Book Review: Sand, Salt, Blood Edited by Elle Turpitt
When Elle told me she was putting together an anthology of horror stories revolving around the ocean, I'm pretty sure she could hear my gleeful pterodactyl shriek all the way across the pond. For one thing, I was stoked to see my friend doing something so cool. But more to the point, I was eagerly awaiting the chance to get my paws on it as soon as possible because, as many of you may remember, the ocean scares the absolute shit out of me.
I waited a long time for this book, y’all, and despite the fact that I ended up having to read this entire anthology of sea horror while on a plane, it consumed me immediately.
On the surface, Sand, Salt, Blood appears to be exactly what it says on the tin: a collection of poems and short stories on, in, or about the ocean in all its unfathomable glory. But at its heart, it’s more than just a collection–it’s a love letter, an ode to the great and terrible beauty that, for all our efforts and advances, we have only just begun to comprehend. The ocean is a graveyard, and the writers featured in this anthology want to make sure you understand that, too.
There’s also an impressive amount of variety in terms of how the writers approach the theme and what specific elements they latch onto. The sea in these stories heals as much as it hurts, creates as it destroys, and houses both the incomprehensible living as well as the sorrowful, vengeful dead. There are ghosts and monsters as well as people just as horrific and terrifying as either. There is wrath and rage and unimaginable grief in these pages, but there is also hope, and awe, and in some cases, a sense of catharsis that is almost tangible.
Some of these stories will haunt me for years to come, and honestly? I’m sort of glad for it.
Favorite entries include Miranda Johansson’s “Holden’s Ledge,” Max Turner’s “Undone,” Elizabeth R. McClellan’s “The Truth Is As Intimate As The Teeth That Bit Your Legs Off First,” Grace Daly’s “Fishing License,” JP Relph’s “Uncharted,” and Dai Baddley’s “The Tide Will Bring Thee Home.”
Rating: B+
Review by Kayla Martin-Gant
Twitter: @poultryofperil
Instagram: @kmartingant
I received a PDF copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration.