Every once in a while, a book comes along that completely captivates your imagination and refuses to let you go. Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan is that book for me—the #1 best novel I’ve read so far in 2025.
Set against the stark, blistering backdrop of the Mexicali borderlands and the eerie Salton Sea, Salt Bones is a darkly lyrical story of mothers and daughters, folklore and truth, justice and horror. Malamar Veracruz has lived her whole life in El Valle, raising two daughters while carrying the pain of her sister Elena’s disappearance years ago. When another girl goes missing, Mal is thrust back into that old nightmare, haunted by visions of a horse-headed woman tied to local legend. But as Mal and her daughters uncover layer after layer of family secrets, folklore, and lies, the story reveals what women have always known: men are the destroyers, and the women who try to protect others are too often turned into monsters themselves.
Continue reading “Why Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan is the best novel I’ve read so far in 2025”
Write on the World 