The Salvage by Anbara Salam
Goodreads Editor’s Pick * Town & Country Best Book of Fall * Ms. Magazine Best Book * Most Anticipated: Autostraddle & Literary Hub * A Favorite Queer Book of 2025 from Book Riot
"A favorite read of the year. The Salvage is a journey both eerie and inspiring to embark on.” —Chicago Review of Books
- Sale Date
- ISBN
- 9781963108477
- Page Count
- 384
- Language
- English
- Dimensions
- 5½ x 8½
- Imprint
- Tin House
Meet the Author
Anbara Salam
Goodreads Editor’s Pick * Town & Country Best Book of Fall * Ms. Magazine Best Book * Most Anticipated: Autostraddle & Literary Hub * A Favorite Queer Book of 2025 from Book Riot
"A favorite read of the year. The Salvage is a journey both eerie and inspiring to embark on.” —Chicago Review of Books
It is 1962, and Marta Khoury, a trailblazing marine archaeologist, has been called to Cairnroch, a small island off the east coast of Scotland. A Victorian shipwreck, dragged from arctic waters, holds the remains of a celebrated explorer and the treasures of his final expedition. But on her first dive down to the ship, Marta becomes convinced she has seen a dark figure lurking amid the wreckage.
When the Cuban Missile Crisis and the deep chill of a record-breaking winter keeps Marta stranded on Cairnroch, she forms a relationship with Elsie, a local woman working in the island’s only hotel. When the ship's artefacts inexplicably disappear, Marta and Elsie have to brave the freezing conditions to search for the missing objects before anyone else catches on. As something eerie seems to follow her at every step, Marta must confront if the haunting is a figment of her imagination, the repercussions from a terrible mistake from her past, or if something more sinister is at play that will trap her and everyone on the island—and their secrets—in an icy wilderness.
"A favorite read of the year. The Salvage is a journey both eerie and inspiring to embark on.” —Chicago Review of Books
It is 1962, and Marta Khoury, a trailblazing marine archaeologist, has been called to Cairnroch, a small island off the east coast of Scotland. A Victorian shipwreck, dragged from arctic waters, holds the remains of a celebrated explorer and the treasures of his final expedition. But on her first dive down to the ship, Marta becomes convinced she has seen a dark figure lurking amid the wreckage.
When the Cuban Missile Crisis and the deep chill of a record-breaking winter keeps Marta stranded on Cairnroch, she forms a relationship with Elsie, a local woman working in the island’s only hotel. When the ship's artefacts inexplicably disappear, Marta and Elsie have to brave the freezing conditions to search for the missing objects before anyone else catches on. As something eerie seems to follow her at every step, Marta must confront if the haunting is a figment of her imagination, the repercussions from a terrible mistake from her past, or if something more sinister is at play that will trap her and everyone on the island—and their secrets—in an icy wilderness.
Praise for The Salvage
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“A slow-burn gothic thriller . . . . will appeal to any reader looking for an intricately detailed, deftly researched historical novel with a hint of intrigue, a hint of romance, and plenty of shadowy corners where anything might be lurking.”
Literary Hub, A Notable Small Press Book of 2025 -
“Saturated with desperation and desire, this atmospheric novel demands to be experienced.”
The Lesbrary -
“Equal parts historical fiction, gothic thriller, and haunted whodunnit.”
Necessary Fiction
About the Imprint
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