In this lyrical debut, three generations of Palestinian women must put the haunting of their ancestral home to rest, before the secrets of the past drown them all. Our Cut of Salt is a powerful and intimate look at what it means to make a home, to lose it, and to return, only to find it irrevocably changed.

“A one-of-a-kind haunted house.” —Paul Tremblay, New York Times bestselling author

There is something haunting Nuhad’s childhood home in Haifa. Cats avoid its perimeter, strange noises come from within, and residents have mysteriously vanished without a trace. 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 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, though she knows firsthand that some secrets are better left buried.

But the house is no longer a home. It is a painful, festering wound that infects everything it touches. The more Marina digs into her family’s past, the sicker she becomes. Despite Nuhad’s ghostly warnings, Haifa rushes to help her daughter.

As the three women converge in their ancestral home, they must put the haunting to rest before the secrets of the past drown them all.

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Praise for this book

“Lyrical and haunting, Our Cut of Salt explores the horrors of occupation via the lens of three generations of women as well as a one-of-a-kind haunted house. A disturbing, mesmerizing read.” —Paul Tremblay, New York Times bestselling author of Horror Movie and Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep

“Deeply human....The essential haunted house story of our moment in history. A gorgeous and painful debut.” —Gretchen Felker-Martin, USA Today bestselling author of Black Flame

“Lyrical and terrifying, Helm’s portrait of generational trauma will leave you aching in its wake. Our Cut of Salt is not just a powerful exploration of injustice and survival, but also a testament to the power of love.” —Monika Kim, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Eyes are the Best Part

“A haunting story of loss, displacement, and the strength of perseverance across generations. Helm has written a powerful tale of past wrongs, unanswered injustice, and the ghosts of vengeance and healing they might unleash.” —P. Djèlí Clark, author of The Dead Cat Tail Assassins

“The strands of generations are so beautifully woven together and the writing is deft, lyrical and completely gets under your skin.” —Daisy Pearce, author of Something in the Walls

“Devastating....Our Cut of Salt rages and aches and demands your complete attention, recontextualizing the very notion of what a haunted house is, positioning itself alongside such modern marvels of horror as Alison Rumfitt’s Tell Me I'm Worthless and Tananarive Due’s The Good House.” —Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

“Our Cut of Salt is the must-read of the year. Longing and rage are woven beautifully in this multi-generational family story, taking readers to the steps of a house in Haifa that they will not forget.” —Trang Thanh Tran, New York Times bestselling author of She Is a Haunting

“Our Cut of Salt is a raw and affecting dive into family secrets and the buried past in the best gothic haunted house tradition. Honest, heartfelt and gripping!” —Bitter Karella, author of Moonflow

“Deena Helm is a generational talent and voice, immediately in conversation with Shirley Jackson and Stephen Graham Jones…It’s a testament to Helm’s mastery of the craft that this book is horrifying even in its quiet moments…Painfully timely and poignant.” —Megan Bontrager, author of The Sea Hides its Dead

“A visceral exploration of generational trauma and the harsh costs of facing the past...Our Cut of Salt examines the horrors of genocide and colonization in an unflinching, timely tale.” —K. M. Enright, Sunday Times bestselling author of Mistress of Lies

“Our Cut of Salt throbs with the longing for family lore that many of us second- and third-generation kids bear. In this moving exploration of mother-daughter relationships, and generational trauma and grief, Helm provides a timely reminder that the real horrors can be found in history.” —E. L. Chen, author of Slasher Summer and One of Us Is Already Dead

“A gutting, visceral exploration of the violence of colonialism, and how it transcends generations. An unforgettable debut....You'll never be the same after reading this book.” —Soraya Bouazzaoui, author of Aicha




About the AuthorDEENA HELM 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. She asks that you, the reader, do everything in your power to resist genocide and deepen your commitment to liberation for all.
Title: Our Cut of Salt
Author(s): Deena Helm
ISBN: 9781250434685
Copyright 2026
Release Date: September 22, 2026
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Countries: United States, Canada | Learn more about available countries
Language: English
Format: None available | Learn More about our supported formats
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