The Salt Flats

by Rachelle Atalla

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 are some wounds too deep to heal?

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Contemporary

377 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martha and Finn’s marriage is hanging by a thread, a combination of factors that have built up over the years. They take the brave decision to head to the Bolivian Salt Flats and the Salt Centre in the hope of enlightenment and healing under the guidance of shaman Señor Oscar. Four others make their way there with them, two couples, Londoners Hannah and Zoe and Americans, Rick and Barb. Will they all leave having shed their various burdens? Will they get the truth and enlightenment they seek?

Although I find the start a bit slow, the novel sucks me in and I become fascinated by the Salt Centre, Oscar and the varyious characters in attendance.
The place itself is an awesome choice in which to set a novel of this kind. The landscape is incredible, it’s lonely, desolate, desert like and unforbidding, giving off an other worldly atmosphere that matches the incidents which become more and more surreal. It’s so well described you almost feel as if you are there, not that I especially fancy it, I’ll just look at pictures, thank you although it is truly remarkable.

This is a character driven novel and they are all well portrayed, especially Finn and Martha. Martha has loads of issues, she’s riddled with anxiety, especially her concerns about climate change which is a theme and clearly close to the author’s heart, hence the choice of Bolivia. I find it hard to get a handle on Finn, he’s a complex enigma but the experience changes him and perhaps overall it helps him. Make your own mind up about Oscar and his methods!

Slowly, but surely you start to feel the darkness of the place, and there’s a distinct increase of fear in the air. There are many challenges too and as the retreat progresses the situation changes rapidly and the will to survive in this hostile extreme environment becomes the primary focus. There’s escalating danger with accompanying suspense and tension and numerous questions that may/may not have a right answer.

This is an immersive read, it’s very well written and obviously dark and bleak but it is very compelling.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton , for the much appreciated in return for an honest review.

[BookswithLydscl | · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25*

I saw The Salt Flats being recommended by authors and reviewers that I follow and was immediately intrigued by the story premise of a struggling couple heading deep into the isolated Bolivian salt flats to repair their relationship at a mysterious retreat where things, inevitably, quickly turn to a nightmare.

This was a deeply human story with multi-layered and complicated characters all struggling with their own issues, seeking to overcome them by any means necessary.

I initially saw this being shelved as a thriller but in reality it is a deeply unnerving and hugely imaginative horror. It feels incredibly otherworldly with a tenuous grip on reality that leaves you wondering consistently if what you're seeing unfold in front of you is actually happening or if you, the reader, are also part of the hallucinogenic ride that the characters are going on.

I struggled a little at the start this with as I just couldn't get a grasp on what it wanted to be but once it clicked that this is as insidious a horror as you're likely to find, I was swept away with the story and the unfolding nightmare of the situation our characters found themselves in.

I love an isolated setting and this one is as isolated as you're going to find. The oppressive heat and desolate landscape are unforgiving and bleak that helps build a sense of fear and desperation for the characters.

The ending is surprising, sudden, open-ended and left me incredibly uncomfortable at what isn't said for the potential consequences of the actions of the characters. Whilst I never felt connected to them, the reality of what likely happened to them is where the true horror lies.

If you want to feel uncomfortable, intrigued, and out of reality then this is a book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a digital review copy of "The Salt Flats" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recently, it’s felt like every other week has come with the release of another great social satire. ‘White Lotus’, ‘Triangle of Sadness’, ‘Boiling Point’, etc. And with so many nuanced takes on class, gender, and race, it’s ever harder to present a unique take. Unfortunately, this is where The Salt Flats failed to deliver. The characters grazed the surface of a deeper critique, that always felt within a chapter’s reach. The setting offers up such an interesting situation for all kinds of stories to play out, but it wasn’t utilised anywhere near as much as it could have been. The stakes never felt high enough to me, with the major twist lacking in shock value. The characters were never fleshed out enough to spur on a compelling mystery. If only the tensions between these very different people, from very different parts of the world and walks of life, were taken to the extreme. I think that could have pushed it into the territory of greatness.

