Fans of the cult-classic film Jennifer’s Body, lovers of modern gothic fiction and those who studied abroad in Paris take note: Leslie Baird’s debut novel, Salomé, may be your next favorite book. Salomé is a feminist retelling of the biblical tale of the daughter of Herodias who danced for Herod in exchange for the head of John the Baptist. Characterized in the Christian canon as a viperous femme fatale, Salomé is reimagined and granted depth and dimensionality by Baird.
Courtney, an American journalist in her early 30s, is traveling to France for potentially the last time. Her mother has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and Courtney can’t help but guiltily dwell on the freedoms she will lose when her mother requires her full-time care. For Courtney, this return to France, which she fell in love with during a study abroad, is a chance to reconnect with what she thinks of as the French version of herself, which she romanticizes. At the same time, it’s a chance to make a story out of her friend and former roommate Kylie’s career as an influencer. Courtney has a clear plan—until she meets her seatmate on the plane, the enigmatic, disarmingly charming (and French!) Salomé, who invites Courtney to stay at her mother’s house for a few days before meeting up with Kylie in Paris.
Though her connection to Salomé feels preternaturally intuitive, Courtney begins to feel that there’s something eerie about Salomé and her mother Nathalie’s dwelling. The house is covered in security cameras, and Courtney experiences unsettling and visceral sleep paralysis dreams that haunt her waking hours. And then there’s Marco, Nathalie’s boyfriend. Inspired by Salomé’s polarizing late father, who was obsessed with longevity and aging, Marco founded a vitamin company selling the solution to the problem of mortality. The closer Courtney gets to Salomé, the more fragmented her understanding of the situation becomes.
Salomé is a story that creeps page by page into a maddening, fascinating whirlwind. As Courtney struggles to keep track of what’s real and what isn’t, she also faces the choice of what to do once she uncovers the truth. “Still, what could it hurt to dream?” Courtney asks. Perhaps the better question is, what could it hurt to wake up?