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Our Cut of Salt
Not yet published
Expected 22 Sep 26Win a free print copy of this book!
4 days and 13:33:03
50 copies available
U.S. only
There is something haunting Nuhad's childhood home in Haifa. Cats avoid its perimeter, strange noises come from within, and residents have been known to disappear entirely in its walls without a trace.
Our Cut of Salt is an unflinching, sinister and moving take on the haunted house novel, from a bold new Palestinian voice. Perfect for fans of The Only Good Indians and The Haunting of Hill House.
Although Nuhad has not returned to her home since the Nakba in 1948, she always held a place for the house in her heart. And, in return, the house did the same for her.
After Nuhad passes away, her granddaughter, Marina, is determined to visit her grandmother's home in Haifa after a lifetime of being kept in the dark about her culture and family history. Marina's mother, Haifa-named for the city that was lost to their family-reluctantly agrees to her trip, despite her omnipresent anxiety.
When a long-buried spirit of the past begins to haunt both dreams and waking life, Marina develops breathing problems that cause her to feel as if she is drowning on dry land. Despite Nuhad's warnings, Haifa rushes to help her daughter. As the three women converge in their ancestral haunted home, they must learn what the price of the past truly is.
Our Cut of Salt is an unflinching, sinister and moving take on the haunted house novel, from a bold new Palestinian voice. Perfect for fans of The Only Good Indians and The Haunting of Hill House.
Although Nuhad has not returned to her home since the Nakba in 1948, she always held a place for the house in her heart. And, in return, the house did the same for her.
After Nuhad passes away, her granddaughter, Marina, is determined to visit her grandmother's home in Haifa after a lifetime of being kept in the dark about her culture and family history. Marina's mother, Haifa-named for the city that was lost to their family-reluctantly agrees to her trip, despite her omnipresent anxiety.
When a long-buried spirit of the past begins to haunt both dreams and waking life, Marina develops breathing problems that cause her to feel as if she is drowning on dry land. Despite Nuhad's warnings, Haifa rushes to help her daughter. As the three women converge in their ancestral haunted home, they must learn what the price of the past truly is.
304 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication September 22, 2026
About the author
Deena Helm
1 book43 followersDeena Helm (she/her) is a mixed Palestinian-American author, and OUR CUT OF SALT is her debut novel. Her other works can be found in Fikra Magazine and So To Speak. You can find her @deenahlm in most places.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 3, 2026
This is one of the most powerful books that I have read in a long time. Deena Helm takes a subject, the continued genocide of the Palestinian people, that I personally thought I understood fairly well and makes it so real, so personal, so human, it absolutely broke my heart. This is a book that can change minds. And the fact that it is written in the context of a, albeit remarkably unconventional, haunted house story is even more amazing.
The writing here is so excellent, as well, beautiful prose that is incredibly descriptive and poetic. The three main characters and generations of women, Nuhad, Haifa, and Marina, are all such extraordinary and fully created people. I was driven to tears multiple times throughout this book and I think anyone that picks it up will be thinking about it long after they are finished.
The writing here is so excellent, as well, beautiful prose that is incredibly descriptive and poetic. The three main characters and generations of women, Nuhad, Haifa, and Marina, are all such extraordinary and fully created people. I was driven to tears multiple times throughout this book and I think anyone that picks it up will be thinking about it long after they are finished.
Want to Read
March 11, 2026ARC received! Thank you, Tor Nightfire!
This sounds unique and powerful. I'm excited to check it out. Also, I am loving this cover as well. It's intriguing and definitely captured my eye.
This sounds unique and powerful. I'm excited to check it out. Also, I am loving this cover as well. It's intriguing and definitely captured my eye.
January 1, 2026
*to be edited*
l loved it! I can't wait for the book to come out!
l loved it! I can't wait for the book to come out!
May 4, 2026
A historical and intimate novel, beautifully composed grief horror, leaving you with an ache in your body on how genocide and human cruelty can and does impact everything.
Want to Read
May 10, 2026a horror story set in palestine? sign me the FUCK up!
Want to Read
February 4, 2026This fall is looking great for horror reads! A haunted house and the family to discover why. coming 99/2026! Can't wait!
March 23, 2026
Now THIS is a horror book, real life mixed with some paranormal that will both traumatize you and make you cry. I have never had a horror book rip my heart out and terrify me at this same time and I think that's what makes this book so special. I ATE this book up and highly recommend going in blind and just letting your emotions take over What an amazing Palestinian American voice to add to the horror space. And a debut no less?! Just wow.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Our Cut of Salt is not your traditional haunted house horror story. I mean, sure, Nuhad's childhood home has some major issues that it needs to work through, but first and foremost this is a novel about genocide and occupation and displacement and generational trauma. The house is but a product of its environment, and you can't help but feel a bit sorry for it even as it's getting a little … feisty.
