Katy Hays’s Saltwater belongs to a contemporary subgenre of psychological thrillers and dark satires known as “eat the rich” stories. These narratives, which have gained significant traction in film and television, critique class structures by exploring the moral decay, hidden anxieties, and toxic behaviors of the ultra-wealthy. Often set in glamorous and isolated locales, they expose the emptiness behind extreme privilege, suggesting that great fortunes are frequently built on deception and cruelty. Prominent examples include HBO’s television series The White Lotus (2021-present), which follows wealthy vacationers whose entitlement leads to chaos and death at exclusive resorts, and Succession (2018-2023), a drama centered on the vicious power struggles within a media mogul’s family. Some reviewers call back to The Great Gatsby (1925) by F. Scott Fitzgerald as an origin point for this subgenre, and additional popular works in this category include Guillotine (2024) by Delilah S. Dawson and Their Vicious Games (2023) by Joelle Wellington.

Much like these works, Saltwater uses a luxurious setting, the island of Capri, as a beautiful backdrop for ugly secrets. The Lingate family, with their inherited fortune, history of scandal, and desperate attempts to maintain their public image, embodies the archetypal subjects of this genre. The novel employs common tropes, such as a suspicious death and the entanglement of an outsider, Lorna, to dissect the corrosive effects of inherited wealth and the destructive lengths to which the privileged will go to protect their status, placing the story firmly within this modern satirical tradition. Embedded in this subgenre is a critique of the power and affluence of rich families, which often rely on oppressive tactics and manipulation. In Saltwater, Sarah’s play threatens to expose the financial ruin of the Lingate family, and her murder is the means by which the family “defends” itself. Critically, Sarah is a playwright, and the Lingate’s take advantage of the power wealth grants within the art world to censor pieces that do not favor them.