Our Cut of Salt

I was really excited for this release when I first heard about it, and I was lucky enough to be able to read an advanced copy of this book back in April. Our Cut of Salt mixes deeply relevant, ongoing real-life horrors with ghosts and a haunted house story. It’s one of the most original, beautifully written horror books I’ve ever read.

The story follows a Palestinian American mother and daughter living in Chicago. Marina feels lost, and like she isn’t able to find herself or move forward in life until she knows more about the family history that has been kept hidden from her. All she knows is that her grandmother, Nuhad, left Haifa after 1948, settling in the United States. Despite Marina’s curiosity and constant questions, neither her grandmother Nuhad nor her mother, Haifa, named after the city where Nuhad grew up, were ever willing to speak about the past. When Nuhad passes away, Marina becomes determined to uncover the secrets of her family, hoping that the knowledge that was kept from her for so long will finally allow her to find the missing pieces to herself. She books a trip to Palestine, eager to see the city and the house where her grandmother grew up and spent her childhood. What she doesn’t know is that the house itself has been waiting, all this time, for her too.

This is such a unique, important, timely haunted house story. I’ve been really drawn to books that explore themes of generational trauma lately, and this is one of my favorite ones I’ve read. It delves into the cycles and hauntings that can be passed down from parents to their children in such a breathtaking, devastating way. The way it explored mother-daughter relationships was so raw yet tender, and I really appreciated the perspective jumps from each generation of the family. Through her characters, Marina especially, the author gives voice to the feelings of isolation and lack of belonging when one isn’t connected to the history of their family. Marina has an ache inside of her that longs to know more, that leads her to her ancestral homeland to understand more about the family and places running through her blood. She has some idea of what life under Israeli occupation might be like, but she is truly taken aback by what she sees and hears when she is actually there.

Deena Helm explores what could happen to a house, what emotions could come to be stored in its stone walls, when its family is forcefully ripped away. She asks the question, what would a house in Haifa, devoid of its beloved Palestinian family, feel after the Nakba in 1948? And what would it do in order to get them back?

The writing is so lyrical, and often reads like poetry. It’s atmospheric, unsettling, and unmistakably gothic, filled with family secrets and an old house that’s much more than just an old house. There are some truly chilling moments with descriptions that I won’t be forgetting any time soon. I love when the settings in a book are written to feel like characters; the house, the sun warmed streets of Haifa, and the beguiling sea were all such important elements to this story. This book is written from a distinctly Palestinian perspective; it’s filled with beautiful characters that feel like real people, despite living in a world that tries time and time again to erase their humanity. The characters were one of the best parts of this story, and I found myself so attached to each of them.

Our Cut of Salt delves into necessary topics like settler colonialism, displacement, family, justice, and home. I was expecting to enjoy this book, but it truly blew me away. It’s a painful read, especially knowing that the violence and genocide against Palestinians is ongoing. It’s one of those books that after I finished it, had me sitting with my tears and emotions and left me in awe of the power of books and reading.