How Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s shapeshifting visions of Mexico took over the bestseller list

On the Shelf The Daughter of Doctor Moreau By Silvia Moreno-Garcia Del Rey: 320 pages, $28 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores. It was much harder for me to get book contracts for that reason, but I’m in a good position now where I have been able to convince my publisher to buy my next book even if it means a category change.” In “The Daughter of Doctor Moreau,” Moreno-Garcia shapeshifts again, unspooling a slow-burn saga with a macabre shiver of science fiction. Her inspiration was Wells’ “Island,” of course, both in its basic premise — a mad doctor developing hybrid creatures in a remote territory — and in its spirit. I approached writing ‘Daughter’ like that — trying not to be too tied to the expectations of modern categories and more imbued in the spirit of 19th century and early 20th century fantastic literature.” She also drew inspiration from films such as “The Black Cat,” “Island of Lost Souls” and “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.” “If you go back to those black-and-white flicks, desire and love are a big part of the stories,” she says. Book Club: If You Go What: Silvia Moreno-Garcia discusses “The Daughter of Doctor Moreau” with Times editor Steve Padilla at the L.A. Times Book Club.