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    The Salt Grows Heavy
    The Salt Grows Heavy
    The Salt Grows Heavy
    Audiobook2 hours

    The Salt Grows Heavy

    Written by Cassandra Khaw

    Narrated by Susan Dalian

    3.5/5

    ()

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    About this audiobook

    From USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw comes The Salt Grows Heavy, a razor-sharp and bewitching fairytale of discovering the darkness in the world, and the darkness within oneself.

    “Narrator Susan Dalian viscerally conveys the gruesome body horror while deftly capturing the lush imagery.” - Library Journal

    “This brilliant novella is not to be missed.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

    You may think you know how the fairytale goes: a mermaid comes to shore and weds the prince. But what the fables forget is that mermaids have teeth. And now, her daughters have devoured the kingdom and burned it to ashes.

    On the run, the mermaid is joined by a mysterious plague doctor with a darkness of their own. Deep in the eerie, snow-crusted forest, the pair stumble upon a village of ageless children who thirst for blood, and the three “saints” who control them.

    The mermaid and her doctor must embrace the cruelest parts of their true nature if they hope to survive.

    A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Nightfire.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateMay 2, 2023
    ISBN9781250900876
    Author

    Cassandra Khaw

    CASSANDRA KHAW is the USA Today bestselling author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth and the Bram Stoker Award-winner, Breakable Things. Other notable works of theirs are The Salt Grows Heavy and British Fantasy Award and Locus Award finalist, Hammers on Bone. Khaw’s work can be found in places like The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy, and Tor.com. Khaw is also the co-author of The Dead Take the A Train, co-written with bestselling author Richard Kadrey.

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    Reviews for The Salt Grows Heavy

    3.5/5

    138 ratings9 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a beautiful love letter to the original story, with enthralling prose and powerful imagery. Some reviewers found the prose to be pretty but difficult to understand, while others found it excessive and obfuscating. However, many readers were hooked from the first sentence and loved the relationship between the plague doctor and mermaid. The representation of genderqueer characters was appreciated by some. Overall, this book is a 10/10 read for those looking for something short and unique.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Good story, good narration. A little too wordy for me but overall it was good
    • 1/5
      This book is so overwritten it's crazy. Recommended if you like style and vibes over substance.
    • 4/5
      I don’t really get why people are complaining about the writing of this short story. I found it to be poetic, immersive, and sometimes cerebral in nature. Yes, I am certain that there are words used that aren’t familiar to everyone, but I still think it was accessible enough to enjoy it. It was gory, but the way it was written made even descriptions of gore really beautiful. I can’t tell you how much I love it when there’s a character that has gender ambiguity, especially outright queerness made so normal by just using they/them pronouns and not making a big deal out of it. The representation does matter! As a genderqueer person, I connect more with that character and those closest to them because they feel that much more real and relatable. It didn’t have to be a long story for me to become attached to the plague doctor and the mermaid who loves them. There’s plenty to dig into here as far as queerness in this story and I think those who relate will appreciate it most, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t something anyone might enjoy. Savor this one, let your mind wander in its imagery and deeper meanings.
    • 3/5
      It was an alright story, very gory. A Little wordy but not too bad because its a short story. I liked the plague doctor and the main characters dynamic, but it was definitely insta-love. 3.2/5
    • 3/5
      A grisly, enigmatic poem. While riveting, the excessive prose and tumbling metaphors also obfuscate the story to the point where following it is like trying to hold on to a greased pig.
    • 4/5
      Absolutely enthralling! The prose were ethereal and gruesome and grandiose, and I loved every second of it. My only concern with the audiobook itself is that it’s missing the short story at the end of the novel which works as a kind of prologue, and I think that’s pivotal to understanding the narrative as a whole. Otherwise, this was such a beautiful love letter to the original Hans Christian Andersen story, the Disney movie, and just mermaid mythology as a whole. Cannot wait to see what Cassandra Khaw does next ??
    • 4/5
      4.5 Body horror is my Jam!! A nightmare of a love story written on parchment of skin, inked in blood, and sewn with hair.

      Cassandra Khaw has once again proven her mastery to invoke powerful imagery and horrifying prose, and to twist love to show its dark underbelly.
    • 5/5
      So weird! But truly amazing I was hooked from the first sentence. This is a 10/10 read for me if you want something short to get you back into reading. I recommend this book. I personally was not expecting the relationship between the plague doctor and mermaid but I loved every second of it. I’ve never read any of Cassandra khaw books before but now I may just have to read them all. Well done!
    • 4/5
      Pretty prose that relies on thesaurus words and therefore is completely impossible to understand. 3.5 rounded up because I liked it! Just had no idea what was going on.