Things Bright and Beautiful

This book is so rich in detail, the rainforest so immersive, and the characters so wonderfully odd, that I was sucked into its dark beating heart and wasn't spat out until I'd turned the final page

Claire Fuller

Dark, mysterious, beguiling, and beautifully written. It transported me to a different world

Dolly Alderton

A claustrophobic compelling read that'll suck you into its heart of darkness

Independent

Phenomenally disturbing . . . With consummate imagination and technical flair, Salam contrives a crescendo of queasiness that reaches a 'tumult of madness' and manages to make Somerset Maugham's 'Rain' seem like a picnic

The Spectator

An excellent, blackly funny debut ... a novel whose growing environmental and psychological horrors you can feel crawling across your skin

Daily Mail

What a hot and sticky, feverishly Lord Of The Flies-style debut! The whole novel excels in rich detail - I wouldn't be surprised if English teachers use it as a masterclass in descriptive prose

The Pool

A vivid account . . . The island setting and the rainforest are compellingly evoked, along with the claustrophobic backdrop of religious mania and a dysfunctional marriage - an impressive debut

Penelope Lively

Thrilling . . . oozing with vivid descriptions and a deeply claustrophobic atmosphere, this debut is quite unlike anything else you'll read this year

Heat World

Delves in directions you won't see coming, swallowing you like the darkness of the jungle, with a captivating narrative brimming with wonder, trepidation and wit

Foyles Newsletter

Examining the true nature of religious missions and a marriage in crisis, this is a vividly drawn and powerful novel

Stylist

The book abounds with lurid descriptive passages revelling in tropical ickiness ... competent and assured

Irish Times

A richly textured novel. Darkly humorous and atmospheric, this debut about fanaticism and marital crisis is one to watch out for

Book Riot

Darkly comic and thrilling

Elle Magazine

Atmospheric

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