The Salt Grows Heavy

Starred review from February 13, 2023
In this twisting and pitch-black horror tale from Khaw (Nothing but Blackened Teeth), a voiceless mermaid plucked from the ocean ventures into a snowy forest alongside a melancholy plague doctor. These unlikely traveling companions soon encounter a village of mutilated children and uncover the architects of this bizarre encampment: three surgeons obsessed with immortality and the reconstitution of the body. As more of the village’s terrible secrets come to light, the mermaid and the plague doctor must rely on each other to survive. Khaw’s prose is rich and gorgeous (“In my dreams, I still swim that soundless black, still travel its eddies of salt and cold nothing”), and the surprising tenderness at the story’s heart is only magnified by the violence and gore that surround it. Both elements prove devastatingly effective in constructing a folklore-infused world that feels wholly unique for contemporary horror fiction. Expertly blending a gothic atmosphere with elements of splatterpunk, this brilliant novella is not to be missed.

June 10, 2024

It's a familiar tale--the story of a young mermaid who yearns for life on land and trades her voice for the love of a prince. But many forget that mermaids are dangerous, with sharp teeth that are ready to devour anything in their path. Khaw (Breakable Things) tells of a voiceless mermaid whose daughters have consumed the entire kingdom, leaving little more than a wasteland. Joined by a mysterious plague doctor, the mermaid flees into the frozen forest, only to discover a village of mutilated, bloodthirsty children. The children are controlled by three ghastly "saints," surgeons who toy with immortality and resurrection in unimaginably cruel ways. Though this grotesque, torture-filled tale of a mermaid who has seen the worst of humanity is captivating, some listeners may find Khaw's intricate language frustratingly impenetrable. Even so, narrator Susan Dalian viscerally conveys the gruesome body horror while deftly capturing the lush imagery. VERDICT A quick listen that should appeal to fans of Khaw's Nothing but Blackened Teeth or those looking for a horrific take on the ever-popular The Little Mermaid.--Elyssa Everling

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.