Every River Runs to Salt

by Rachael K. Jones

The Pacific Ocean is a big thing to steal, and Quietly's roommate Imani never does anything small. But then Imani goes and dies, and Quietly is left to travel to the Under-Ath (the underworld beneath Athens, Georgia), with angry gods at her heels, to clean up the mess Imani left behind and try to rescue her friend.

Cover illustration by Anna Zee.

Genres: Fantasy, Novella, Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

88 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 14, 2018

About the author

Rachael K. Jones grew up in various cities across Europe and North America, picked up (and mostly forgot) six languages, and acquired several degrees in the arts and sciences. Now she writes speculative fiction in Portland, Oregon. Contrary to the rumors, she is probably not a secret android. Rachael is a World Fantasy Award nominee, Tiptree Award honoree, and winner of Writers of the Future. Her fiction has appeared in dozens of venues worldwide, including Lightspeed, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Strange Horizons, and PodCastle. Follow her on Twitter @RachaelKJones.

Reviews

[Meg Elison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t want to tell you too much about it, because it’s so utterly original that everything I say about it sounds like I’m talking in my sleep. A woman who is part glacier steals the Pacific Ocean and keeps it in a jar. California, Oregon, and Washington show up to try and get it back. Listen, I’ve lived in each of these three states and Jones is exactly correct about who they are, what they look like, and how their gifts are really curses. This is a novella and takes no time at all to sli through your mind lubricated by salty tears and the regrets of the long-dead. If you’re wanting something like Neil Gaiman and Cat Valente with little up-front investment from you, Jones is here to save the day.

[Zig Claybourne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This slender novela does more in its opening line than a lot of 6-book sagas ever manage in their entirety, and I love it for that. It's a fable that turns into a fantasy that was always a love story, with so many perfect lines you'd think you were looking at a borealis. Even its lightning pace was a treat; I love a brilliant sky show to dust away the cobwebs in my brain!

[Nelis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This novella contained so many beautiful sentences, and I would highly recommend it for the prose alone. At times, I felt like the narrative got lost in the near-poetic structure. Perhaps that was the point? Excited to see what else this author has written and will write.

[Iris Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every River Runs to Salt is a fun, short read, perfect for spending a day or two while enjoying the summer sun. It's imaginative, and despite being short, it still touches on some important themes, such as pollution and drowning in desires. Only in this story, someone literally becomes an ocean. It's great for lovers of New Adult fiction taking place at a university, where a whole lot of crazy fantastical things happen.

Quietly's roommate Imani, is a bit of an enigma. She can do magic, claims to be part glacier, and has a bit of a temper on her. Still, Quietly doesn't want to be without her. One day, Imani takes things too far when she steals the Pacific Ocean: California, Oregon, and Washington are not amused. When Imani dies, Quietly is left with the mess, and travels to the Under-Ath, the underworld underneath the University where all the trash goes, to get the Pacific back and rescue her friend.

Side note: I know me saying Imani dies seems like a spoiler, but it's told in the stories blurb, and in the first few paragraphs of the novella.

"Living will always mean hurting a little and wishing for things absent from our arms."

Every River Runs to Salt is an entertaining novella, featuring oceans and rivers as magical sentient beings, and hypotheticals that represent the different states. For me, the story was about desires, and a warning not to let yourself drown in it, or you will forget who you are. But it can also apply to relationships: don't lose sight of yourself in your relationships. It also touches on pollution, where people toss their trash in the oceans and rivers. I didn't find many cool twists in there, though, but the ending was still sweet and did have one surprising twist. But the 'final battle,' so to say, felt a bit rushed and anti-climactic.

I did love Quietly and enjoyed reading the story from her perspective. She's smart, philosophical, brave, and funny. She does let other's, such as Imani, boss her around a bit, and decided to stay at Uni forever. While Imani can do magic, Quietly is perfectly ordinary in that account. It's quite refreshing to read about someone rather ordinary trying to save a magical person for a change.

Imani does remain more or less a mystery, as she's not present for a large part of the story. But this is the case for most of the side characters. The side characters do seem a bit more one dimensional. However, all characters in the story have a purpose, and they are quite inventive.

"I like syllabi. They're terribly optimistic. Slap a date next to anything and it almost becomes possible."

