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A Novel
by Jennifer Givhan
Three women in one twisted family race for answers in this "stunning" mystery set in the Mexicali borderlands that "breathes new life into the myth of Persephone and Demeter" (Ana Reyes, author of The House in the Pines) and "beautifully explores the dark complexities of mother-daughter relationships" (Erin E. Adams, author of Jackal).
At the edge of the Salton Sea, in the blistering borderlands, something is out hunting...
Malamar Veracruz has never left the dust-choked town of El Valle. Here, Mal has done her best to build a good life: She's raised two children, worked hard, and tried to forget the painful, unexplained disappearance of her sister, Elena. When another local girl goes missing, Mal plunges into a fresh yet familiar nightmare. As a desperate Mal hunts for answers, her search becomes increasingly tangled with inscrutable visions of a horse-headed woman, a local legend who Mal feels compelled to follow. Mal's perspective is joined by the voices of her two daughters, all three of whom must work to uncover the truth about the missing girls in their community before it's too late.
Combining elements of Latina and Indigenous culture, family drama, mystery, horror, and magical realism in a spellbinding mix, Salt Bones lays bare the realities of environmental catastrophe, family secrets, and the unrelenting bond between mothers and daughters.
"Givhan mesmerizes with this masterful retelling of the story of Persephone and Demeter, set on the California-Mexico border... . Givhan thoroughly evokes the harsh beauty of her setting, weaving folklore, mystery, and horror into a breathtaking tapestry. It's a stunning examination of generational trauma." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Givhan perfectly balances the supernatural with human themes of grief and love. A timely novel that deals with the treatment of Latina women. For fans of character-driven suspense and the magical realism of Isabel Allende, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Victor LaValle." ―Library Journal (starred review)
"Givhan's prose fluidly unfolds in both English and Spanish, planting the action in the environmental and emotional pollution of El Valle, where skeletons seem more likely to bloom than flowers. The pairing of family trauma and terrifying folklore makes this a sure bet for fans of Jessica Johns and V. Castro." ―Booklist
"Visceral and compelling, Jennifer Givhan's Salt Bones beautifully explores the dark complexities of mother-daughter relationships. Satisfyingly saturated with mystery and mythology, Salt Bones is a book that stays with you. Readers will be haunted long after the final page." ―Erin E. Adams, author of Jackal
"Salt Bones breathes new poetry and life into the myth of Persephone and Demeter, drawing from the ancient story as deftly as from the contemporary realities of a single mother living on the Salton Sea. A mystery spiked with horror, magical realism, and stunning prose, this book cast a spell on me." ―Ana Reyes, author of The House in the Pines
This information about Salt Bones 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.
Jennifer Givhan is a Mexican American and Indigenous poet and novelist from the Southwestern desert and the recipient of poetry fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and PEN/Rosenthal Emerging Voices. She holds a Master's degree from California State University Fullerton and a master's in Fine Arts from Warren Wilson College. Givhan is the author of five full-length poetry collections and the novel River Woman, River Demon.
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