The Daughter of Doctor Moreau

Historical science fiction novel inspired by H. G. Wells

This was the set book for my fantasy book club. I wasn’t hosting this time, but I had previously hosted a book club for a book by this author and I was keen to read more of her work.

“The Daughter of Doctor Moreau” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a science fiction novel set in Mexico in the 1970s inspired by “The Island of Doctor Moreau” by H. G. Wells. The story is about a young woman called Carlota who lives with her father, scientist Dr Moreau who creates human-animal hybrids. She lives in relative isolation in the estate they live in and her precarious health means she requires regular treatment. She spends most of her time with Cachito and Lupe, two experiments who are more humanoid than others, with only minimal involvement in her father’s work or understanding of their financial situation. However, when Eduardo, the son of the man who owns the estate, visits one day, he takes a romantic interest in Carlota which could either be the family’s salvation or its downfall.

This story had a beautiful, lush setting in the Yucatán Peninsula and the estate, known as a hacienda, felt fully realised. It reminded me a lot of “Like Water for Chocolate” actually with a strong connection between the family and the home, and Moreno-Garcia continues to impress with her ability to set a scene. Carlota is a great character whose self-realisation transforms her from fragile to empowered and I loved how she becomes a fearsome advocate. Montgomery, Dr Moreau’s alcoholic assistant, is also a really strong character and his chapters were frequently my favourite. I really enjoy the biopunk subgenre of science fiction, and while this book (and its inspiration) in some ways is more like “Frankenstein“, it shared a lot of similar elements around the ethics of combining humans and animals and exploring the limits of human biology. I also really liked how Moreno-Garcia drew parallels (and alliances) between the exploitation of her hybrid characters and the impacts of colonialism on the Maya people. I felt like Moreno-Garcia has really hit her stride with her writing, and some of the rougher edges in her previous book are well and truly smoothed out here.

The main issue I had with this book, which I had with “The Gods of Jade and Shadow”, is that once again the ending just wasn’t very satisfying. I appreciate that this isn’t exactly a romance book but like her previous book, I felt like there was an enormous amount of emotional setup that wasn’t followed by a solid conclusion.

Nevertheless, a unique, colourful and sensitive retelling of a classic science fiction novel.