Since it is a novella, not a lot of time is spent on the world-building, which means it's not always clear. Notably, the University itself, and how much of it is magical and if all students know or not is very vague. When the hypotheticals first make an appearance, I was very confused, because I didn't understand they were the embodiments of the states. But some things, like Imani's background and the Under-Ath, are explained quite well and paint a clear picture.

The prose was not extraordinary, but the writing was good, readable, and to the point. There were also quite some philosophical ponderings by Quitely that made you think. I love it when a book makes you think about the world. And Quietly's voice was powerful and unique, which made the story fast and fun to read. And since it's a novella, the pace was fast, and the story mostly told in an active and engaging manner. Also, while we do bond with Quietly, there's not an extreme amount of emotion involved. It's mostly kept light, except when Quietly grieves for Imani.

"Out of sight, out of mind, out of memory. You float on peace while all your troubles round and round, out where you don't have to see them."

If you're looking for something fun and short to read, Every River Runs to Salt is a great novella to pick. It has a strong main character with a unique and engaging voice and an interesting perspective on the world around her. The world itself is imaginative, and while not always clear, it's still easy to follow the story. Definitely a great summer read!

If you want to read this and more of my reviews, check out my blog.

[Kelso Kappel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I drank this novella up in one delicious gulp. The story is about a woman named Quietly. Her roommate one day captures the entire Pacific Ocean in a mason jar and at this point, your either in or out at this point. I hope this isn’t lazy reviewing, but the author’s writing style instantly brings to mind Neil Gaiman.
I was in for the entire ride. I loved the writing, the not-down-your-throat eco messaging and imagination. My one complaint was things get a tad crazy towards the end but overall the quality of this novella cannot be overlooked. I look forward to reading more of Rachael’s work in the future. 4\5

[Adri Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a bit picky about UF slipstream-type reads, so it's very considerate of this novella to be perfectly relevant to my interests so I can point it out to anyone who asks what I'm into.

Water! Ladies! Weird but cool internal mythology! Quest-y stuff! Characterisation! Glacier-based romance! Also, it's BEAUTIFULLY written - lush and poetic without ever compromising on readability. You'll want this one.

[ladyalmalthea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not my typical read and I gobbled this novella down quite ferociously! I honestly couldn’t put it down from the moment I started. Rachael K. Jones sucks you into such a vividly original world that you are left with bated breath as each chapter ends. This is a powerful novella with a beautiful voice that I highly recommend.

[Lizzieb123 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a strange and poetic novella primarily about yearning. Who are we without it? How can we live with it, without it consuming us? Strange, horrifying, and incredibly vast are the only ways I can think to describe this. Well worth the read.

[Miss Banana · Rating 5 out of 5]

holy cow I would have highlighted every line if I could. it is so beautifully frank and poetic at the same time, and I just love how the words came together to form the story.

[T.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A modern legend, Neil Gaimanesque with a Southern drawl, and if it were a movie, Tim Burton would sell his soul to direct it.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this. Don't see too many stories set in Georgia.

[Susie Munro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating novella with a mythic quality, a deep sense of wonder and yearning, realised in vivid prose. It's also almost impossible to describe so go read it yourself!

[Roslyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Faizal · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't even know why I read this.

[Corey White · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant and unique slice of fantasy Americana, with west coast states made flesh, a stolen ocean, and a city of trash populated by human monsters.

[S.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfectly, incandescently weird af. I loved it.

[Storm]

Placeholder - Planning to read for Bingo in 2024!

Read this for Reddit Fantasy's 2023 Bingo Square Novellas. This novella qualifies for hard mode as it was published by Fireside Press, so not by Tordotcom.

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[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had been on my wishlist for an age, so I finally gave in and ordered a copy. I am so glad that I finally did, because there is truly an amazing amount of creative world building going on in this tiny novella. People who are part glacier, the ocean held in a jar, states showing up as people, an underworld beneath Athens, Georgia.

A tiny quibble with the format of the book -- it looks like they made and ebook, then crunched it through some algorithm to make it fit to print. But then, had they only made it an ebook, I never would have read it, so thanks?

[SJ]

strange, disturbing tale--i don't think i liked it but i am kind of afraid it seeped itself into my skin while i read it and that images of salted bodies and cricket storms will haunt my dreams?