Salt & Skin by Eliza Henry Jones

 Salt & Skin by Eliza Henry Jones



Salt & Skin by Eliza Henry Jones was published on 6th July by September Publishing. My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to Random Book Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.





Synopsis

Grief-stricken and on the verge of a breakdown, photographer Luda Managan leaves Australia for a commission, bringing her two teenage children to a remote, weather-ravaged but beautiful Scottish island.

 

 Luda, isolated from her two resentful teenagers, turns her attention to the records from the 17th century island witch hunts and the fragmented life stories of the executed women. Min, her daughter, restless and strong, tries to fill up the space in their family left by her father. She soon finds comfort in both the sea and an unlikely friendship. But the only thing that beautiful and gifted Darcy cares about is getting marks high enough for entry into university – one very, very far away from his mother. Until he meets the wild foundling, Theo, who slowly self-destructing in a community that is both protective and violent towards him.

 

But when a tragic accident unleashes ghosts and the echoes of long-ago violence and betrayal into their lives, the Managans must confront their unspoken histories in order to survive.

 

Luminously-written, Salt & Skin is a compelling modern family drama, threaded with folklore and building to an incredible, climactic ending. It’s a story of wild landscapes, incomers, outsiders and changelings, and a meditation on the absence of women’s voices in stories and history.

And like a hymn to the sea, it is unpredictable, startling and beautiful.




My Review

I was absolutely gripped with this incredibly challenging story from page one. The theme for the story is extremely powerful and as you read the book you will find yourself experiencing many emotions as the different relationships and consequent actions are developed. There are times when you will deeply feel the grief, hate, love and friendship that Luda, Darcy and Min encounter as they try to rebuild their lives on Seannay after fleeing there following a tragedy in Australia.
There are so many wildly swinging emotions in this  haunting novel linked to the past with its myths and legends, present and future that are brought to life through the deeply descriptive passages set on this remote Scottish island that you will feel you are living in, and experiencing them as you read the book. 
It is a story that will stir up your emotions and get you thinking on many levels, trying to look at the reasons why the characters behave in the way they do and through it all there is a strong link to climate change that affects us all. The question is, at times , should it affect everything ?


About the Author




Eliza Henry-Jones is a writer and academic based on a little flower farm in Victoria, Australia. Her previous novels have been listed for multiple literary awards including the ABIA, NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and QLD Literary Awards. Her work has also been published widely, appearing in places such as the Guardian, Country Style, The Big Issue and The Age. Eliza has qualifications in psychology as well as grief, loss and trauma counselling. @elizahenryjones


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