The Memory of a Salt Shaker

by Bernard M. Cox, Robyn Oliver (Photographer)

Bert discovers the salt in an ordinary salt shaker gives him the power to see his life through the eyes of his deceased wife.

“The Memory of a Salt Shaker” first appeared November 2011 in issue 15 of Up the Staircase Quarterly and was nominated by the editorial staff for the 2012 Million Writers Award.

Cover designed by Sabine Krauss
Photo by Robyn Oliver

Genres: Book Club, Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Ebooks

20 pages, ebook

First published November 19, 2012

About the author

Bernard M Cox is a graduate of 2015 Class of Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop, and received an MFA Creative Writing from Roosevelt University.

He has taught fiction writing, screenwriting, literature, and composition; curated an experimental music concert series called FeedBack; ran a staged reading series for screenwriters; served as Assistant Artistic Director for the Tamale Hut Café Reading Series in North Riverside, IL; and served on the Board of Directors of the University City Arts League in Philadelphia. He currently volunteers in the San Diego LGBT community.

His writing has appeared in A cappella Zoo, Blood and Lullabies, Collective Fallout, Crack the Spine, Red Lightbulbs, and Up the Staircase Quarterly.

Reviews

[K.P. Ambroziak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life is lived in moments. To understand this is to understand remembrance. In "The Memory of a Salt Shaker," a lifetime is lived in the seemingly random snippets of that same life. It's a short story that feels like a lengthy one because the narrative is so nicely built upon the sensory experiences of the protagonist. Touch, smell, sight and sound are all present, but taste is the dominant experience.

"He cooks. A small pleasure to him, the food adds scents and heat to the house, adds presence."

Taste is everything for this grieving man, especially salt. The salt in Bert's salt shaker triggers those memories of his past that will get him through the present and help him forget the future. But they are not Bert's memories; they are his dead wife's. Don't we all dream of seeing our lives through the eyes of another?

Though the relationship between taste and remembrance recalls Marcel Proust's "À la recherche du temps perdu," Bernard M. Cox's protagonist is certainly haunted in a way that is arguably more detrimental to his mental state. A work of magical realism, and a narrative reminiscent of Kafka and Camus, "The Memory of a Salt Shaker" is tightly written with sharp sentences that waste no time getting to the point.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

very cute and sad story. i enjoyed the idea of salt bringing memories back to Bert. this could be a really good full novel and even a really cute movie if it was branched off of and made longer....

[Alison Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very short story and because of that, it was not much of a story........

[Ken Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story about loss

Clever story about an accountant dealing with his wife's murder. Salt shaker is the key to their courtship memories, well used.

[Dani Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing short story

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

May only be a short read but this tugged my heartstrings for sure! A quick read for lunch or to fill a few minutes, I would read more by this author

[Carrie Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Live on, or die?

Short, but powerful, story about a man's response to the death of his wife. He's devastated and debates as to move forward, or not.

[Kevin Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Memory of a Salt Shaker by Bernard M. Cox is a very interesting and engrossing short story. I was poking around the Kindle store looking for titles that might pique my interest when the simplicity of the cover caught my eye. So props to the designer and photographer, Saline Krauss and Robyn Oliver. The basic premise of The Memory of a Salt Shaker is that our unfortunately-named main character, Bert, is just returning to work as a CPA after three weeks bereavement following the death of his wife, Mira. He seems to be doing okay until the salt in his salt shaker begins giving him visions of memories of he and his late wife together. Interestingly, and this is what I think makes this story unique, the memories are from Mira's perspective so Bert gets to experience, for example, how she felt when they first met. Bert eventually figures out the connection between his visions and the salt, and as one would expect from a newly grieving husband he becomes more and more dependent on the last bit of his wife he can hold on to. The author reinforces this connection pretty well by describing Bert as taking "hits" of salt. This was a great story. The characters were lively and well-defined, and the narrative (particularly the visions) were very picturesque. I could see this being a movie with like Bradley Cooper and Olivia Wilde at the helm. Overall, the whole thing just felt organic. All of my praise being said, I do have a couple of issues with this story that keep me from giving a full five stars. The first is that Mira's connection to the salt shaker is not fully defined. Bert tells a psychic medium he consults that Mira stole the shaker from a diner during their honeymoon, but I was still left wondering why this was apparently her most treasured possession that she'd choose to "haunt" it. (Haunt may not be the author's intention but it's the best word I could come up with). The second issue I had was with the ending. It's not that the story had a bad ending, it just didn't work for me. I felt it was a little truncated and didn't fit with the direction of the rest of the story. But I know there will be plenty of readers who completely disagree. Anyway, despite a couple issues this is still a great 20-30 minute read that literary and perhaps maybe romance fans will enjoy.

[Cathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up as a "freebie" at Amazon.com. This short story written by Bernard Cox is a quick and interesting read.

The story centers around a young man who recently lost his wife. His wife was beaten to death by 2 of her math class students for taking an iPhone away from them. Bert becomes focused on a salt shaker that his wife had stolen from a restaurant as a momento. Every time he uses this salt shaker he is pulled into happy memories of his wife.

Bert is pulled into a downward spiral to severe depression as this story becomes darker.

This is such an interesting short story to read.

If you enjoy a well written short story then pick up a copy of this, you will not be disappointed.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea for this story was great. Unfortunately, I found the execution less so. I felt the author's development of the people in Bert's life, such as John, was shallow and perfunctory, which was disappointing as these other characters could have given the reader a much deeper insight into Bert and into the reliability of Mira's views of Bert. The dialogue was perhaps the worst part of the story, and struck me as entirely unrealistic. The pacing of the story was also strange. For example, I thought some of the memories could have been a lot shorter, whereas others could have been more fleshed out.

In short: Interesting idea, could use more work.

[Shubhi Agarwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

After finishing the book I stopped myself at an empty space. Don't know if anyone was watching me! I was immensely touched by the end. It is amazing to think and feel about how people come and go out of our lives and leaves an impression that persists for a long long time. We tend to remember the dead ones longer than what we do for the healthy souls. I didn't stop once, to think and see what was happening around me in the cafe where I started and finished reading this e-book. The story is short and mesmerised me deeply. Superb!

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Memory of a Salt Shaker is a very unique book. The concept of the story is original and engrossing. Sometimes short stories can lack in completeness but not this one. The book was a full complete story that did not leave you wondering about anything. I would recommend this book to anyone. It is a wonderful read. I do not want to write anything about the actual story because I do not want to give anything away.

[Mathew Reuther · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only thing that need be said for this short is that it strikes you in the heart and steeps you in the tragic beauty of loss. My personal experiences with grief mesh with the portrayal the author gives us, and I am left with the feeling that he must, in some way, also have suffered to be able to write this piece.

A genuine, melancholy piece that I enjoyed thoroughly.

[Adam Rainville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bernard Cox has written an intimate story will real, three dimensional characters. His magical, heartbreaking tale accurately portrays the sense of loss one feels when a loved on suddenly passes. Highly recommended.

For a longer review, please visit: http://rainvilleadam.com/2013/03/18/t...

[Charlotte Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short yet poignant read with a poetic writing style made up of short straight-to-the-point sentences, making this a really quick short story, yet beautiful. The integration of the past and the present, together with the idea of using the salt shaker as such an important piece of mystery, made this book a great little read that I would highly recommend.

[Mandy Schneider · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author writes in very short, concise sentences, but to a falt. Whereas Dean Koontz can stretch the sentence "She had coffee with toast" into a 3 page run on sentence, Cox would find a way to say it in 3 words. The backbone for a great novel is there though.

[Snoozie Suzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really got into this book, and although the end was the right one I felt cheated, and the bit at the end that felt like an after-thought: perhaps it could have been left out. I have given it 3 stars as I enjoyed it lots, except the end.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story! I can't wait to read more from Cox. I didn't know where it was going. You found out about the character the more you read. I gobbled it up during a lunch break. Just lovely. Well written. In the top 5% of free books I've downloaded.

[Louise West · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely short story where a widower experiences his wife's memories every time he tastes salt from the shaker she stole as a memento from their honeymoon. Through these memories, the author cleverly portrays their passionate love in very few, but effective, words. Beautiful, but sad.

[Deeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story and my heart went out to Bert right away. I enjoyed the way the different memories were presented to give a better grasp on his wife's character. Overall a very good story.

[Soad · Rating 5 out of 5]

The length people go to for true love is immeasurable.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

a nice short story about love

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Amazon freebie. Terrible. A complete waste of time!

[Oscia Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story with a unique idea. The writing was perfect--just enough mystery that we can piece it together ourselves.

[Raquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice short story about losing a loved one. It was such an interesting premise. I found it to be a really nice though melancholy quick read.

[Sharon · Rating 1 out of 5]

To me it was a waste of time. I got it free and am glad I didn't pay for it.

[Martha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eh?

[pink lapis · Rating 3 out of 5]

a short story that could be stretched into a novel. i wanted to read more, but i've reached the end, telling me to leave my bed and live my life

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read....short story.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the concept of the story, and it started great, but than it seems like the story became rushed and disconnected. The ending seemed abrupt.