And, yeah, this is probably going to be a polarizing book. The author is Palestinian-American, and the book is set in Palestine and is about Palestinians and the Israeli occupation of their homeland. Hardcore Zionists probably aren't going to enjoy this one much, but I think no matter which side of the Israel-Palestine conflict we fall on, all of us can agree that war and death and violence leave their mark on both those who experience them firsthand and on future generations. (And also, apparently, on their sentient houses. Who knew?)
This is a depressing read. It's well-written and thought-provoking and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about Palestine (particularly the events of 1948), but it's absolutely not a happy story. The ending isn't devoid of hope, however, and the main characters are sympathetic and likeable. It's not particularly scary — the horror here is more of a subtle literary horror — but it's certainly dark and there are some genuinely unsettling moments. It's a slow burn, but it's never boring.
Also, I do think this is the only book I've ever read where some of the sections are narrated from the point of view of a sentient house. It's a novel approach and while it took me a bit to get used to the format, I certainly didn't hate it.
Really, though, this is just one of those books that you have to read to appreciate, and whether you love or hate it isn't going to be influenced by me rambling on for entirely too many paragraphs. If you're interested in the history of Palestine and enjoy literary horror, definitely consider giving this one a read because it really is fantastic.
4.35 stars, rounded down.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is September 22, 2026.
And, yeah, this is probably going to be a polarizing book. The author is Palestinian-American, and the book is set in Palestine and is about Palestinians and the Israeli occupation of their homeland. Hardcore Zionists probably aren't going to enjoy this one much, but I think no matter which side of the Israel-Palestine conflict we fall on, all of us can agree that war and death and violence leave their mark on both those who experience them firsthand and on future generations. (And also, apparently, on their sentient houses. Who knew?)
This is a depressing read. It's well-written and thought-provoking and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about Palestine (particularly the events of 1948), but it's absolutely not a happy story. The ending isn't devoid of hope, however, and the main characters are sympathetic and likeable. It's not particularly scary — the horror here is more of a subtle literary horror — but it's certainly dark and there are some genuinely unsettling moments. It's a slow burn, but it's never boring.
Also, I do think this is the only book I've ever read where some of the sections are narrated from the point of view of a sentient house. It's a novel approach and while it took me a bit to get used to the format, I certainly didn't hate it.
Really, though, this is just one of those books that you have to read to appreciate, and whether you love or hate it isn't going to be influenced by me rambling on for entirely too many paragraphs. If you're interested in the history of Palestine and enjoy literary horror, definitely consider giving this one a read because it really is fantastic.
4.35 stars, rounded down.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is September 22, 2026.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Marina was never close to her grandmother, Nuhad. After Nuhad's death, she decides to visit Haifa, the city she grew up in and that her mother was named after, in an attempt to connect with her and her Palestinian ancestry. The Israeli occupation has changed the city since Nuhad's girlhood, and the house that she grew up in has a reputation for forcing its occupants out, sometimes lethally. Why is the house in Haifa haunted?
Deena Helm's debut novel focuses on three generations of Palestinian women displaced from their ancestral home due to Israel's ongoing genocide. Needless to say, it is not an easy read, and Helm writes unflinchingly about the horrors that have and are currently happening in Palestine. The ghosts that haunt 'Our Cut of Salt's pages have nothing on the atrocities committed by the IDF. While Nuhad and her family are fictional, their plights aren't unrealistic.
Certain passages of the book are written in a stream-of-consciousness style, especially with regards to the haunting in the house in Haifa. It's experimental, but it works well for 'Our Cut of Salt', giving the house its own voice and character. It gives the chapters a feeling of unease, and while I can see it bothering some readers, I loved it.
'Our Cut of Salt' is an incredible debut, and I can't wait to read what's next from Deena Helm. Free Palestine.
Deena Helm's debut novel focuses on three generations of Palestinian women displaced from their ancestral home due to Israel's ongoing genocide. Needless to say, it is not an easy read, and Helm writes unflinchingly about the horrors that have and are currently happening in Palestine. The ghosts that haunt 'Our Cut of Salt's pages have nothing on the atrocities committed by the IDF. While Nuhad and her family are fictional, their plights aren't unrealistic.
