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    Piñata: A Novel
    Piñata: A Novel
    Piñata: A Novel
    Audiobook11 hours

    Piñata: A Novel

    Written by Leopoldo Gout

    Narrated by Krysta Gonzales

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    A Head Full of Ghosts meets Mexican Gothic in Piñata, a terrifying possession tale by author and artist Leopoldo Gout.


    Carmen Sanchez is back in her home country of Mexico, overseeing the renovation of an ancient cathedral into a boutique hotel. Her teen daughters, Izel and Luna, are with her for the summer, and left to fill their afternoons unsupervised in a foreign city.


    The locals treat the Sanchez women like outsiders, while Carmen's contractors openly defy and sabotage her work. After a disastrous accident at the construction site nearly injures Luna, Carmen's had enough. They're leaving.


    Back home in New York, malevolent and unexplainable happenings seem to swarm the Sanchez family, throwing their lives into chaos. And it might be too late for them to escape what's been awakened...


    Inspired by the true, horrific history of how the Spanish conquistadors used piñatas to force Aztec children to break their gods, Piñata is a possession horror story about how the sinister repercussions of our past can return to haunt us.

    Editor's Note

    Indigenous Mexican mythology…

    Carmen Sánchez oversees a renovation project in Mexico City with her two young daughters in tow. When ancient artifacts are discovered at the construction site, the job is cut short, and the Sánchezes return to New York — but they aren’t alone. A sinister spirit follows, using Carmen’s daughter to avenge atrocities of the past. Gout skewers colonialism and racism with this possession tale based on Indigenous Mexican mythology.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSpotify Audiobooks
    Release dateMar 14, 2023
    ISBN9781667073774
    Author

    Leopoldo Gout

    Leopoldo Gout, the producer behind Days of Grace, which A.O. Scott of the New York Times called "a potent and vigorous film," is also a writer, artist, and filmmaker. He hails from Mexico, studied Contemporary Art at Central Saint Martins in London, and now resides in New York City with his wife and two children.

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    Reviews for Piñata

    4.5/5

    269 ratings18 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a great and compelling story that incorporates Mexican mythology, history, and native language to build tension and horror. The imagery is gruesome and the book successfully turns butterflies and pinatas into scary elements. The story is dark, creepy, and filled with folklore. The writing style and pace are perfect, and the horror portrayed is excellent. Many readers believe this book would make a great movie, with visuals of ancient demons and body horror. The cultural references and struggles of the Nahua people in modern Mexico are also appreciated. However, some readers had issues with the author's portrayal of misogyny and single parenthood, feeling that it was disconnected from reality. Overall, this book is highly recommended for its compelling story, compelling characters, and great horror."

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5

      Mar 19, 2024

      I loved this book! The Mexican mythology was so fascinating to learn about and the writing style and pace were perfect. The horror portrayed in this novel was excellent and I really think this book would make a great movie. I personally would love to see the visuals of the ancient demons come to life along with the cray body horror and possession described in the novel.

      Overall a great story, compelling characters, and great horror made this a really great read.

      5 people found this helpful

    • 4/5

      Mar 19, 2024

      Whoa..
      This was dark and creepy and just the right amount of folklore. It was brilliantly written and researched, amazingly thought out. Loved it!!

      3 people found this helpful

    • 4/5

      Mar 19, 2024

      * a SLOW burn but learned a lot about the Mexican and Aztec culture/teachings that I had no idea about so that was nice

      * some scary spooky parts for sure.

      * I can see this turning into a movie almost.

      * but overall I really liked the story telling of this book and wouldn’t mind reading another novel by this author again!

      * rating: 4.5 stars

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Mar 19, 2024

      A thrilling story about history and what it means to live on

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5

      Mar 19, 2024

      I had such a blast reading this! Following the Sanchez family we watch as a work trip to Mexico turns this family upside down. Luna, the youngest member of the family, is slowly possessed by the angry spirits of her ancestors. Using Luna as a gateway to enter the world of the Living, the vengeful spirits of indigenous Mexicans return for revenge for the erasure and destruction of their culture, traditions, language, and land.

      I love the lore, history, and native language this story incorporated to build the tension and horror that is unleashed upon the world. The imagery is gruesome and this is the first time I've read a book that could turn butterflies and pinatas scary. Absolutely loved this story!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Mar 19, 2024

      I love learning of other cultures through their horror stories and this is a perfect example of why. Such a great compelling story

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5

      Feb 13, 2025

      Only 4 because personally not my taste. Would be a 5 for quality or writing, characters and narration. It's very good for a creepy listen. Very cool learning Mexican folklore too. warnings for entomophobia, lepidopterophobia and orthopterophobia specifically.
    • 5/5

      Oct 18, 2024

      Amazing, spooky season book. Ms. Gomez went ALL in on the voice narration you guys! Adding to my permanent collection!
    • 5/5

      Sep 7, 2024

      Excellent story, and the narrator's performance was epic. I absolutely loved this.
    • 3/5

      Aug 17, 2024

      I like how they use Nahuatl! You never hear that! I like how they use some history with telling the story. The book had my attention but towards the end it lost it. The book wasn’t bad. I think it took a longtime to start getting into all the craziness.
    • 5/5

      Aug 5, 2024

      Really good book! Kept me interested throughout the whole book! Great job Narrator I was scared at the right time and felt the heartfelt sorrow when it was appropriate! Thank you! Great listen!
    • 5/5

      Jul 4, 2024

      I am left speechless and emotional having just finished this book. There is something sad and sacred about hearing the narrator speak in Nahuatl. This book touches on the importance of the lost culture of our ancestors and how in our modern world, we can still experience the European effects on society. As a Mexican American with 50% indigenous ancestry, the imagery of the old gods was so impactful. I could not pause for too long without needing to know how the Sanchez girls were going to confront their past to save their futures. My heart raced and broke and swelled as the story progressed and this story will stay with me for a long time.
    • 4/5

      Apr 4, 2024

      Meh. The cultural stuff was so valuable and neat to learn but the rest was so so
      Are there any books where adult women actually behave like a person really would? Not over the top dramatic about everything
    • 5/5

      Mar 19, 2024

      An exceptional story, very vivid and the narrator was awesome
    • 5/5

      Mar 19, 2024

      Amazing performance by Krysta Gonzales! Definitely did this superb horror novel justice. One of my favorite horror reads/listens of 2023
    • 3/5

      Mar 19, 2024

      I really want to like this book, but there were some things that rubbed me the wrong way. The author spends a lot of energy talking about misogyny and what it’s like to be a woman for a man who has never lived this experience. It came off uncomfortably for me and I (as a woman) felt pandered (mansplained?) to. My next point of contention was the implication that our main protagonist is a struggling single mother in a multi generational household…. Who takes her theater-interested daughter to Disney, Broadway, and off-Broadway shows… He seems disconnected with what it’s actually like to be a financially struggling single parent. As much as I wanted to like it and was interested in the cultural context, I wasn’t able to finish it because the author kept pulling me out of the story with his own privileged perspective being forced onto a supposedly less privileged character

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Mar 19, 2024

      This was an incredible story of the Nahua people and their struggles in current days to remember their ancestors past in modern day Mexico. I absolutely loved the cultural references both of the past Nahua people, but also of the current struggles in modern Mexico. This will forever be a favorite book!!

      5 people found this helpful

    • 1/5

      Mar 19, 2024

      Honestly i couldnt stand the book… felt like it needed to end half way into it :/