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finn and Martha’s marriage is in trouble and they book into a retreat for some guidance.
There are some interesting characters and a very tense atmosphere at the Salt Flats.
A trip that turns out to be a race for survival.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

[shan x · Rating 1 out of 5]

most boring book i’ve ever read, honestly shocked i finished it

[Amy Skinner · Rating 2 out of 5]

A weird book, just weird

[Nic · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75. There were moments to enjoy, but for the most part, for me, it didn't delve deep enough. Putting a bunch of people together as key characters, with little character development, just left me feeling very little about them.

It felt needlessly long for what little it really said. There was no real reason for 'the twist', it didn't really shock me and I didn't really care. I also didn't understand why Finn cared so much about what had happened, as I didn't feel there was any real meanigful relationship between the two men and they'd only known each other for like two days.

I would have liked to have eventually discovered, or at least have had a hint about what had transpired that particular evening but any meaning eluded me. I couldn't see why or what would have led to that outcome.

I don't know, I just feel it could have been so much more. Like, who was Oscar? What led him to the Salt? Where did he really come from? What demons was he carrying? Why did Barb do what she did when they reached the lagoon? What was really going on with her and her husband? I'd like to have found out ANYTHING at all about Ofelia and Elbert, but they were just shells of characters with no background. Who were they? Who was Oscar to them? Why did they do what they did in the end? Too much was purposefully left unexplained to grip me and in the end I don't really feel like Martha and Finn deserved anything at all.

[Elizabeth Currie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Salt Flats is an intense and atmospheric read set amongst the inhospitable salt flats of Bolivia.

Martha and Finn travel to the salt flats to a retreat led by an enigmatic character that they hope will repair the cracks in their marriage. They join two other couples. Hannah and Zoe from London and Americans Rich and Barb. But will this somewhat extreme retreat offer them the resolution they are all seeking?

This is a fascinating story, set in an environment which is so vividly brought to life that I felt compelled to find more about it. But at its heart it is a character driven novel, with the characters stripped back as they take part in salt ceremonies that result in hallucinogenic episodes. Each couple has their own issues - Martha is a complex character whose issues are compounded by her anxiety about climate change, whilst Finn must come to terms with his own difficult past.

As the retreat progresses, and the circumstances become more extreme, so the tension rises and the environment feels increasingly hostile. Choices have to be made in the fight for survival - but what are the consequences?

This is certainly not a comfortable read, but I found it incredibly compelling. It is dark, it is tense and it kept me turning the pages.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited about the premise of this book and it started off strong but after a while fizzled out and I was left unsatisfied.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this. The themes of privilege, tourism v. local environments, ways of life and traditions was really interesting. I enjoyed the book's themes of reflecting on just sheer chance (one person randomly having to face a major illness, being born in a rich country or being born in a less well off country where you might only earn a hundred dollars a month). A lot is outside the control of the characters - environmental collapse, the isolation of the centre, menstruation during a ceremony - and the approach of characters to this adapt throughout the novel.

I liked the contrast between the 'believers' in the retreat and Finn who was extremely sceptical - as an avid backpacker you definitely come across tonnes of Western tourists buying into mysticism and spirituality all whilst poorly paid locals facilitate their fantasies. You even have a Western 'shaman' with a dubious backstory who 'found himself' travelling!

The salt flats were a great setting - the salt can get into everything but also is at risk of eroding away is great. Love the kind of hallucinogenic fervour of the salt ceremonies, and at times not being sure what is real and what isn't.

I also haven't really seen modern concerns about climate anxiety and AI concerns put to paper like this either. The main characters working in oil and gas in the very oil dependent city of Aberdeen when Martha ends up becoming completely consumed by climate anxiety made the characters unique.

Would definitely read more from this author.

[Scott Cumming · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Pharmacist and Thirsty Animals have easily been two of my favourite reads this year, but this third novel didn't live up to my hopes. It's lacking the intrigue and suspense of the latter two and while it continues in a remote setting in the Salt Flats of Bolivia, it dispenses with the dystopia of its predecessors.

There were parts of this book that I was able to draw parallels from, not least the fact the couple at the centre of the story are from Aberdeen, Scotland and I have in the recent past suffered a similar type of mania as Martha, but in relation to billionaires and capitalism rather than climate change. The tender moments between Finn and Martha are the strongest parts of the book.

For me, despite a promising start, the story never really develops at any kind of pace and the activities and action at the Salt Centre becomes tedious as the book continues. I'll still pick up whatever Atalla puts her hand to in the future, but this one wasn't it.

[Helen French · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Salt Flats is a taut and well-told tale about a couple heading to a mysterious retreat on the Bolivian salt flats.

It's difficult to pin down as a specific genre. Is it a book about climate change fear (guilt about climate change eats away at main character Martha)? A thriller? A literary look at a relationship? Or something in between all of the above.

It makes for a read that feels fresh and different, but tense and uncomfortable too. Finn and Martha have a lot of issues in their relationship, and within themselves, but they're hoping this trip will be the cure. It's not quite as simple as that though. There are two other couples on their way to the retreat and the other big personality there is Oscar, the leader/shaman, who is both mysterious and somewhat menacing. He encourages his students to push themselves further than they want to go, until they ultimately end up in a fight for their survival.

This is where the book tips almost towards horror - because no one knows where they are. No one is expecting them back. And there are some awful choices to be made.

Definitely a book that kept me thinking long after it ended.

[Daren Kearl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atalla likes a scenario where a group of disparate people are put under extreme stress. In her first novel, The Pharmacist, it was a bunker after a catastrophic event, in Thirsty Animals, a group trying to survive in a remote area with a scarcity of water.
In The Salt Flats, a group of tourists have come to The Salt Centre, an island healing retreat on the vast Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia.
Initially I was interested in reading this as I have visited Bolivia with its alkaline lagoons and salt plateau. It is the most alien and beautiful of places. So when Hannah and Finn do all the touristy bits, I am able to relive this holiday. Hannah has come to the retreat for help with her crippling climate anxiety and the discussions around this were also very sensible and helpful to me.
My only negative comment would be that the hallucinatory episodes where the group take the salt “cure” and the resolution following its disastrous consequences could have been better paced with a bit of editing.

[Lucy Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much like how I feel now if I try to partake in recreational drugs, this never quite got me there. Maybe I should try a salt brew?

This book was interesting at points but ultimately felt a bit lacklustre. I really appreciated the writing however, and I’m intrigued to try another Rachelle Atalla book as this was my first one! Her ability to convey the complexities of Martha and Finn’s inner struggles was super interesting - very nuanced and self aware. I could see myself in both characters as their inner monologues were rich. However, the plot just didn’t quite hold me the way I wanted it to. A lot of unanswered questions and the answers I did get I felt like I didn’t really care in the end. Which I think was due to a flimsy plot.

Overall, an interesting enough read but not something I’ll likely remember or recommend highly.

[Susie Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Martha and Finn are on the trip of a lifetime to the Bolivian Salt Flats. For Martha, it’s a desperate attempt to cure her crippling climate change anxiety, something that’s been added to by the flight pollution she’s caused on the journey so far. For Finn, it’s the final chance to see if his marriage to Martha can survive.

Joined by two other couples, Martha and Finn journey to a remote area of the salt flats with Oscar, a self-proclaimed shaman, who plans to help them achieve spiritual enlightenment. However, as each salt ceremony progresses the group have to face different versions of reality with consequences that will leave them all with life changing ultimatums!

This book is a masterclass in building tension. I felt consumed, firstly by Martha’s anxiety, and then by the story as a whole which doesn’t let up right until the final sentence. I love books that make you physically feel something and this one definitely does! I read it over a weekend and it’s one of the stories that I was thinking about all the time, I couldn’t wait to get back to it!

Throughout the novel the characters have a number of strange experiences, partly due to the conditions of the environment they find themselves in, but also through the salt ceremonies which often result in hallucinations. These parts were so well written, creating a disorienting feeling for the reader that mirrored what the characters were going through without being confusing or taking you out of the story. This added to the tension as both the reader and the characters often didn’t know what was fact and what had been imagined!

The salt flats themselves felt like a character in the book and the descriptions are so vivid that I felt like I was right there. It’s actually made me want to visit the area but I think I’ll give Oscar’s retreat a miss!

The Salt Flats is one of the best books I’ve read this year so I’d highly recommend this book - particularly to fans of tense, character led stories set in unusual backdrops, just read it!

[Moriah Yex · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75/5
Audiobook Listen

A wildly selfish acid trip.
I had no idea what to expect with this, but wanted to listen to literally anything read by Samara MacLaren and this is currently included with Spotify Premium.

