Salvage

by Jason Nahrung

Seeking to salvage their foundering marriage, Melanie and Richard retreat to an isolated beach house on a remote Queensland island.

Intrigued by a chance encounter with a stranger, Melanie begins to drift away from her husband and towards Helena, only to discover that Helena has her own demons, ageless and steeped in blood.

As Richard’s world and Helena’s collide, Melanie must choose which future she wants, before the dark tide pulls her under … forever.

Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Fantasy, Novella, Vampires, Australia, Speculative Fiction

180 pages, Paperback

First published June 8, 2012

Reviews

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 STARS

CW: blood, death (including of animals), gore, mention of stillbirth, miscarriage, sexual content

This was actually a nice surprise because I had no expectations going into it, I only hoped it would not be as bad as Empire of the Vampire. I was pleasantly surprised and did enjoy reading this. The POV was somewhat unexpected but I really enjoyed the themes that were explored through Melanie and her experiences.

It was also an interest reading experience because I thought the setting was not fitting to a vampire story but that's just my own bias and the literary convention I guess. I think that fact made it a tad more enjoyable to me because there was a little more tension and disconnect between setting and supernatural entity.

The ending made me a little bit sad because I had wanted it to end differently but I really enjoyed the role reversal it encapsulated. Overall, this was easy and quick to read and made for an enjoyable tale.

[Tabea · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh

[Sonja Kgr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly one of the best books wirtten by a male author! I love it so much♡

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Believable characters, crisp and at times evocative prose, with a surprisingly moving ending. Agree with other comments about the difficulty of finding the right label to tag this one. Certainly not Horror in a traditional sense.

Recommended.

[Tehani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no idea what to classify this as! Probably horror as much as anything, but urban fantasy without the actual "urban"? It's great stuff, whatever you want to call it - get your hands on it!

[Lynxie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up at a local writing conference last year after seeing Jason as a panel member and enjoyed that he was open to exploring the darker side of speculative fiction so openly when a lot of the other panel members firmly stayed within the more mainstream fiction realms.

In a way I wish that this wasn't the first of his books I'd read. To me, this feels unfinished, rushed and not polished enough. There's a massive amount of the book dedicated to lovely descriptive scenes about the ocean and bush and birdlife that clearly Jason has witnessed firsthand. But it slows the book, makes it plod along and while lovely to read occasionally, really started to irk after the 15th time.

This is not a horror book, despite it appearing on my horror shelf, it has horror elements, but it is far from the horror realm. Paranormal elements are hinted at also, as well as even some romance elements. The novella itself doesn't really fit neatly into any one genre - perhaps literary? I'm not sold on any of those really.

There are themes touched on that will trigger folks, including abuse to both people and animals, death of people and animals, still birth/fertility issues and dealing with the loss of a child. And some taboo topics including menstruation and both sex and oral sex during that time which may upset potential readers. I didn't really have an issue with any of those except for the animal abuse/death.

The vampire elements are wishy washy at best, hinted at subtly and left to the reader to glean from tidbits of information. Subtle information like garlic on the chopping board, aversion to sunlight, knowledge of Melanie having her period without being told etc. All these build a picture of a vamprie-esque character that could fit into some of the genre norms, but is hazy enough to be its own type of vampire too. I wasn't mad at this, but it did feel a little lazy.

While I applaud Jason for tackling some tough topics, the relationship between Melanie and Richard was messy, they were both hurting and not able to come to terms with loss the same way. Unable to reconcile and hurt each other without meaning to. It did become a little boring when it continued well into the book. This is part of why the book failed for me. That aspect of the book reads like literary fiction, slice of life, dealing with human afflictions in detail. Shining a light on topics people refuse to look at. It did make the reading uncomfortable, which is a testament to Jason's abilities as an author, but it felt out of place in this book.

I will likely try another of Jason's books down the track, but I might pick something a little more traditional vampire-esque next time.

Things I noticed:
pg 113 - use of the word 'cunt' is jarring when she is remembering a softer time. This seems out of place for the scene.

Missing Chapter 14. Chapter 13 starts on pg 129 and chapter 15 starts on pg 145.

