Hi all!

Welcome back to the bookclub! In February, we read Goddess of Filth by V. Castro for The You’ll Read Too Bookclub! Spoilers ahead!

Quick Reminder: This month we are reading ‘Dead Silence’ by S.A. Barnes

Today I’m going to give a quick plot summary, plus my overall star/scare-factor ratings. Then I will share the discussion topics and trivia questions. Please include all of your answers and opinions down below. I want to know exactly what you thought. I’ll also leave the answers to the trivia questions at the very bottom of the post. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

GODDESS OF FILTH by V. CASTRO – FEBRUARY 2022 

PLOT SUMMARY 

One hot summer night, a group of best friends hold a séance. It’s all fun and games at first, but their tipsy laughter turns to terror, when the flames burn straight through their prayer candles and Fernanda starts crawling toward her friends, chanting in Nahuatl, the language of their Aztec ancestors. Over the next few weeks, shy, modest Fernanda starts acting strangely – smearing herself in black makeup, shredding her hands on rose thorns and sucking sin out of the mouths of the guilty. The local priest is convinced it’s a demon, but Lourdes begins to suspect it’s something else – something far more ancient and powerful.

OVERALL STAR RATING

I gave it 4/5 stars. It was a fun, quick read, with great Latina representation and strong, feminist morals. I will say, it took a strange turn, I wasn’t expecting. For that reason, I docked a star. I’m not sure why, but I didn’t feel wholly satisfied by the end. However, I would absolutely recommend it. It was short, spooky and seductive. I’m such a fan of possession stories.

OVERALL SCARE-FACTOR RATING

I didn’t find the story overly scary. I think it was because Fernanda’s inhabitant was a morally grey demon. She seemed more helpful than harmful. The only part that got under my skin, was when Father Moreno’s victim came out of the coffin-like container. I gave it 2/5 for scare-factor.

DISCUSSION TOPICS

1.) Did the inhabitant seem ultimately good or bad by the end? 

This is the million-dollar question. In my opinion, it seemed in favour of Fernanda, wanting to help, rather than harm her. It even asked for her consent at one point, to which Fernanda replied she was content for it to stick around. However, I don’t believe I can place it in the ‘good’ category, as it was still a demon possessing her soul, changing her appearance/behaviour. It also encouraged Fernanda to ‘drink the sins’ of the wicked. This leeched the victims of their darkness. In that sense, you could almost refer to her as the demonic Dexter. What do you think?

2.) In what ways was this a feminist horror novella? 

It was an extremely sex positive novella for women. The girls in the friendship group love talking about sex, the enjoyment of masturbation and sleeping with men, purely because it empowers them. There is a scene where the possessed Fernanda pleasures herself and her best friend, Lourdes, simply puts a blanket over her legs, allowing her to continue. There is no shaming or treating it like some depraved act. I really enjoyed that aspect. It was refreshing to see.

3.) What was Father Moreno trying to achieve? 

In my opinion, Father Moreno was the real villain of the story. He was your typical repressed, religious fanatic, wanting to ‘put women in their place’ and cleanse them of their ‘impurities.’ He was also storing the dead body of a woman he believed led him on. Whatever he was trying to achieve, was not rooted in reality or for the greater good.

TRIVIA QUESTIONS

Easy: What horror movie did Lourdes mention at the start and the end of the book? 

Medium: What were the names of the five friends? 

Hard: What was the name of Fernanda’s mother? 

I hope you enjoyed the book club discussion in this post and on Instagram. As mentioned above, share all of your thoughts in the comments below! If you have any feedback/suggestions to improve the bookclub, please let me know. I look forward to talking to you all next month! Thanks for reading!

Peace & Love xoxo

TRIVIA ANSWERS: Easy: The Craft. Medium: Lourdes, Fernanda, Ana, Perla and Pauline. Hard: Yolanda.