4.25* 
I saw The Salt Flats being recommended by authors and reviewers that I follow and was immediately intrigued by the story premise of a struggling couple heading deep into the isolated Bolivian salt flats to repair their relationship at a mysterious retreat where things, inevitably, quickly turn to a nightmare.

This was a deeply human story with multi-layered and complicated characters all struggling with their own issues, seeking to overcome them by any means necessary.

I initially saw this being shelved as a thriller but in reality it is a deeply unnerving and hugely imaginative horror. It feels incredibly otherworldly with a tenuous grip on reality that leaves you wondering consistently if what you're seeing unfold in front of you is actually happening or if you, the reader, are also part of the hallucinogenic ride that the characters are going on. 

I struggled a little at the start this with as I just couldn't get a grasp on what it wanted to be but once it clicked that this is as insidious a horror as you're likely to find, I was swept away with the story and the unfolding nightmare of the situation our characters found themselves in. 

I love an isolated setting and this one is as isolated as you're going to find. The oppressive heat and desolate landscape are unforgiving and bleak that helps build a sense of fear and desperation for the characters.

The ending is surprising, sudden, open-ended and left me incredibly uncomfortable at what isn't said for the potential consequences of the actions of the characters. Whilst I never felt connected to them, the reality of what likely happened to them is where the true horror lies.

If you want to feel uncomfortable, intrigued, and out of reality then this is a book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a digital review copy of "The Salt Flats" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.