Marta Khoury is a Syrian-Scottish marine archaeologist in a decade where most of those positions are taken by men. When she arrives on Cairnroch to survey the wreck of a Victorian whaling ship that has recently been repatriated to local waters, everyone expects her to be a man. She generally shrugs this off and goes about her job, diving into the icy water to catalog what remains on the ship. Between dives, however, many of the priceless relics of Auld James, celebrated native son and captain, go missing. Marta must find the pieces to save her career and, she thinks, the island. This task is muddled by several factors: the Cold War, the death of a friend, her pending divorce from her boss, an intense winter, and (maybe) a ghost.
Marta is an unreliable narrator, full of contradictions. She is insecure in her relationships but confident in her work. She is a scientist trained in observation but easily believes in hauntings and curses. There are times I cheered for her, and times I yelled at her to make better choices. She is well-rounded. The plot has all the good elements of a winter-bound horror: the cold, the hunger, the damp... These combine with Marta’s character to create a nicely balanced horror novel that is engaging and satisfying.
If you enjoyed Dan Simmon’s “The Terror,” “The Salvage” by Anbara Salam would make an excellent companion read as it deals with similar tropes. The story is more intimate but just as creepy and bendy. I look forward to additional works from this author. I received this ebook from NetGalley.
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