[Bree T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard and Melanie are attempting to mend their marriage and put a loss behind them by retreating to a small cabin on an island only accessible by barge. Melanie in particular is having a hard time recovering from what occurred, something that she went through alone as her workaholic husband was away. When they arrive at the cabin and Richard immediately begins unpacking his laptop and trying to connect to satellite internet, fiddling with his mobile phone and muttering to himself about the Mackenzie project that he’s working on, Melanie wonders just how committed her husband is to reconnecting with her and putting their marriage first.

Because of this she feels a restlessness, even further distancing herself from Richard. She walks the beach, spending time out of the cabin. When she and Richard see a young girl strip naked on the beach in their line of vision, Melanie admires her freedom and Richard admires her body. When Melanie comes face to face with the woman a day later and strikes up a strange and tentative friendship, Melanie finds herself drawn to Helena, despite Helena’s obvious oddities.

As Richard and Melanie get further involved with Helena and her husband Paul, they can’t help but notice the strained dynamic between the other couple. Richard thinks Melanie should let it lie and not interfere but Melanie cannot, especially given her and Helena’s intense yet brief moments together. Eventually Melanie will have to choose what life she wants – a safe, normal one with Richard or a dark, possibly immortal one with Helena…

I picked up a copy of Salvage at Continuum 8 about a month ago. I attended the Friday night sessions and one of those was the Twelfth Planets Press launch party where they celebrated the release of several books (three of which I bought). This is the first one I’ve read and it packs quite a punch for a book of its slim size.

I was drawn in immediately by the description of the remote location, imagining the stretch of beach and the isolated cabin. Richard and Melanie had been here before and it was once a scene of happy memories but Melanie can’t help but see it a little differently now, given the loss she suffered. It’s highlighted quite early on and it meant she had my sympathies right away, especially as it seems that pains were taken to establish Richard as distant, almost flippant about it. He can’t even take a break for one week to help his wife grieve and heal over a loss that should’ve also been his. Whilst he is off busy with work, Melanie begins spending time with Helena, one part of the other couple holidaying on the island.

There is clearly something off about Helena from the beginning, her speech and mannerisms are unusual, her complexion different and her mysterious ‘illness’ vague and unclear. Melanie recognises this on some level but it’s either she doesn’t care or she can’t care because she is so fascinated by Helena. I think she feels that Helena understands her, or at least attempts to understand her and is interested in her in ways that it seems Richard no longer is anymore. Melanie and Richard don’t talk which it seems would be essential for any couple to get through what they have suffered. They snap, they snark, they get pissy at each other and one of them leaves. I’m not entirely sure what Richard was angry over, if it was really that he just expected Melanie to be fine and ready to go again then he needed a bit of a wake up call. But Richard was never going to understand if Melanie didn’t find the ways in which to properly explain how she was feeling. So I do wish personally that their marriage had been a little more deeply explored.

This book is subtle and clever in the way in which it fleshes out Helena as a character, always hinting at something. The writing is deceptively simple and sparse. This isn’t a book I probably would’ve normally chosen to read if I hadn’t of been at Continuum, I was drawn in by the cover, which is fabulous. I’m so glad that I did end up buying it because I really enjoyed it and it’s made me very keen to read some more of this author’s work as this is a beautiful depiction of a marriage tinged with darkness and horror. I’m super impressed by the work being put out by Twelfth Planet Press so far – this is the 3rd book I’ve read from them this year and they’ve all been so intriguing. The first two were short stories and I have about another 4 books of short stories here to complete. Must get stuck into them and soon.

[Mark Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't really know what to expect from Salvage by Jason Nahrung published by Twelfth Planet Press. I've read and enjoyed Nahrung's short fiction in a variety of venues, so I knew enough about his preferred genre to assume this novella would be horror. I'd also picked up somewhere that there were vampires involved and it was set on Queensland island (a juxtaposition that sounded interesting), but beyond that nothing. I even avoided reviews from my usual sources so was able to come to the story pretty fresh.

After some of the raw imagery and violence of Nahrung's other work, I was surprised at how understated and nuanced a story  Salvage is. The main character, Melanie, is in a slowly disintegrating marriage. Melanie and her husband Richard have come to a holiday house reminiscent of happier days to work on their marriage. Things aren't going so well when Melanie meets the mysterious Helena.

