I’ve been a fan of Cassandra Khaw for awhile now. As part of our Lite Reads short story club we read their story “These Deathless Bones” (intro post here and review post here), which I loved, and I reviewed their novella Nothing But Blackened Teeth in 2021, which I also loved. When I got the chance to read an advanced copy their new fairy tale horror novella The Salt Grows Heavy from Netgalley, I jumped at the chance. My reading pile is a bit absurd at this point, so I didn’t get to it as quickly as I would have preferred, but luckily for those reading this review it means the book is available to read right away!
The Salt Grows Heavy is a 2023 horror novella written by Cassandra Khaw and published by Tor Nightfire. A loose retelling of The Little Mermaid and Frankenstein, the story follows a nameless carnivorous mermaid as she moves on from the carnage wrought by her daughters and a mysterious plague doctor who accompanies her from the now destroyed kingdom of her husband. They come across a remote community of bloodthirsty children who follow the whims of a trio of “saints” who will resurrect them at will. With the saints as powerful enemies and countless children manipulated into being their heedless followers, the mermaid and the plague doctor must do everything they can to survive the danger that will result.
As a fan of fairytale horror, I was glad to see Khaw return to the genre. I love stories that recognise the inherent darkness of fairytales and strive to make them darker, and Khaw is brilliant at this. They have a very florid style of writing that really suits the genre, and it helps make the fairy tale aspects feel all the more chilling. They make even the scenery feel as though it’s part of the horrors to come, and that particularly works very well for a fairytale horror setting. The Little Mermaid and Frankenstein are unconventional stories to blend, but they make it work very well, especially as a subversion of the original Little Mermaid story (and of most adaptations of the story since).
Just as “These Deathless Bones” was a subversion of fairytale tropes, The Salt Grows Heavy is as well. Things that are supposed to be beautiful are monstrous, things that are meant to be weak are deadly, mermaids that dissolved into foam actually turn into strong avenging creatures. I wouldn’t consider it to be a subversion of the Frankenstein story, but it’s definitely a fresh and bold take on it, especially pairing it with an unconventional mermaid tale and shifting it to embrace its inherent queerness.
Khaw is an absolute artist when it comes to fairytale horror. Their story “These Deathless Bones” is a prime example of that, and this is an excellent successor to their short story. In fact, they even allude to “These Deathless Bones” within the story of The Salt Grows Heavy as something that exists within the fairytale canon of this universe. It not only makes the short story an excellent companion piece to The Salt Grows Heavy, it also serves as something of a tester: if you enjoyed “These Deathless Bones” you are almost certain to enjoy The Salt Grows Heavy.
The Salt Grows Heavy really knocked it out of the park for me. I loved reading this, it delivered more than I even knew to want. Cassandra Khaw is definitely becoming a must-read author for me, and I hope to read more of their work in the future (and I especially hope to see more fairytale horror from them)! I would definitely recommend this one.
The Feminist Bibliothecary 