Salt

by Catrin Kean

Cardiff in the late 1800s is grimy, crowded, and grey, and Ellen, a domestic, dreams of escaping her dreary life there for the sea. When she falls in love with Samuel, a ship's cook from Barbados, she is able to fulfil her fantasy by running away with him on a ship bound for the bright excitement of San Francisco.

Life at sea is brutal and dangerous, but it is a place where they can be free… Until circumstances force Ellen home, and the hardships of working class life and racism begin to poison their lives.

'Salt' is based on the lives of Kean's great-grandparents, who married in 1878. This is their love story.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

194 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all know how it goes, you've got a few days off so you grab the books at the top of the reading pile and head off. This is what happened to me, and Salt was there to be read first.
I wasn't disappointed at all, a well-paced and emotional journey with the main characters left me thinking we all need to prioritise what's important in life, especially at times like these.
I won't add spoilers, but this well written story deserves a read, it's uplifting and affirming.

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

When on holiday in North Wales I was looking for a book about Wales and on entering Browsers Bookshop, I spotted this on a shelf about ‘the sea’. I don’t think I’ve ever spotted a shelf about ‘the sea’ in a bookshop, perhaps I haven’t looked, maybe I never noticed, never staying quite so close to the sea as I had that week. I looked at the title ‘Salt’ and it drew my attention, so connected to the sea. I looked at the cover, a 19th century-style ghost-like ship and a photograph of a Caribbean island. I was immediately interested.

This is a small book about the sea and it is told as a third-person narrative of Ellen’s life, set in two different time periods: her past as a child and young woman and the present. It is not only about the sea. It is a book about Ellen’s dreams of the sea, her life on the sea and her adventures beyond the seas. It is also a book about the life of Ellen because of the sea and how that life at sea impacted on Ellen’s present.

There is so much history in this book, which I knew and loved and I loved also the sense of place. Cardiff, the sea, San Francisco, the Caribbean and Barry. It is a little book but lyrical and poetic, and it deals with some huge themes besides the sea: poverty, class, industrialisation, racism, mental health, the emancipation of women, perhaps this is why it seems surprisingly ‘big’. What I like best of all, and find most inspiring, is that Kean has based this on the lives of her great-grandparents.

[Maithreyi Karnoor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story of gripping pathos -- systemic oppression of poverty and racism -- interspersed with sparks of joy ending in the quietude of acceptance. It is quite simply told with moments of brilliance. While Ellen is the protagonist and quite a strong and headstrong character, it is her husband Samuel who remains most intriguing in his capacity for tragedy -- as the enduring and endearing husband, a grieving son, a man who gives up all his hopes and dreams in a thankless endeavours to please his wife and is later estranged from her and his son over her inability to empathise with him. The deep regret that follows is suffocating owing to its 'toolateness'. But there is no reconciliation for the have-nots.
I have been meaning to read a woman's story set in Tiger Bay. This book was a good beginning.

[Matthew Close · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but satisfying novel. Kean’s eloquent prose quickly brings her characters and the world they inhabit to life.

Each place, from grimy Victorian Cardiff and a bustling San Francisco to a tranquil Caribbean paradise glossing over horrendous exploitation, is vividly brought to life. You feel the impact each place has on the characters as they navigate the choppy waters of life and their relationships with each other.

But most keenly felt is the impact of the sea, both as a refuge for the characters to escape from their troubles, and as the force that brings them home to face them.

[Eduardo Norte · Rating 2 out of 5]

En palabras del gran RuPaul: meh.
Lo lei para un club de lectura y todas estuvimos de acuerdo con que parecía un manuscrito más que un libro editado. El libro toca muchísimos temas (inmibración, maternidad, guerra, racismo, esclavitud ...) para lo cortito que es, y no le da tiempo a expandir bien en estos temas. Se queda plano. Algunas veces es cursi en exceso y algunos personajes son más básicos que la tabla del dos.
Está bien escrito y no te dan ganas de tirarlo por la ventana. Tiene partes bonitas y se deja leer. Si te gustan los libros románticos con trasfondo crítico a lo mejor lo disfrutas. No ha sido mi caso.

[Antonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salt is beautifully written, and its engaging characters are easy to care about. The story is based on the lives and love of the author’s great-grandparents — Ellen, a Welsh woman who marries Samuel, a Barbadian sailor (ship’s cook) and travels with him onboard the Mary Alice to San Francisco and later Barbados. With themes of class and race, the story is full of both joy and sadness, hope and despair. In 2021, Salt won the Rhys Davies Trust Fiction Award, the Wales Arts Review People's Choice Award, and the overall prize for Wales Book of the Year. A great read, which I heard about from the delightful Book Cougars podcast!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice, gentle little read about Ellen and Samuel and their life together both at sea and in Wales.

It’s good to see a story about an interracial relationship being centred around their love as well as the difficulties they faced. The period accurate racism isn’t a main focus even if the author does gently remind you that it’s there.

And it was nice to see some things that I recognised in the acknowledgments, particularly Ty Newedd and the writing courses that they offer there.

Very nice.

[Rachel Mackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much! So full of hope and then so much despair. It takes you to different worlds and is so deeply engaging. It usually takes me a long time to “get into a book” but this one had me almost immediately and I devoured it in two evenings. It’s also an important book laying bare the racism of the time and it’s impact on the protagonists: such a harsh reality. Wow what a book!

[Gill James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is based on a true story. There is a lot of love and laughter but also a good deal of sadness. Catrin Kean provides us with convincing characters that we come to love. Her story engages throughout.

[S.E. Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this novel wonderful, beautiful prose and engaging characters. Such a moving story, and that it is based on the author's family story makes it even more heart wrenching. One of my most memorable reads of the year.

[Pam Keevil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some beautifully written passages with a command of poetic language but not to my taste.

[Gera Rhiannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a beautifully written book. Hope beauty and joy so changed by the brutality of small minds and racism. But maybe hope and joy can never be defeated.

[Gaynor Miles Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved with book with local links to Cardiff.

[Alix Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is literary candy - it is amazing - one of those books you never want to end because the world which Catrin creates is so warm and beautiful and sensory in spite of the hardships in it.

[Symon Vegro · Rating 2 out of 5]

My favourite part of this book was the Acknowledgements.

I am delighted to have a signed copy though.

[David Ebsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just loved it! My favourite read of the year - though made me weep at times. Beautifully written. Well done, Catrin!

[Sarah Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovey story if a family through generations. And nice that its based on a real family

[Brett Olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

really beautiful writing at times. still deeply sad as all welsh books must be, wish the book had explored some of its themes more fully but a good read all the same

[Tôpher Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written book that packs a punch and yet tugs at the heart strings.