The Salt Flats
Published on 15. August 2024
Book
Hardback
400 pages
978-1-3997-2729-7 (ISBN)
Description
As heard on BBC Radio 4 - Take Four Books
THE PERFECT ESCAPE. THE PERFECT NIGHTMARE.
Martha and Finn's marriage is hanging by a thread. Martha, crippled by paralyzing climate anxiety, finds herself at odds with Finn, who steadfastly refuses to confront the demons of his past.
In a desperate attempt to repair their relationship, they join a group of privileged tourists on a pilgrimage to The Salt Centre, a mysterious retreat nestled deep within the Bolivian salt flats.
United by a shared quest for spiritual enlightenment, the group embark on a journey guided by an elusive shaman. As a series of salt ceremonies unfold, hallucinogenic episodes force each of them to confront their own versions of reality.
When the final ceremony descends into a nightmare, Martha and Finn are met with an ultimatum. Forced to grapple with the moral implications of their trip they must ask themselves: are some wounds too deep to heal?
PRAISE FOR THE SALT FLATS:
'Original and bold, this is an ambitious and hugely imaginative novel.' Lucie McKnight Hardy
'Gripping, compulsive and deeply deeply human.' Heather Parry
'A superb and spellbinding evocation of an otherworldly place, doused in a creeping sense of horror.' Carole Hailey
'Compulsive and compelling.' Cailean Steed
THE PERFECT ESCAPE. THE PERFECT NIGHTMARE.
Martha and Finn's marriage is hanging by a thread. Martha, crippled by paralyzing climate anxiety, finds herself at odds with Finn, who steadfastly refuses to confront the demons of his past.
In a desperate attempt to repair their relationship, they join a group of privileged tourists on a pilgrimage to The Salt Centre, a mysterious retreat nestled deep within the Bolivian salt flats.
United by a shared quest for spiritual enlightenment, the group embark on a journey guided by an elusive shaman. As a series of salt ceremonies unfold, hallucinogenic episodes force each of them to confront their own versions of reality.
When the final ceremony descends into a nightmare, Martha and Finn are met with an ultimatum. Forced to grapple with the moral implications of their trip they must ask themselves: are some wounds too deep to heal?
PRAISE FOR THE SALT FLATS:
'Original and bold, this is an ambitious and hugely imaginative novel.' Lucie McKnight Hardy
'Gripping, compulsive and deeply deeply human.' Heather Parry
'A superb and spellbinding evocation of an otherworldly place, doused in a creeping sense of horror.' Carole Hailey
'Compulsive and compelling.' Cailean Steed
Reviews / Votes
Gripping, original and bold, this is an ambitious and hugely imaginative novel in which a growing sense of unease reaches an almost unbearable intensity. * Lucie McKnight Hardy * The Salt Flats is gripping, compulsive and deeply deeply human. Rachelle Atalla is one of the few writers whose novels I cannot put down. * Heather Parry * Immersive, confrontational, intelligent and tender. * Kirsty Logan * The Salt Flats is a superb and spellbinding evocation of an otherworldly place, doused in a creeping sense of horror, with a cast of characters who are willing to do almost anything to escape from reality. * Carole Hailey * Utterly compelling, desolate yet uplifting, and always with one eye on the triumph of the human spirit. A truly terrific novel. * Dr Liam Bell????????????????? * Compulsive and compelling, Rachelle Atalla's The Salt Flats is a tour-de-force, a blistering excavation of the lengths to which people will go to both confront and run from the past. A story that will linger with you, and prompts as many questions as it provides answers. * Cailean Steed * The Salt Flats is trippy nightmare of a book, a smart, tense thriller written with huge amounts of heart. * Doug Johnstone * In The Salt Flats, Atalla consolidates her status as queen of the claustrophobic character study, finding in the seemingly perfect retreat a pressure cooker to strip her characters right to their respective cores, without ever losing sight of her compassion. A compulsive and thrilling read, Atalla is a major talent to watch. * Charlie Roy * This is a novel for our times, but also for all time, as the complex and fragile humanity at its heart will endure * SNACK Magazine * A completely engrossing read - intensely claustrophobic and pleasingly lyrical. * Heather Darwent *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 237 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 39 mm
Weight
616 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3997-2729-7 (9781399727297)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Rachelle Atalla is a Scottish-Egyptian novelist, short story writer and screenwriter based in Glasgow. Her short stories have been published widely in literary anthologies and she is the recipient of a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award. Her first short film screenplay Trifle was commissioned by the Scottish Film & Talent Network and she is developing her first feature length screenplay with BBC Film. The Pharmacist was her first novel and shortlisted for the Scottish Fiction Book of the Year; Thirsty Animals is her second.