Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan

Book Synopsis

For fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic and Ramona Emerson’s Shutter: a gripping retelling of Persephone and Demeter in the Mexicali borderlands

At the edge of the Salton Sea, in the blistering borderlands, something is out hunting. . .

Malamar Veracruz has never left the dust-choked town of El Valle. Here, Mal has done her best to build a good life. She’s raised two children, worked hard, and tried to forget the painful, unexplained disappearance of her sister, Elena. When another local girl goes missing, Mal plunges into a fresh yet familiar nightmare. As a desperate Mal hunts for answers, her search becomes increasingly tangled with inscrutable visions of a horse-headed woman, a local legend who Mal feels compelled to follow. Mal’s perspective is joined by the voices of her two daughters, all three of whom must work to uncover the truth about the missing girls in their community before it’s too late.

Combining elements of Latina and Indigenous culture, family drama, mystery, horror, and magical realism in a spellbinding mix, Salt Bones lays bare the realities of environmental catastrophe, family secrets, and the unrelenting bond between mothers and daughters.

Overall Rating

5/5

Spooky Rating

4/5

Quick Take

To say this book is a treasure, does not do it justice.

To say it is essential reading is closer.

To say that it is THE BOOK that demands to be read more than any other right now hits it on the nose.

Content Warnings Summary Courtesy of StoryGraph

Graphic

Murder, Confinement, Gun violence

Moderate

Mental illness, Alcoholism, Infidelity

Minor

Pregnancy, Vomit, Racism

Tell Me More

Back in March, Erika T. Wurth told me that I needed to review this book, at which point I immediately contacted Jenn. This led to my finding such a kinship with this author. My love for her work spiraled from there.

Salt Bones is not an easy read. It is gritty, painful, and filled with dread and true-to-life horror – especially with murdered and missing indigenous women (MMIW). It also highlights the atrocities that Hispanic folks go through. With the state that the United States is in, this book could not have been released at a more perfect time. Givhan’s powerful voice and spirit shine through her work, and I am utterly in awe.

Salt Bones focuses on Mal, a mother with trauma from her own mother. She tries relentlessly to be the best mother that she can be, despite trying to manage the aftereffects of the trauma she has from her own mother. Mal also has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). As a survivor of C-PTSD and IBS myself (IBS being one that is embarrassing for me to talk about a lot of the time), I found this rep to be so essential. Trauma shows up in our bodies in so many different ways, and this was important to highlight.

Intergenerational trauma is also a huge part of this novel, as well as motherhood. A family tree map is included to help readers keep track of all of the characters. It helps to create a visual for all of the characters, as well as the aspects of intergenerational trauma.

Mal starts seeing visions of La Siguanaba when her daughter goes missing – a folkloric legend known as the horse-headed woman. La Llorona is a similar folkloric figure and has been incorporated into horror countless times. But the way Givhan incorporated La Siguanaba and challenged her being seen as a malevolent entity was brilliant.

No one seems to listen to Mal when she’s searching for her daughter. A distrust of police was highlighted throughout this novel and in Mal’s experience in a way that had me in tears. The fear associated with this is scarier than any phantom, folkloric figure, or ghost.

As a mental health professional, I loved how Givhan incorporated coping techniques and references to therapy and PTSD with Mal’s nightmares and mental health struggles. She also incorporated Spanish in a way that those who don’t speak the language will be able to grasp the story, its characters, and message. Agricultural work and butchering are fundamental pieces of the novel, and the way Mal describes the artistic way of honoring the animals was gorgeous.

There is so much wrapped up in this novel – horror, the supernatural, mystery, and thrills with achingly beautiful prose – that it is impossible to properly sum up. Jenn’s poetry background was evident throughout the language of the novel, and it wove its way into my soul in a way that was searing and incredibly powerful.

If you don’t read any other books this year, please pick up this one. That is how important it is.