Certain passages of the book are written in a stream-of-consciousness style, especially with regards to the haunting in the house in Haifa. It's experimental, but it works well for 'Our Cut of Salt', giving the house its own voice and character. It gives the chapters a feeling of unease, and while I can see it bothering some readers, I loved it.
'Our Cut of Salt' is an incredible debut, and I can't wait to read what's next from Deena Helm. Free Palestine.
Review of advance copy received from Author
"Occupation begets suffocation and is in itself a theft of the air; it becomes impossible to breathe in this sudden grip that chokes life away."
OUR CUT OF SALT is a powerful story of betrayal, family, and the things that haunt us. I don't want to say too much about this book ahead of time, but it's a must-read for all horror fans. Set in present-day Haifa, it is a book that uses a haunting as a metaphor and in-universe extension for occupation under colonial rule in Palestine.
So much of this book is brilliant, but two specific scenes come to mind, one between Marina – a POV character along with her mother – and a Jewish-American girl she meets in the hospital. The other takes place at the airport in the U.S. early into Marina's journey. Both instances remind the reader that the biggest threat isn't any ghost, but the very real occupation.
OUR CUT OF SALT is a powerful story of betrayal, family, and the things that haunt us. I don't want to say too much about this book ahead of time, but it's a must-read for all horror fans. Set in present-day Haifa, it is a book that uses a haunting as a metaphor and in-universe extension for occupation under colonial rule in Palestine.
So much of this book is brilliant, but two specific scenes come to mind, one between Marina – a POV character along with her mother – and a Jewish-American girl she meets in the hospital. The other takes place at the airport in the U.S. early into Marina's journey. Both instances remind the reader that the biggest threat isn't any ghost, but the very real occupation.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you Tor and Netgalley for an e-ARC!
“Our Cut of Salt” is not only a powerful debut horror, but what could be a quad-narrative of betrayal, love, loss, and family. Reading this book feels like the haunting seeps through the pages and into your very body and soul. Sentient houses and buildings are very much my cup of tea, and this book takes it to a unique level, imbuing Nuhad’s familial home with grief and anger that you come to feel by the climax. Helm weaves a beautiful narrative across generations that grips you and does not let you go because the true horror is not within the house, but in the real occupation and violence that Palestine faces daily and is reflected here. This is a must read, even for those who are not fans of horror.
“Our Cut of Salt” is not only a powerful debut horror, but what could be a quad-narrative of betrayal, love, loss, and family. Reading this book feels like the haunting seeps through the pages and into your very body and soul. Sentient houses and buildings are very much my cup of tea, and this book takes it to a unique level, imbuing Nuhad’s familial home with grief and anger that you come to feel by the climax. Helm weaves a beautiful narrative across generations that grips you and does not let you go because the true horror is not within the house, but in the real occupation and violence that Palestine faces daily and is reflected here. This is a must read, even for those who are not fans of horror.
Review of advance copy received from Shelf Awareness Pro
This book was not what I expected. The author is vulnerable and unapologetic in describing the Isreal occupation and genocide of Palestine (1948) by telling a haunting historical fiction account through three generations of women. Generational trauma, forgiveness, family, love mixed with light horror. The author forces you to see her views and history. Very well done. Very well written. I'm more knowledgable for reading this book. Thank you so very much to Nightfire and ShelfAwareness for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This story is a heavy hitter that does not shy away from the horrors of reality. The paranormal is there, but it was never quite the paranormal parts of the story that left a hole in my chest as I read. Throughout the book you will delve deeper into this family and their history and you will find yourself wondering: How can this possibly be resolved? But Deena Helm ties everything together beautifully and you will be glad you read it.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Horror is a complicated genre. There can be monsters and villains. Ghosts and hauntings. Extreme, splatterpunk to tame horror. Our Cut of Salt presents horror so horrific because it's true. Genocide is real. It's happening now. Monsters aren't real. But humans are.
This was hard to read. It was emotional but also VERY good. More later.
This was hard to read. It was emotional but also VERY good. More later.
Currently Reading
December 10, 2025I CAN’T WAIT FOR THIS ONE!!! MOST ANTICIPATED READ OF 2026!!!!!!
thoughts
February 17, 2026I need this book rn.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Love when a book just knocks me over the head by redefining the genre of horror.
Thanks to HBG Canada for the early copy.
Thanks to HBG Canada for the early copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book cut me open in my heart and mind. Changed my brain chemistry. I needed to sit with this one for awhile. Thank you NetGalley.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews