Rating: 4/5 boxes of dirt

“Anyone could be considered a monster. And monsters were assassinated with impunity.” –The Route of Ice and Salt

The Route of Ice and Salt by José Luis Zárate (and translated from Spanish into English by David Bowles) is a poetic and haunting novella about the story of a sea captain struggling with his closeted homosexuality, told through the events of Dracula’s transport to England. The captain is leading a small crew on the Demeter charged with delivering mysterious boxes of dirt. The captain is battling with his homosexuality, but his thoughts quickly turn to something that seems off on the Demeter. The schooner’s rats act oddly, and soon, crewmembers disappear. What’s happening on the Demeter, and can the captain stop it before it’s too late?

The Route of Ice and Salt is a fantastic story. Zárate builds suspense flawlessly, and despite how creepy and scary the novella is, it isn’t too graphic. He manages to combine poetic language and horror to create a work that is terribly beautiful (or beautifully terrible?).

Consider this quote: “Without hesitation, he chose the black face of the drowned, a mouth unhinged by despair, hands that tear bloody grooves in a throat closed forever by the sea.” Perhaps it’s because the original text was written in Spanish, but having the adjectives come after the nouns makes the impact that much scarier. Rather than imagining an unhinged mouth, readers picture a mouth that is then unhinged, making the reader’s mind commit the violence. (If your Spanish is good enough, you may want to try reading the original novella in Spanish. If I were capable of doing more in Spanish than talking about my weekend and asking how much things cost, I would absolutely read it.)

Bowles’ beautiful translation of the novella took diligence and care, as every word is purposeful and the vivid imagery was clearly retained from Zárate’s original work. Though this is a novella, much of it is poetic, and it may not be the quickest read; expect to reread certain elements multiple times to understand the true meaning of the text.

The Route of Ice and Salt is a haunting tale about our pasts, hunger, and if we can escape who we truly are. Bowles’ translation of The Route of Ice and Salt is one not to be missed by Dracula fans or anyone craving beautifully written horror.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ebook copy of The Route of Ice and Salt from Netgalley.