The Salt Letters: A Novel

by Christine Balint

The sensuous evocation of a young woman's sea journey from refined England to the wilds of Australia. It is 1854, and with the certainty of land behind her, Sarah flees her home for the uncertainties of life in the new colony. In steerage, she joins the other unmarried women, where the horrors of their close confinement bring an unraveling of secrets no one can control. Sarah endures, longing for her mother's forgiveness and the sweetness of her cousin Richard's breath. As she draws closer to her new land, she becomes increasingly haunted by her own tale and the letter home she cannot write. Moving between the voyage in which pigs run through flooded living quarters to the hallucinatory visions induced by heat and doldrums, Christine Balint's astonishing debut novel brings us close to a time when the world was still a place to be discovered. Shortlisted for the Vogel Literary Award. "Dazzling.... A meticulous history and a beautifully crafted fiction.... Compelling reading."― Brisbane Courier Mail

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Australia, Historical, Book Club

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Christine Balint, born in Melbourne in 1975, teaches writing at the Victorian College of the Arts.
She has been a professional writer for more than 20 years. Her first novel, The Salt Letters, was shortlisted for the 1998 The Australian / Vogel Literary Award. Her second novel, Ophelia's Fan, was internationally published in 2004.

Reviews

[Kristine · Rating 2 out of 5]

The back cover describes the story as being about a British woman emigrating to the wilds of Australia in the mid-1840s. What it doesn't mention is that the entire book is only about half the journey to get there. Very appropriate that the ship spends a lot of time in the doldrums, because the story was dull and unmoving much of the time and consisted largely of fever-dreams and delusions intermixed with the backstory on how she ended up there.

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘It fascinated me that there existed enough numbers to carry us to the New World without having to repeat the same number twice.’
It is 1854, and Sarah flees from the certainty of her home for the uncertainties of life in a new colony in Australia. Sarah and the other unmarried women are confined to steerage where, under the eye of a matron, the journey between Britain and ‘New Holland’ is experienced, shared and endured. Sarah is escaping from the prospect of a conventional arranged marriage. The other women each have stories from the past and hopes for the future. In such a closely confined space with little physical privacy, imagination and memories provide some refuge for Sarah.

‘The words of the captain, the ship’s husband, stream through the flapping hatchway door and float in the stale air.’

As the ship brings Sarah closer to Australia, she is increasingly haunted by her own story and by her inability to write a letter home to her mother. She longs for her cousin Richard, with whom she is in love, and reflects on the centrality of water and what it represents in her life.

To read this book is to share Sarah’s journey and it is not always easy to distinguish reality and imagination. The challenges and squalor of life in such close quarters is a stark reminder of the realities of travel for many emigrating to Australia in the 19th century. The journey rather than the destination is the story, and the conclusion is not completely clear.

I would like to think that Sarah made a new life in Australia with Richard, and while this is a possibility it is not a certainty.

‘The air has known us all intimately and is tired.’

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those books that just does not reach it's full potential. The concept is good, the research was fantastic, and the prose is beautiful, but I felt as if this was a segment of a novel in development. I think it could have been expanded upon and developed further into a truly fantastic novel. It's a pity really.

[Betty Zhao · Rating 3 out of 5]

I opened this book and was reading it very slowly on a 10 pages per day pace, and the story does not turn out as I expected.

The book had main storyline as a voyage on ocean (I was expecting some Aussie landscape in the 19th and their life there, but the whole story is set on sea); and a minor storyline talking about Sarah's relationship with family and her lover.

What I like about this book is the metaphor of fish in the tummy, the dead horse, the lady that danced into the ocean and the dryness+moist stuffs, I think the author Balint really portrayed these in a very interesting and vivid way.

However I do think many were a bit obfuscating, including the family relationship parts. Many characters did not give me a deep impression (Florrie, Polly, William, Anne) and the descriptions of love relationship with Richard is not that convincing to me. Richard is also a very blank character when I read.

(and Balint really like 'as though', this repeated too many times!)

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of a young woman travelling from England to Australia in the 1850s. She joins the other unmarried women in steerage in horribly confined and crowded conditions that are an accurate representation of what those early immigrants endured in the months it took before landing in their new home. It is a gripping read and the bulk of it I enjoyed. My only complaint would be that towards the end the plot seemed to lose its way, meandering into a dream like state that failed to act as a satisfactiry conclusion to either journey or book. The words on the page ended, it seemed, without satisfying resolution or clarity. I'm still not sure whether the ship actually arrived.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a migrant to Australia, I have hungrily read the accounts of other emigres, from its early to recent history. This is a short novel, based on the imagined journal entries/letters of a young woman during her voyage from England to Australia in the mid 19th century. Through her account we learn about the horrendous conditions aboard the ship, about the others making the journey, about why she fled, and about what hopes sustained her during the difficult voyage. It is a heroine's journey!

[Vandria Bower · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love historical fiction books since they bring unknown history to life for me!

[Kookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty harrowing

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the prose, but I feel like the rest of the story was sacrificed to the superiority of the prose. I like fluidity in my prose, but not in differentiating between memory and present, reality and imagination. I feel like the author got lost in her writing - in such a way that it was to her own detriment. I would not feel inclined to recommend this novel, but I do not regret reading it. Despite my confusion towards the plot, the writing was exquisite. And I know this makes me a hypocrite for not rating it even lower (I've even revised it so it's not as high as I originally rated it - a 6) since I always say plot above all things...but I am such a sucker for beautiful prose.

If you liked this book, then you might like Wintering: A Novel of Sylvia Plath and The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox

I have a more comprehensive review at http://oboechica-books.blogspot.com/2...

[Marie desJardins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Here's what I wrote this book as I started it: "Reading it now, but I don't know if I'll get through it. It's off to an awfully slow start and the writing is on the turgid side. Not really my type of book. I can't actually remember why I have it... I think somebody suggested/gave it to me.

Update: Have already finished a second book, and started a third one, without reading any farther in this one. It's not looking good for "The Salt Letters," but we shall soldier on."

So I finally finished it -- kind of. I admit to skimming over most of it. It continues to be "not my type of book." It's very literary -- lots of descriptions, allusions, and symbolism regarding water and butterflies, but no real story or explanations of what's going on, or why, or how anybody feels about it. I never did figure out if Richard is on the boat as well or if she had to leave him behind. I never figured out whether she was forced to leave or chose to leave. Frankly, I never figured much of anything out -- and I never actually cared.

Somebody might like this book, but not anybody I know.

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

Largely forgettable, this short book is the narrative of a confused and strange young woman (Sarah) on a boat from London to Australia. Little by little, we realize she is in love with her cousin and is going to America with him so that they can marry. Also, she believes she's swallowed a fish and it's living in her belly. Her berth mates are forgettable, too; not a one had a personality. They all bickered and got into cat fights about stupid things - stealing letters, etc. Richard, the object of Sarah's affection, wasn't fleshed out and seemed some generic, stand-in shadow placeholder where a real character should be.

Sarah's mother refuses to drink liquid or have it around her. That part made me parched. She's obsessed with salt and the feel of liquid on her skin and the saltiness of the sea. It's bizarre to be so taken with two extremes. But nothing about this crazy narrator is moderate.

By the end, I didn't care if the boat sank or made it to Australia or returned to England. It wasn't written badly, it was just weird and uninteresting.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was actually a grad thesis. Started out well, but then delved into madness (literally). The story takes place in the 1850's and a young upper middle class girl has fallen in love with her cousin.Because he is "family" they are allowed to spend time together without chaperones. When her parents decide she needs to marry her neighbor, she and her cousin tell the family they are in love and plan to marry. Parents object because they are family - but this didn't make sense as I believe marrying cousins was acceptable in those days (gotta keep money and property in the family)...In any case, I think the author should have fleshed this out better so it was more "novel" and less "thesis."

[Phair · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a dumb book despite the glowing review and a theme that I enjoy- emigration to Australia in 19thc by a young woman. Never terribly involving nor very descriptive. Main character is very isolated but then no character is really fleshed out. As the book progressed the narrator turns feverish & rambling so you don't know what is real & what is imagination. No actual plot- just a single person narrative that goes no-where, not even to Australia.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of a young woman traveling from England to Australia in 1850. I could tell this was written by a brilliant mind but my mind didn't always follow her train of thought. She wove back and forth between the past and present but also between reality and fantasy. I got a feel for the horrid circumstances of an unmarried woman traveling in steerage in the mid 1800's but I wanted a little more reality, more character development and more closure.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was sent to me by a friend and the first chapters have been riveting.

This was a very quick read (under 200 pages) once I got a chance to sit down and actually read. The detail about the life of the women on the ship and what they went through was amazing. The only disappointment was the ending - it just sort of ends, doesn't really wrap things up.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was quick, but vague. It took forever to find out what happened to the main character's love interest, which made me skip through most of what the author wanted me to concentrate on (life on the ship). I was unsatisfied with the conclusion.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this, and I didn't. The writing was beautiful, very descriptive and it did keep my interest, however, it felt like she stayed just on the surface, never delving deep enough in to the characters and their stories.

[Wendy Orr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, evocative short novel of a young woman, locked below hatches for most of the journey from England to Australia in the early 19th Century; the narrative slides between memory and her present reality, with increasing flashes of fever-ridden fantasy as the journey takes its toll.

[Trishwah · Rating 1 out of 5]

A dreary and grim historical fiction and I found the ending unsatisfying. It was at least short. I must have tried to read this before, probably a decade ago, based on the old post it I used as a bookmark. I didn't remember having started it at all.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting diary of sorts of a young woman traveling from England to Australia in the late 1800's. I am certainly glad that I did not have to sail across the globe during that period of time.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good quick read. I read it in a day & half. The journey was interesting, however, I was disappointed with the ending.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was kind of strange. Some things weren't explained really well so you weren't sure what she was talking about.

[Jenn]

check my shelves or for a more detailed review because it seems almost familiar but it is possible I didn't read this.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is prettily written, but slim. It feels like something that either needed to be shorter and tighter, or expanded and fleshed out. Evocative and atmospheric, but unsatisfying.

[Jodi · Rating 1 out of 5]

A short novel that took me a long time to read..kept waiting for it to get good and it never quite did

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

a quick historical fiction read...

[Jen Bojkov · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this in 2001. All I really remember about it is how depressed it made me...