Salam’s riveting novel takes place between late 1962 and early 1963, exploring love and redemption amidst prejudice and denial. Shortly after HMS Deliverance is towed from the Arctic to the sheltering waters of Cairnroch Island, archeological diver, Marta Khoury, is commissioned to generate a photographic record and deliver remaining artifacts to Lord and Lady Purdie, the de facto owners of the ship (and much of the island). Most importantly Marta must salvage the bones of Captain James Purdie. The retrieval of the bones and their reburial on Pudie’s island home is supposed to revive the island’s commercial ventures, but instead triggers supernatural events which haunt the pious, island residents, all of whom harbour their own tales of ‘Auld’ James Purdie. From the first dive, things go awry and Marta finds herself an outsider in an inside world, until she meets Elsie at the local hotel. This menage-a deux slow burn sapphic romance forms the backdrop, without diverting the novel’s purpose.
This is a compelling psychological thriller set during the Cuban Missile crisis, an event which is blamed for the aberrant winter of 1962/63, completely isolating the island for months. The correlation between the severe winter conditions, which trap the islanders in close quarters, and the containment of the shipwreck by ice is well drawn. As the islanders become a little stir-crazy, indications of what may have happened aboard the ice-bound Deliverance are carefully outlined.
This is edge-of-your-seat grist! —from the peculiar, taciturn islanders; religious fanaticism; Marta’s paranoia; her self-inflicted pain over a death she must atone for; and of course, the ghostly wreck. The author’s vivid expressive language of land and sea adds to this taut plot. Biographical interludes, by way of exposition and the ship’s log excerpts, are woven through the narrative with smooth transition between past and present. Definitely highly recommended for historical thriller readers.

This is a very haunting story. Anbara set up a chilling gothic story that leaves you question what was really real. All the characters are complex no one is perfect everyone has some flaws to their character. It kept me engaged with the details and the history of this small town. throughout the book there is an increase in the tension and makes it you question what is really going on. for those who like horror and mystery this will be a good read and I highly recommend it.

A fun and foreboding maritime gothic horror. One thing this book does very well is build tension, and for me that’s the mark of a good horror story. I do wish certain elements had been explored more deeply, namely the weird, culty religious shit. I also would have liked for more dire stakes as the story progressed; while the characters become increasingly frightened and paranoid, there was never a time I thought they were in mortal peril, and I would have welcomed ramping up the danger. Still, a really enjoyable read.

For fans of Our Wives Under The Sea, Midnight Mass, and The Damned comes a haunting new novel from Hazardous Spirits author Anbara Salam. The Salvage takes readers to a remote Scottish isle in the early 1960s. Marta, a Syrian marine archeologist, is asked to unearth relics—and remains—from a Victorian shipwreck of a celebrated local explorer. Staying on the island quickly proves difficult, however, as Marta begins seeing things—things that shouldn’t be possible. Now, trapped by the ongoing war and deadly winter weather, Marta is forced to reckon with her own past as well as the dark spirits looming around every corner.

In this Gothic, spine-tingling book, Salam’s prose elegantly captivates readers while touching on sensitive topics not often addressed in horror, despite their presence as major contributing factors to the genre itself. Marta is faced with the intersection of racism, homophobia, and misogyny, and it is presented with honest precision. She navigates a male-dominated field as a woman of color, finds companionship with a local woman, and is forced to maneuver this strange world with a targeted ‘otherness’ following her. Marta’s relationship with Elsie is both honest and sometimes brutal, showing the good and bad that comes with loving someone, especially in a time when that relationship is frowned upon.

This book confronts the horror genre with familiar themes made more inclusive and cements Salam as a quality narrative storyteller worth her salt and more.

for anyone out there who’s like me, AKA a fan of the niche subgenre of “there’s Something in the water, and these sapphics have to deal with it” horror (think into the drowning deep, our wives under the sea, etc.), do i have a rec for you! i would also recommend this to fans of mike flanagan’s midnight mass – the island itself actually reminded me a lot of the setting of the show. in particular, the attitude of its population of insular locals toward outsiders – especially those outsiders who aren’t worthy of being saved, as opposed to the “elected” locals.

marta khoury, a marine archaeologist in 1960s scotland, is sent to the island of cairnroch to help retrieve items from a victorian shipwreck. when a mysterious figure starts appearing as certain items disappear in turn, she’s forced to deal with the ramifications of her career – and her survival – being put at risk. i love to be recreationally creeped out, and this book certainly delivered. the ocean is inherently scary, in my opinion, and i say this as someone who loves to take a dip when i go to the beach. but you certainly won’t catch me going out past where my feet can reach the bottom, and what happens on this island is a fantastic example of why.

while marta and elsie (a local & her love interest) search for the items and an explanation for the mysterious goings-on, i felt every moment of their dread as thoroughly as the creep of ice down my spine. i encourage everyone to put themselves through the same this fall – this read will be perfect for spooky season (naturally) and all through the winter (if you really want to immerse yourself in marta’s experiences). you won’t regret it!

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.