In her new novel, The Salt Line, Holly Goddard Jones welcomes readers to a horrifying vision of a not-so-distant future in which a virulent species of disease-carrying ticks has divided the United States into factions. The well-off find themselves safe and secure "in zone"—behind a menacing wall known as the Salt Line that is meant to keep people locked in and danger out. Only a few thrill-seekers dare venture outside the protection of the Salt Line, signing up for pricey wilderness expeditions that take those with the courage (and the cash) beyond the walled zones to get a taste of America's remaining purple mountain majesties. Those who return from the excursions promise that it's the experience of a lifetime, but for one group of travelers, their trek beyond the Salt Line tests their survival skills in ways they never imagined. And it's more than just the killer ticks; their voyage causes them to question which side of the wall is truly the most dangerous.

Terrifying and bold, The Salt Line is a character-driven thriller with shocking plot twists, jaw-dropping revelations and splashes of horror, sci-fi and romance. Key characters include a pop star and his girlfriend, the young inventor of a financial app and a housewife with veiled intentions. In beautiful turns of phrase that will make readers' hearts flutter and skin crawl in equal measure, Jones ratchets up the tension with perfect pacing and vivid descriptions of terrible (and terribly sad) experiences. Jones' unique riff on dystopian fiction as a platform for examining present-day concerns like climate change, immigration, technology and fundamental human rights offers plenty of surprises, but the most disarming aspect of The Salt Line is the unexpected tenderness expressed by its fully fleshed out, complicated characters who are fighting not just for their lives but for their very humanity.

More than just a high-octane, speculative survivalist tale, The Salt Line is also a powerful meditation on humanity's fragility and resilience.

 

This article was originally published in the September 2017 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.

Rona Jaffe Award winner Jones gives her literary work a dystopic twist with a futuristic story set in an America sequestered behind a salt line—scorched earth that protects citizens from a ferocious troop of disease-carrying ticks. Looking for high-risk kicks, several characters journey beyond the line.

In the near future, most people live in protected walled enclaves as the outside world has become far too dangerous owing to the rising ecological disaster of deadly ticks that use humans as hosts for their eggs. Going into the wilderness, though, has become a new form of tourism for the wealthy, who spend vast amounts of money to experience life in an unprotected environment. When Edie's pop-star boyfriend decides that two weeks in the great outdoors would be a marvelous holiday, they book a tour, learn how to burn ticks before they can burrow under their skin, and pack their bags. Their adventure quickly becomes a nightmare when their tour group is taken hostage by survivors who live beyond the Salt Line (a ring of scorched earth the ticks can't cross). While the author's (The Next Time You See Me) premise is excellent, her execution is somewhat uneven. Aside from Edie, many of the characters are flat and interchangeable, and it's a challenge for the reader to maintain a sense of empathy as new characters are introduced and then killed off. VERDICT Dystopian literature is very popular, and the notion of killer ticks is ecologically interesting and adds a unique twist on end-of-the-world scenarios. Despite its flaws, Jones's new novel will find plenty of readers. [See Prepub Alert, 3/27/17.]—Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage P.L., AK

Set in the near future, this second novel from Jones (The Next Time You See Me) introduces readers to a U.S. separated into territories behind giant vibrating walls (called "the salt line") designed to keep out tiny ticks that carry the fatal Shreve's disease. While life behind the salt line feels very similar to our social media–driven contemporary world, extreme tourism expeditions into the wild offer the rich and famous an opportunity to remember a natural setting free from physical borders. The narrative focuses on one such expedition, introducing a full cast of complex characters with hidden motivations—a rock star and his girlfriend, a tech mogul, and an unassuming housewife. As the group leaves behind the comfort of life behind the salt line and acclimates to the dangers normally kept at bay, allegiances are tested and new friendships are forged. Fans of Jones will appreciate her return to an ensemble-driven narrative, and new fans will find social commentary and intense thrills rolled into one seamless story. Outwardly an adventure story, this suspenseful novel uses a thrilling premise to examine the fallout of abandoning universal freedoms in order to ensure collective safety. (Sept.)