The Salvage: A Novel by Anbara Salam (Paperback) (PREORDER)

Fiction - Gothic - Historical - 20th Century - LGBTQ+ - Lesbian

RELEASE DATE: 10/7/2025  (WILL SHIP DIRECTLY FROM OUR SUPPLIER'S WAREHOUSE)

A twisting, gothic literary thriller sure to delight fans of Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, The Wonder by Emma Donaghue, and The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters.

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.

AUTHOR BIO: 

Anbara Salam is half-Palestinian and half-Scottish, and grew up in London. She is the author of Hazardous Spirits, Belladonna, and Things Bright and Beautiful. She has a PhD in Theology and lives in Oxford, England.

As chilly as the icy sea, as haunting as the prospects of ghosts, The Salvage is a novel to keep you up all night. Anbara Salam is a master of suspense. Be careful when you start this book, because you won't want to stop.--Rene Denfeld, bestselling author of The Child Finder and the forthcoming The Talking Bone

A rich, gothic mystery, The Salvage has a moody, salt-drenched atmosphere, and layers of intrigue that span centuries. I couldn't put it down.--Flynn Berry, bestselling author

An atmospheric psychological thriller... intertwines cabin fever, personal guilt, and ominous island histories.-- "Foreword Review