The description of a marriage on the rocks was extremely effective, making Melanie's eventual attraction to Helena very believable. Indeed for a shorter form of fiction, the description of all the main characters was excellent, with Melanie's development over the course of the story particularly well handled. While I wasn't able to personally relate to some of the issues Melanie was dealing with, the exploration of the character left me feeling very sympathetic to her plight.

(There is a bit of raunch in the story - if that kind of thing isn't your cup of tea there will be parts of  Salvage that you won't love).

The setting was richly described, really immersing the reader in isolated tropical splendour. I had wondered how the bright sunshine reputation of Queensland would mesh with dark loving creatures of the night, but the combination of humid heaviness and wild tropical storms was a surprisingly effective backdrop.

The take on the vampire was also unexpected and quite different from what I've seen from Nahrung previously. Indeed, I came away from  Salvage with a deeper appreciation for Nahrung's body of work in general. His range is quite excellent and he is rapidly cementing his place as one of my favourite authors.

Nahrung is releasing a novel soon called  Blood and Dust , from Australian publisher Xoum. I'll be virtually lining up for my electronic copy.

Highly recommended.

I also reviewed this book on my website.


(Disclaimer: I met Nahrung at a recent conference, and a nicer person you're not ever likely to meet. I don't think that fact has influenced my enjoyment of his work, but then again you never know).

[Pádraic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars.

I’d recommend going into this knowing nothing about it. Don’t read the blurb, don’t even look at the back of the book. Don’t seek to find out what genre it is. Cut yourself off from preconceptions to the best of your ability. Certainly you shouldn't read the rest of this review--it's full of every sort of spoiler.

There are a lot of things in Salvage that aren’t directly mentioned. Although the blurb gives very little away, the recommendation quotes reveal that it’s a vampire story--though probably not the sort that springs to mind when you read those words. However, the word itself never appears in the book, and any explanation of powers and mythology or the like is indirect, filtered and only hinting at a world existing in cracks of the one we know.

The opening is strong, beautiful descriptions of the solitary island off the coast of Queensland where Melanie and Richard have retreated, ostensibly to salvage their marriage.

The problem with knowing this is a vampire novel is that you’re looking for that figure’s hallmarks to appear, waiting for the arrival of some pale figure who avoids direct sunlight, speaks in a slightly outdated manner, and is strangely interested in our protagonist. This figure is Helena, and it’s obvious what she is from the moment she appears. Despite that, the dancing around the obvious the story does is more or less effective, told from Melanie’s perspective as it is, and the gradual unveiling of oddities, the ratcheting of tension--much of it sexual--was more than engaging enough to pull me onwards.

Vampires have always had an association with sexuality, breaking through into otherwise taboo modes of behaviour. However, I don’t think Salvage goes far enough in that regard. The reader--or, at least, I--immediately sympathised far more with Melanie/Helena rather than Melanie/Richard, due to the man’s general intolerable attitudes, not to mention his (possibly imagined) extra-marital affairs. Still, the story never directly addresses bisexuality, even though it’s fairly obvious that’s the umbrella Melanie has found herself under. Some poorly-framed jokes about joining the ‘gay club’ are all we get instead. Everything else remains under the surface.

And there’s a lot going on under there, I just don’t think it’s enough. Perhaps because of its length--which does give the story a certain tautness, I’ll admit--much of what could be addressed simply isn’t, or is only touched on. I wanted more, essentially. More of my own failing than the book’s, really.

When the horror and the climax come they’re appropriately gothic, melodramatic perhaps in line with the heritage of the genre’s predecessors. I think the ambiguity of the backstory is handled well, the action scenes are surprisingly thrilling, and the characters are mostly engaging apart from an occasionally clumsy moment--most of which can be passed off as part of Melanie’s perspective of them rather than them as people. And it’s always nice to see the women fighting together against the men. The writing itself is of a high quality, the descriptive passages especially, as I’ve said.

Overall I did enjoy Salvage, despite myself and my complaints. I’ll certainly be seeking out more from Twelfth Planet Press in the future.

[S.B. Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salvage is a novella by Jason Nahrung, published by Twelfth Planet Press.

A seaside gothic, I believe Jason called it, and Salvage does indeed fit that bill. 

It’s a mixture of subtle interpersonal horror and romance, though there are moments of vigorous, overt horror as well. 

