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A review by beanith
The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw
dark
tense
fast-paced
3.5
I’m always aching to discover fantasy that leans towards fairytales, folklore, and mythology (as opposed to high fantasy dragons and elves). The Salt Grows Heavy delivers, quickly bringing readers into a sickening and bleak world of death, godhood, and deceit. This novella is based on an obscure Grimm fairytale called "How Some Children Played at Slaughtering" with some elements of a more familiar fairytale, The Little Mermaid. And, especially toward the end, the story shares some DNA with Frankenstein.
The main characters, unnamed but referred to as the mermaid and the plague doctor, are so well characterized in so few pages. They were by far my favorite part of this read. The mermaid is otherworldly and sharp, while the plague doctor is kind but duty and oath-bound.There’s also a romantic angle here that I thought was so well executed; they display so much loyalty and devotion to each other. They each have traumatic pasts that center around free-will and bodily autonomy being stolen from them, so their kinship and understanding runs that much deeper.
Unfortunately, I was confused during some of this short read. While the language the author implements is beautiful and specific, and lends to creating the rich atmosphere, it also obscured a lot of what was happening. I was looking up words on every page trying to get a clearer image. I’d hate to suggest an author dilute their work but sometimes the language here acted as a barrier between myself and the story. Is this a valid criticism? Or is this a skill-issue on my part?
I’m glad I read this, overjoyed that my library had it, and I would potentially read more from this author!
music pairings
The main characters, unnamed but referred to as the mermaid and the plague doctor, are so well characterized in so few pages. They were by far my favorite part of this read. The mermaid is otherworldly and sharp, while the plague doctor is kind but duty and oath-bound.
Unfortunately, I was confused during some of this short read. While the language the author implements is beautiful and specific, and lends to creating the rich atmosphere, it also obscured a lot of what was happening. I was looking up words on every page trying to get a clearer image. I’d hate to suggest an author dilute their work but sometimes the language here acted as a barrier between myself and the story. Is this a valid criticism? Or is this a skill-issue on my part?
I’m glad I read this, overjoyed that my library had it, and I would potentially read more from this author!
music pairings
- LABOUR - the cacophony by Paris Paloma
- NBFWMB by Hozier
- I, Carrion by Hozier
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Death, Blood, and Cannibalism
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic