[Ad Free] Episode 296 – Deena Helm & Horror Says Free Palestine
Summary
Neil Mrober interviews Dina Helm about her debut novel, Our Cut of Salt, a gothic story set in Haifa during the Second Intifada. The book follows three generations of Palestinian women and a murderous haunted house, exploring themes of identity, displacement, and the Nakba. They discuss the pressures of publishing during the ongoing genocide, the use of gothic elements to process historical trauma, and the complex nature of evil and tragedy in fiction.
Topics discussed
Introduction and the weight of current events
Guest introduction and personal connection to Palestine
Clarifying the three generations and the setting of Haifa
Christian Palestinian identity and the loneliness of heritage
Marina's quest for identity and the character of Rana
The cost of family history and the privilege of the American passport
Barriers to identity and the pressure on authors of color
The burden of representation and the 'Mexican Gothic' comparison
Why the story is set in 2002 rather than the present day
Transmuting the Gothic into a Palestinian context
Character development, acting background, and the role of dialogue
The narrative structure and the sentient house's perspective
Defining evil: tragedy, context, and the origin story
The symbolism of the sea and the haunting nature of the house
The haunted city, the Nakba, and the choice of Haifa
Writing the central Nakba section and the power of fiction
Guilt, vengeance, and the absence of a singular villain
The publishing process and editorial decisions
The 'not special' polemic and recommendations for further reading
Discussion of other horror novels and personal scares
Closing thoughts on performative activism and future episodes
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