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A twisting, gothic literary thriller sure to delight fans of Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, The Wonder by Emma Donaghue, and The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters.
It is 1962, and Marta Khoury, a trailblazing marine archaeologist, has been called to Cairnroch, a small island off the east coast of Scotland. A Victorian shipwreck, dragged from arctic waters, holds the remains of a celebrated explorer and the treasures of his final expedition. But on her first dive down to the ship, Marta becomes convinced she has seen a dark figure lurking amid the wreckage.
When the Cuban Missile Crisis and the deep chill of a record-breaking winter keeps Marta stranded on Cairnroch, she forms a relationship with Elsie, a local woman working in the island's only hotel. When the ship's artefacts inexplicably disappear, Marta and Elsie have to brave the freezing conditions to search for the missing objects before anyone else catches on. As something eerie seems to follow her at every step, Marta must confront if the haunting is a figment of her imagination, the repercussions from a terrible mistake from her past, or if something more sinister is at play that will trap her and everyone on the island―and their secrets―in an icy wilderness.
"The novel has an intricate plot threaded with complex themes related to morality, religion, history, and belonging. While some aspects are resolved in smart and satisfying ways, the narrative proves as punishing as the weather...An intriguing set of ideas that don't quite live up to their promise." —Kirkus Reviews
"As an ethnic and professional outlier in a patriarchal, homogeneous society, Palestinian Scottish Salam's protagonist provides plenty of opportunities to expose and confront misogyny, racism, entitlement, and abusive history…[a] slow-burn mystery." —Booklist
"An atmospheric psychological thriller… intertwines cabin fever, personal guilt, and ominous island histories." ―Foreword Reviews\
"A rich, gothic mystery, The Salvage has a moody, salt-drenched atmosphere, and layers of intrigue that span centuries. I couldn't put it down." ―Flynn Berry, bestselling author
This information about The Salvage was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Anbara Salam is half-Palestinian and half-Scottish, and grew up in London. She is the author of Hazardous Spirits, Belladonna, and Things Bright and Beautiful. She has a PhD in Theology and lives in Oxford, England.
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