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Salt by Jeremy Page
‘Finding a man buried up to his neck in mud.’
If ever a first line beckoned you to read on, this is it!
Doubtlessly named after ‘Great Expectations’ Pip, the storyteller of ‘Salt’ attempts to build up his family history by gathering memories and stories together. Admittedly fabricated and exaggerated, dreamt and real, the quilted tale has texture and substance.
Another great appeal of the book, particularly for those readers familiar with Blakeney, is the mystical description of the salt marsh and its eccentric inhabitant Goose [Pip’s grandmother]. Her character is another strength of the book – again, probably larger than life because we learn about her through her grandson’s words.
Readers who are local will enjoy the events retold of the great storm of 1953 and Goose’s tin bath! Jeremy Page tries to recapture the Norfolk dialect and accent in the written word, but of course, it can never be entirely accurate. ‘I seen a man fell right out the sky. Fell right out down here an’ I been lookin’ for him.’ Perhaps close to the Norfolk pronunciation is when Goose starts describing the clouds: ‘Hair – she says – coo-mulus!’
It’s a tragic tale that pulls at the heart-strings at several points. Pip is very much the observer as he does not speak at all for most of his childhood. He simply watches life go on around him.
Much more would give too much away. Just to say that there is a growing momentum in the narrative that leads to an exciting and mysterious climax!
Catherine Gray
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