An engrossing psychological introspection. Reflecting how small most of our problems truly are, how someones grass is always less green, someone’s trauma always much worse, and how we always get to choose to be grateful and live in the moment, or also manipulate our own perception of reality 🙃

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mesmerising and thought provoking. This is the third book by Rachelle Atalla that I’ve read. I admire her character building and the way she immerses the reader into a world very close to our own. The genre of climate fiction is one that always leaves me with a feeling of unease and alarm. Very similar to the intense emotion her main characters are experiencing. This story is so relatable and intriguing, one that will stay with me long after; in the sane way Thirsty Animals did. Now to read The Pharmacist which was her debut, I hear equally good reviews.

[Luke Davenport · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my reading material this week on my holiday and wow, I was blown away by this book! Rachelle Atalla is a wonderful writer and this book has a unique and grilling plot - not like anything else I've ever read (also a slight hometown bias as I'm from Aberdeen myself and never realised until picking this up that one of the main characters is a fellow Aberdonian!). I particularly loved the salt brew chapters and the descriptions of the effects they had. Absolutely would recommend you give this a go, will be checking out more from Rachelle Atalla after reading this

[therealandrewrobbreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Hodder Books for a NetGalley ARC of this book.

Wow, this is another excellent book by Rachelle Atalla. Like her last book, Thirsty Animals, The Salt Flats is brilliantly written and thrives on its world building and character development. No spoilers here, but I thought the thought-provoking ending was executed perfectly.

[Tutankhamun18 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Love Atalla’s two previous novels and was therefore VERY disappointed by this one. Just sad people going on a drug trip together and then there is a murder. At the end no questions have been answered at all. Character development is very low for such a book. I didn’t get invested in anyone. Everything is done too vaguely in this book.

[Janice Slimming · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were times I thought this book was a bit long winded. In saying so, I’ve been thinking of this book quite a bit, still having questions, wondering about the ending, was it satisfying? The sign of a good book when you think of it often after finishing.

[Joshua Callaghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book but not as captivating as her other texts. I think perhaps the subject matter didn’t interest me enough. Still a fantastic author and will definitely be awaiting her next book with anticipation.

[Stacey Thompson · Rating 1 out of 5]

The characters are horrible, the story is laughable... on page 362 I thought it MIGHT turn itself around, actually started feeling something other than disappointment about this whole affair when PSYCH, the author had to "nick of time" it and take the cheesy, cowardly way out.

[Sheila Wyver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in a retreat on the Bolivian salt flats, 6 people spend time there to save their marriages or obtain some sort of healing for a trauma. The salt flats and heat are described with great intensity as are the characters. A cleverly told story but the end is too open ended for me.

[Alanah · Rating 5 out of 5]

My second read by this author and just as mind bending as the first! What a fantastic story this was. Filled with so much humanity and so much emotion. Honestly don’t think I will be able to move on from this book for a while it was so wonderful and profound.

[Paperback Mo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this but didn't seem to connect with it.
Felt quite confused by the end probably like most of the characters..

[Celia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another dark and bleak story by Rachelle Atalla, excellently written and completely gripping as per usual.

[Sarah Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A trippy, unsettling mix of the ordinary and extraordinary that explores the harm we do to the people we love and the world we live in. Like a locked room mystery for the soul.

[Nick McLaren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The jacket would have you believe it’s a Blumhouse type but when you read it its more an A24 type.

[beckys_book_blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 4.5 🌟
This was such an original locked room, slow building thriller. I was immediately invested in the two main characters.

Martha and Finn set off on a journey of self discovery in the Bolivian Salt Flats. Martha suffers from climate anxiety and they have organised the pilgrimage in the hope of repairing their marriage and encouraging Martha to overcome her anxieties.

Together with 2 other couples they embark on the 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 events spiral out of control have Martha and Finn got what it takes to survive?

The setting of this story was incredible and so atmospheric. I found myself goggling the salt flats to find out more about them. The writing is so immersive that you feel as though you are there with them in the retreat!
This was a brilliant start to my holiday reading. I couldn't put it down! If you enjoy compelling character driven stories with tension , suspense in a fascinating uninhabitable landscape I would recommend this! I'll definitely be looking out for Rachelle's previous two novels.