Book of the Week: March 18 to 24

 The Salt Grows Heavy, by Cassandra Khaw

This week I've devoured the following books:

• The Cybernetic Tea Shop, by Meredith Katz
• Only Human, by Meredith Katz
  
• Smoke Signals, by Meredith Katz
• Flowers for Dead Girls, by Abigail Collins
• The Salt Grows Heavy, by Cassandra Khaw
• The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James
• A Dark and Endless Sea, by Blaine Daigle

Last week was definitely a Meredith Katz week but, out of all of these, The Salt Grows Heavy, by Cassandra Khaw was my favourite (although The Cybernetic Tea Shop, by Meredith Katz was a close second: a charming, light and simple story but full of sentiment; a little cozy novella for those who'd like to read something pleasant and refreshing). 

The Salt Grows Heavy, by Cassandra Khaw is a beautifully eerie, haunting tale. I wish I had the same level of vocabulary as the author to describe just how beautiful her writing is. I know some reviewers have complained about the diversity of words used and how it makes it hard to understand the story. To me, at least, it made me see the portraits painted by her words more clearly. It allowed me to immerse myself in the story and in a sea of poetic descriptions. The story itself is a lot like a tale, which I suppose makes sense since the whole book is based (slightly) on the concept of "The Little Mermaid" and often refers back to it. The story is as solid as the sea from where the mermaids come: not really a conventional story, more a flow of moments that build a picture.

However, a word of warning: it's a very dark tale. There's a lot of violence, gore and general unpleasantness. It's not a kid's tale or a lullaby. It's a manifesto of rage and fury, of passion and devotion, or love and hate. It's a cry against the men who have stolen our voices and ripped out our teeth, as arrogant as they are afraid (and they really are afraid of us). It's a siren song for the daughters, the mothers and the sisters of the world. There is both anger and love in this story. There's a harshness and a sweetness to it.

I really liked this book.