The salt path, by raynor winn
Review written by Emma Johnson, book-club member
A truly remarkable story detailing the very essence of true hardship, demonstrating how through courage and resilience, the human spirit can be slowly rebuilt and strengthened. A must-read for anyone finding themselves a little lost and perhaps needing to be inspired to reset their mindset when faced with challenges…
Brief Synopsis
The journey for Raynor begins when she learns that her husband of thirty-two years, Moth is terminally ill and then days later they lose their home and entire livelihood. Left with just £320 and finding themselves homeless, they embark upon a 630-mile journey along the South-West Coast Path ‘Not heading for a new beginning, not a fresh start with life opening up for us….the walk, only the walk’.
You join Raynor and Moth along their personal journey along some of the country’s most dramatic landscape as they experience many highs and lows along the way, from prejudice against their state of being homeless to the kindness of strangers that help reinforce faith in human nature. This book is more than a tale of overcoming hardship, and more of a story and lesson about how nature has a truly magical power to help people overcome the most desperate of mental and physical challenges, and how true love and friendship between man and wife, can ultimately endure fear and despair. ‘This wasn’t just about being homeless; we were achieving something. Even if we were old’. The healing power of both nature and love are entwined and this book is a true testament to this.
Personal thoughts
The story didn’t feel as though it was the usual tale of a journey of self-discovery, but rather a brave and impulsive decision to walk into the unknown without little thought of what lay ahead, ‘Let’s just pack the rucksacks then, and make it up as we go along’. Raynor’s candid narrative makes you feel as though you are walking alongside them on their personal path. Throughout the book, I felt that I was part of someone’s emotional journey, experiencing the ebbing and flowing of their innermost and private mental anguish and a voyeur of their most intimate moments together.
Book Club Discussion
I enjoyed the discussion about the book with others in my group – each of us equally enjoyed the ‘The Salt Path’ and throughout reading their story were constantly willing Raynor and Moth to get a lucky break throughout their journey. I enjoyed sharing my views and listening to others – I always find it interesting how people interpret things differently as it helps you see something that perhaps you hadn’t thought about when reading, and yet it was equally exciting when we connected with shared views. The view about how Raynor judged homelessness was raised in our discussion group, especially at the beginning of the book, and how it was interpreted that she perhaps hadn’t fully accepted their situation. This perception did however change as the book and journey evolved and full realisation of the severity of their situation was absorbed. We all felt that we were part of Raynor’s emotional journey when reading her story.
Overall, we were all fully invested in the book and collectively enjoyed the rawness of Raynor’s story. Of course, being able to meet the author herself was a real highlight and felt quite intimate with her both listening in to our discussion about her book and then answering questions. To meet someone with such openness about their experience reinforced the honesty of the book.
recommendation
I would recommend this book to anyone needing to be uplifted and reminded about the fragility of life. A truly inspiring read and one that I not only connected with, but which has since stayed with me. A real privilege to read such an intimate human story about emotional and physical strength that should be read with an equally open heart.
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