Salt Bones

"Beautifully explores the dark complexities of mother-daughter relationships." —Erin E. Adams, author of Jackal“An irresistible world.” —Tananarive Due, author of The ReformatoryAt the edge of the Salton Sea, in the blistering borderlands, something is out hunting. . .Malamar Veracruz has never left the dust-choked town of El Valle. Here, Mal has done her best to build a good life: She’s raised two children, worked hard, and tried to forget the painful, unexplained disappearance of her sister, Elena. When another local girl goes missing, Mal plunges into a fresh yet familiar nightmare. As a desperate Mal hunts for answers, her search becomes increasingly tangled with inscrutable visions of a horse-headed woman, a local legend who Mal feels compelled to follow. Mal’s perspective is joined by the voices of her two daughters, all three of whom must work to uncover the truth about the missing girls in their community before it's too late.

“Salt Bones breathes new poetry and life into the myth of Persephone and Demeter, drawing from the ancient story as deftly as from the contemporary realities of a single mother living on the Salton Sea. A mystery spiked with horror, magical realism, and stunning prose, this book cast a spell on me.”
 ―Ana Reyes, author of The House in the Pines

“Salt Bones walks the shores of the mythical, unexplained darkness that we all run from, forming a real connection to the stories that are embedded in our lives as indigenous people. So many of us are haunted by so much; our traumatic histories, our family secrets and the threads of generational trauma. Jennifer Givhan has harnessed all of it here in these pages and wrapped us in the tenderness of her words—the poetry of a mother’s undying love—guiding us like a map of stars through the sizzling, mordant landscape of our nightmares. Her storytelling is all at once so fragile and so explosive that her words will haunt me for a lifetime.”―Ramona Emerson, author of Shutter

“Jennifer Givhan’s lyricism and rich storytelling immediately snatch you into this irresistible world of secrets, grief, and horror. Givhan’s poet’s voice brings depth and urgency to a story that feels both contemporary and as old as time, exploring the fault lines between mothers and daughters, myth and reality, beauty and horror.”―Tananarive Due, author of The Reformatory

“A powerful retelling for 2025.”―Town & Country, Best Books of the Summer

“In Salt Bones, Jennifer Givhan delivers a novel taut with a mother’s fierce love and the corrosive power of secrets. With language that is both precise and visceral, Givhan plunges readers into El Valle—a landscape that is at once lush and poisoned, alive with myth yet grounded in harsh realities. The narrative unfolds as a masterclass in voice, its characters complex and deeply human, each bearing the burden of a past that refuses to remain buried. Givhan trusts the silences, allowing tension to seep through unspoken words, creating a story where what's left unsaid resonates the loudest. Salt Bones demands to be read because it understands trauma and the brutal necessity of confronting it; this is storytelling at its most urgent and haunting.”―Morgan Talty, author of Night of the Living Rez and Fire Exit

“Givhan mesmerizes with this masterful retelling of the story of Persephone and Demeter, set on the California-Mexico border. . . . Givhan thoroughly evokes the harsh beauty of her setting, weaving folklore, mystery, and horror into a breathtaking tapestry. It’s a stunning examination of generational trauma.”―Publishers Weekly (starred review)