The Salt Grows Heavy

By: Cassandra Khaw

Narrated by: Susan Dalian

Length: 2 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Long-listed, Library Journal Best Books of the Year, 2023

Long-listed, Barnes and Noble Best New Books of the Year, 2023

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.

©2023 Cassandra Khaw (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Devastatingly effective…a folklore-infused world that feels wholly unique. Expertly blending a gothic atmosphere with elements of splatterpunk, this brilliant novella is not to be missed.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

“A feverishly gory, grotesquely beautiful and baroque fairy-tale-meets-love-sonnet. Cassandra Khaw’s imagination is limitless.”—Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World and A Head Full of Ghosts

“Cassandra Khaw’s writing is never more lyrical than when they’re describing the knife in your heart. The bones of a fairy tale sunk deep in a charnel house of descriptive prose, an elegant confection with a blood-soaked core. I devoured it in one sitting.”—T. Kingfisher, multi-award winning author of What Moves the Dead and Nettle & Bone

a dark, erudite fairytalr

I savored this short book, enjoying the language and story more than I had hoped. I will definately return to listen again and again

An Eloquent Dark Fairy Tale

It’s an eloquently written dark fairy tale about a mermaid and her companion plague doctor. Susan Dalian’s voice has a sense regalness that just elevates the story even more. However, because it’s a novella, there is some information that gets kind of skimmed over and I wish Khaw would’ve expanded on it more to get a better understanding. Overall: enjoyed it.

felt like a new myth being created

loved this- the characters were well done and the story moved between the dr and mermaid seamlessly. I'd be glad to listen to more of their world, even if these two didn't continue as the main characters.

Good solid dark fairytale

Very original story with solid development. Interesting characters. Dark and melancholy. A lovely listen for a rainy fall day.

awesome, dark, and beautifully written

This book is a gem. It is beautifully written and the author manages to make the characters entirely lovable in such a short read. It was elegant, fresh, and richly brought to life in a style of writing that is both purposeful and expertly crafted. I really enjoyed this book, and I only wish it were longer for selfish reasons.
Also really enjoyed the cover art.

This fell a little flat for me...

I love a good murderous mermaid moment, but this fell a little flat for me. The story itself was interesting but felt a little disjointed, over-written and somehow under-explored. There wasn't a ton of substance and while it was still a short novella, I would have preferred more plot and less unnecessarily complex vocab and longwinded descriptions. I did understand what the author was driving at but it made the book seem pretentious and added unnecessary length to the book.

There was also the name drop of creatures of folklore, most namely Rusalkas. They are a Slavic spirit, typically female, who would lure men and drown them. Now given that the book is loosely based off the "The Little Mermaid" which was a Danish fairytale, it begs the question as to where this is meant to take place. If this was meant to pure fantasy set in an alternative fairytale, then perhaps the author shouldn't have namedropped real folklore from other cultures. Perhaps I'm overthinking it but it did take me out of the story.

Fantastic Narrator

The narrator brought the story to life with their expressive delivery and pacing. Their performance added depth to the novella's beautiful prose, making some moments so impactful.

A very good lyrical fairytale with heart

Fairytale type stories aren’t really my thing usually, but Cassandra Khaw is good. Real good. So, I gave it a go and am glad I did because I really enjoy her work. She has a poetic prose about her. Elegant with the lurking possibility of the grotesque.

The Salt Grows Heavy is a very good lyrical fairytale with a lot of heart. And the appropriate amount of viscera and violence. Very nicely done.

Mermaids, but way more interesting.

I loved this book, I loved the main characters and the way they were written.

Feels a bit unfinished

Wish there was more to this interesting premise. Ending feels rushed but I truly loved these characters. I am torn.