Noemí

Noemí Taboada is the protagonist of the novel. She travels from her home in Mexico City to High Place, the Doyle family home in El Triunfo, to check on her cousin Catalina’s mental state at her father’s request. Noemí does not fit in with the strict rules and gloomy atmosphere of High Place. She is fond of parties and socializing, and finds her new surroundings stifling.

As an aspiring anthropologist, Noemí has a rational approach to analyzing the strange phenomena in the Doyles’ home, which is bolstered by a knowledge of chemistry obtained from her father’s dye business. As she investigates the circumstances surrounding Catalina’s illness, seeing that her cousin seems to be suffering from some kind of psychological disturbance related to High Place, Noemí reflects on the physical and chemical makeup of the house and considers possibilities related to both established science and...