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The Salt Flats

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The Salt Flats

By: Rachelle Atalla
Narrated by: Samara MacLaren
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About this listen

 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©2024 Rachelle Atalla Genre Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense

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Critic reviews

Gripping, original and bold, this is an ambitious and hugely imaginative novel in which a growing sense of unease reaches an almost unbearable intensity.
The Salt Flats is gripping, compulsive and deeply deeply human. Rachelle Atalla is one of the few writers whose novels I cannot put down.
Immersive, confrontational, intelligent and tender.
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.
Utterly compelling, desolate yet uplifting, and always with one eye on the triumph of the human spirit. A truly terrific novel.
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.
The Salt Flats is trippy nightmare of a book, a smart, tense thriller written with huge amounts of heart.
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.
This is a novel for our times, but also for all time, as the complex and fragile humanity at its heart will endure
All stars
Most relevant
I loved this book, I was there every step of the journey and oh what a journey on so many levels.
The narration was incredible.
I highly recommend you listen to this story.

Excellent

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Excellent storyline. Different from the first 2 but just as enjoyable. Highly recommend this book.

Third great novel

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Tremendously well told. Listening to it brought the characters to life in a way I would have struggled to do reading myself. Was kept guessing throughout.

The Salt Flats - engaging right to the end

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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.

You can’t stop listening

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