The Tale

I think it best to come to this tale with as little knowledge as possible.  I had guessed some of the overt horror elements before picking it up and while it didn’t ruin my enjoyment I would have liked to have come to it as “clean” as possible. The blurb should suffice:

Seeking to salvage their foundering marriage, Melanie and Richard retreat to an isolated beach house on a remote Queensland island.

Intrigued by a chance encounter with a stranger, Melanie begins to drift away from her husband and towards Helena, only to discover that Helena has her own demons, ageless and steeped in blood.

As Richard’s world and Helena’s collide, Melanie must choose which future she wants, before the dark tide pulls her under … forever.

What I‘ve read of Nahrung’s work previously has made me uncomfortable in that glorious sense that good writers of Horror or Dark Fantasy do.  He achieves this by focussing more on the horror or tragedy to be found in the space between people.  In the ever so ordinary break down of relationships, family and friendships.

Cutting close

Salvage has  a subtle horror that cuts close to the bone.  For while we are unlikely to fall prey to werewolves or vampires (featuring in his early works), each of us has had the fortune of having built relationships and the misfortune of having them fail.

This horror in the every day is balanced with a careful, subtle crafting of the landscape.  Much like the watercolour by Dion Hamill that graces the cover, Nahrung does a wonderful job of layering subtleties from the first sentence.

The cabin emerged like a neglected mausoleum from the blue-velvet twilight, it’s bare timber walls bleached to the colour of old bone by the jeep’s headlights.

While Salvage is set on an island somewhere off the Queensland coast, Nahrung’s writing somehow manages to dull the Sunshine State’s weather, to cloud what should be an island paradise.

There’s some not so subtle eroticism as well; love, passion and death collide in a tale that offers you both a deft plucking of your heart strings and a churning of your insides.

Thanks for the discomfort Mr Nahrung.

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[Tsana Dolichva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salvage is a novella by Jason Nahrung, put out by Twelfth Planet Press, and the first longer work of his I've read (I think I've read a short story before, just don't ask me which one).

Salvage is set on an island near Brisbane, where a couple take their first holiday after a miscarriage. Melanie is the main character and the story primarily follows her continuing journey in coming to terms with the miscarriage, the coldness that has crept into their marriage since, and her husband, Richard's, distraction with work.

While on the island, she meets Helena, a somewhat mysterious waif, with a medical condition that prevents her from fully enjoying their surroundings. She is also holidaying there with her husband. The two women strike up a friendship, but it turns out to be not entirely what Melanie expected.

I liked Melanie as a character but I'm not sure I'd want to be friends with any of the other characters in real life. Richard, while not positioned as an antagonistic character per se, was central to some of Melanie's issues. I'm not sure that I would have put up with him as much as Melanie did.

I found Salvage to be quite dark. I'm inclined to classify it as the horror version of magical realism. The fantastical elements didn't come to the fore until near the end and would have surprised me if I hadn't been expecting them (since Twelfth Planet Press do primarily publish speculative fiction). The publisher is categorising it as "Australian Gothic" which I think is fairly apt. As far as the horror element goes, there was a bit of ickiness and a bit of violence, but nothing which is likely to give me (most people?) nightmares.

I recommend Salvage to people after a quick, dark read. (It's definitely not a cheery story.) I think people who are into contemporary/mainstream/whatever-you-want-to-call-it books would also enjoy Salvage as, like I said, the fantastical elements are relatively minor. I'll certainly be on the look out for more books/stories from Jason Nahrung.

4 / 5 stars

You can read more of my reviews on my blog.

[Helen Petrovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I haven’t read much horror, but I’ll definitely have to read your stuff,” I gushed when I met Jason Nahrung at the Aurealis Awards in Sydney, early in 2013. Jason had two novels in the final for “Best Horror Novel 2012”; Salvage and Blood and Dust.

As I began to read Salvage, I realized that I had a short memory; flashbacks to a misspent youth reading Stephen King began to surface. There’s this particular skill that seems to be the domain of horror writers, a way that they can build a seemingly ‘normal’ world, yet still manage to leave the reader’s stomach churning uncomfortably, knowing that something dark lurks in the shadows, awaiting the unsuspecting protagonist, just a few pages on. Nahrung has this gift.

The novella follows Melanie, as she and her husband Richard retreat to an isolated Queensland island. Their marriage is foundering, caused by the loss of their unborn child and Richard’s inability to prioritise Melanie over his work. When Melanie meets Helena she is drawn in to her sensual world, only to find that Helena is escaping her own dark past.

Any novel that deals with vampires will, unfortunately, be compared to a certain teen phenomenon. Nahrung’s vampires are an older breed, harking back to the sexual sensuality of Bram Stoker, where lust and attraction are not simply based on a six-pack and a GQ magazine stature. There is sex and there is violence in this novella, there is bleakness and blood.

Nahrung’s beautiful depiction of the Australian seaside, bled of all colour, is a deliciously gothic backdrop to a story that ended all too soon. Not because it was too short, but just because I wanted more. Darn, Jason. Now I’m going to have to add another dozen books of this genre to my already tottering ‘to read’ pile, Blood and Dust at the top.

reblogged from http://highfantasyaddict.wordpress.com

[Lee Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this novella by Jason Nahrung, Richard and Melanie hope to salvage their crumbling marriage after the stillbirth of their child. Like a piece of well-written literary fiction, Salvage begins as slow and thoughtful look at the forces which conspire to cause couples to disintegrate, but there is more to it than just the discord brewing between the couple: there's the isolation of the island setting, its stormy nature, its brooding unsettled atmosphere, plus there's the strange woman standing naked on the beach, and suddenly the novella emerges as something else entirely, something dark and sinister. I've already enjoyed some of Jason's short fiction, so I was delighted to discover that he is capable of captivating us with longer forms. If you're not scared of adult themes and are happy to sleep with the light on, then this is well worth a read.

[Olly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would not call this book a horror story, although it has horror creatures in it.
The fantastic mixes perfectly with the real world and is barely recognizable at the beginning.

Melanie and Jack's portrayal of a common real life couple with real life problems is realistic and feels almost as if you, the reader, were intruding.

This is a very easy read and an interesting story!

[Katy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like there was a lot of things that were left unsaid by the characters; I would have liked to see the characters talk to each other more, or at least have known what other characters besides Melanie were thinking. I was left with some questions at the end too. There were some "steamy" scenes, and I wish I had gotten a better feel for what kind of book it was from just reading the back.
I received this book through Goodreads First Reads

[Pete Aldin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great novella. A quick read but a fulfilling one. Brooding tone and beautiful prose. The "weird" is handled well: the author blends our familiar world with a darker one carefully and expertly so that there's not jolt as they come together.

The location in Queensland is used well: that it will feel exotic and interesting to global readers while familiar to Aussies.

A truly good read by an author who obviously loves his country, loves his craft and loves his genre.

[Christine Bongers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jason Nahrung's gothic horror novella set in south-east Queensland has a nuanced sensitivity to landscape and an interesting capacity for privileging female characters over male. Sinister and sexual, this is dark fiction for grown-ups.

[Vikki Petraitis · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not a traditional vampire novel, Nahrung gives us another take when he puts his protagonist on an isolated island and has her befriending a strange exotic woman who helps shake her from her post-stillbirth trauma.

[Rivqa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's lucky Salvage is "only" a novella, as I found it hard to exhale while I read it. Loss, tragedy and dysfunction come in to perfect focus. Extra points for believable female main character by male author.

[Lily Mulholland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, paced and realised. This novella would confound those who wish to place it in a specific genre, but I appreciated the slow reveal of its supernatural elements. The imagery has stayed with me long after I finished the book, hence the five stars; this book resonates. Enjoy!

[Lyn Battersby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying thriller/drama set on an island off the coast of Queensland. An excellent build up of tension and detail leads well into the big reveal which is then carried along nicely towards the conclusion.

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the atmospheric writing and emotionally dark mood set against the backdrop of the wild sea. My only criticism is along the lines of, why is it always surprise vampires? But I think this is just a me thing. 3.5 stars because the story felt a little rushed at the end.

[Carina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt this book either needed to be a longer novel or a short story.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absorbing novella full of evocative imagery that really captures the savage spirit of the Australian coast.

A good evening's read.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deliciously sinister read.

[Mary-Lou Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the setting, the bright Bribie Island sunshine.

[Mark Smith-briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful and haunting tale full of rich, believable characters. A fantastic read.

[Alan Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written and evocatively Australian. This is a powerful novella that goes a long way towards revitalising vampire fiction.

[Kyla Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorgeously atmospheric novella that punches above its weight.