House of Salt

Mexican Gothic meets White Lotus in this Hawaiian gothic horror novel that explores an insidious family curse, ownership of land and culture on the islands, and which voices are heard and which are silenced.

Mahina is a Waikiki bartender who makes ends meet by scamming ignorant tourists. Convincing them that their bad behavior has drawn the wrath of the ancient Hawaiian spirits, Mahina then positions herself as the only solution—for a price. When she catches the eye of the Salt family, the wealthy local hotel magnates who sign her paychecks, she’s invited to their secluded manor in Wai’anae to end a curse that’s plagued the Salts for generations.

Mahina agrees, hoping to make some quick cash for her ailing grandmother, only to find that the Salt curse isn’t just a story—it’s real. Now, Mahina will have to embrace her grandma’s lessons to do what she’s only pretended to do thus far: speak for and honor the dead. It’s her only hope of contending with a malevolent spirit whose roots extend far beyond the Salt estate.