St.Martin's Press. pp. 132–133. ISBN 9781250099082. Search this book on
- ↑ Moreno-Garcia, Silvia (2016). Certain Dark Things. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 74. ISBN 9781250099082. Search this book on
- ↑ Moreno-Garcia, Silvia (2016). Certain Dark Things. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 96–97. ISBN 9781250099082. Search this book on
- ↑ Moreno-Garcia, Silvia (2016). Certain Dark Things. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 55. ISBN 9781250099082. Search this book on
- ↑ Moreno- Garcia, Silvia (2016). Certain Dark Things. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 84–85. ISBN 9781250099082. Search this book on
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Cabral, Carolina. Not Your Conquest: Conceptions of Gender and Colonial Legacies in Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness and Sylvia Moreno-Garcia’s Certain Dark Things. 2019. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com.blume.stmarytx.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edssch&AN=edssch.oai%3aescholarship.org%2fark%3a%2f13030%2fqt37h7275x&site=eds-live&scope=site.
- ↑ Moreno-Garcia, Silvia (2016). Certain Dark Things. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 6. ISBN 9781250099082. Search this book on
- ↑ "Silvia Moreno-Garcia Introduces Warring Vampires to Mexico City in Certain Dark Things". pastemagazine.com. 2016-10-26. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Latinos and narrative media : participation and portrayal. Frederick Luis Aldama (First ed.). New York. 2013. ISBN 978-1-137-36645-0. OCLC 845085678. Search this book on
- ↑ Ari Shapiro. “‘Certain Dark Things’ Takes Vampire Story In New Direction.” All Things Considered (NPR), Dec. 2016. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com.blume.stmarytx.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=n5h&AN=6XN201612212005&site=eds-live&scope=site.
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