The Daughter of Doctor Moreau (Moreno-Garcia)
(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)
This was a book club selection. We discussed it in a zoom call while was away at HeliosphereNY, a sci-fi con in Piscataway, NJ. That was amusing.
Despite my interest in science fiction, I have never read the original "The Island of Doctor Moreau". In fact, I've never read any Jules Verne. I attempted in college but was thrown by the old writing style. (Similarly, it took me a few tries to get through Frankenstein.) Basically, all I had to go on was the movie adaptation The Island of Lost Souls. I have not seen any of the remakes.
This book takes the original tale and sets it in the Yucatan in the 19th century and makes a historical romance out of it. I don't know what I was expecting from the title, but what I got wasn't it.
Carlota Moreau is the Doctor's daughter. When we first meet her, she's a child, and hangs out with two of the "hybrids" that the Doctor had created. I originally thougt she was younger from her childish behavior (with the other two), but she's nearly an adult when the narrative jumps 6 years forward.
Moreau's patron is a man named Lizalde, who has provided the Yaxaktun property and funding so that Moreau can produce hybrids that Lizalde can use as workers. Moreau has to overcome physical limitations and increase their longevities. Lizalde brings in Montgomery Laughton, who owns money and is basically an indentured servant, to manage the property because Moreau doesn't have a head for this. Laughton is also a hunter, and occasionally hunts jaguars for Moreau (not an easy thing to do).
Side note: Charles Laughton played Moreau in The Island of Lost Souls. That was the first thing that popped out at me.
Years later, Carlotta is grown. Lizalde's sons come to check out the property (and to find revolutionaries hiding in the area). The Doctor hopes that Carlotta would enamor one of the sons to secure his funding and her future (likely in that order). Eduardo Lizalde falls for her. Laughton isn't thrilled with this, but he's always been like an uncle, so it isn't a love triangle, but it's sometimes written as one.
Stuff happens, including a reveal which wasn't much of a reveal. In fact, I was hoping that the opposite would be revealed. Or that the truth had been revealed in Chapter 2, and let the narrative flow from there.
The consensus of the book club is that we would've like more of the hybrids. Why use "Doctor Moreau" if not for the hybrids. I, personally, would've like to have seen the daughter have more agency. If the book was the "Daughter of...", I would've liked more than a typical historical romance. Either Carlotta should've been a doctor in her own right, following in her father's footsteps after relocating to Mexico, or the Doctor could've died in the early chapters, and she could've assumed control of the hybrids. Either of these could work whether Carlotta was a human or a hybrid (such as Lota, in the Lost Souls movie).
One member who has read more of Moreno-Garcia's work suggest we read Mexican Gothic, saying that was a superior work. That's a possiblity, but it's not at the top of my list at the moment, and I have a large TBR list.
I'd give it a rating of 3 out of 5. It was enjoyable for what it was, but it could've been more.
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