Salam curated a lovely gothic horror with a sapphic relationship amongst the backdrop of the near Arctic sea. A chilling ghost tale that reads as a slow burn. The eerie presence ramps up between chapter and chapter. While simultaneously showing the growth of the relationship between two sapphic lovers. The background is cold with something lingering amongst the waves.
The Salvage reads as Wuthering Heights style gothic literature. Being confined to a presence and the ocean can be isolating but enticing. Do we imagine such a presence of does the presence finally find us? The way our mind works is tricky when we succumb to the isolation of our environment. I would have loved to see this be a bit more fast paced with more established descriptions between the sapphic encounters to fall in love even more with this.

Anbara Salam’s novel, “The Salvage,” is a chilling and beautifully written work combining historical fiction with a quiet feminist rage. This slow-burning gothic thriller is a psycholgical tale with an atmospheric style, creating vivid imagery and immersive, cinematic descriptions.

Set in 1962 off the coast of Scotland, the story follows Marta, a diver and archaeologist tasked with recovering artifacts from the shipwreck of the island’s celebrated historical patriarch. While isolated on a Calvinistic island during the Cuban Missile Crisis and facing inclement weather, Marta senses a supernatural presence while dealing with the shipwreck. She is haunted by guilt in her personal life, which is mirrored by her professional struggles. Her perspective as a queer outsider—being Syrian, Catholic, and separated from her husband—adds depth to the narrative. Readers follow Marta’s story timeline and also that of James the ship captain,

As the description suggests, I agree that fans of Sarah Waters, Emma Donoghue, and Julia Armfield will likely appreciate this book. I also felt a particular connection to “The Mercies” by Kiran Milwood Hargrave, as both stories explore themes of female resilience and solidarity, religious persecution, queerness, nature, and human cruelty.

I thoroughly enjoyed this engrossing read. I want to shout out the fantastic cover artwork and the choice of font design for the headings, which set the stage.. The immersive experience kept me guessing whether what I was perceiving was guilt or reality— I have a particular fondness for unreliable narrators. Thank you to Tin House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished this book in one sitting, I just could not stop reading. The plot was interesting, and it had layers as it connected many of the islanders experiences throughout. I loved the relationship between Marta and Elsie, it felt natural for the most part. It was not perfect but they worked well.

My only issue was at time it was almost like I was reading a story that was much older than being set in the 1960s. This was probably due to the setting and context, but it felt way more historical than it should have. I still enjoyed it but the language and descriptions of people threw me off at times.

Great read if you enjoy a more gothic feeling story featuring a developing sapphic relationship.