I met Chris in the craft tent at Glamis Castle Vehicle Extravaganza and after a chat I bought a signed copy of this book.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable read, all the more so because I am gradually exploring Scotland and will be heading to Montrose in a few weeks.
Chris’s colourful description of the fisherfolk, especially the women, quickly draws the reader into this close knit community and and encourages empathy for Belle, the outsider, who neither fits in due to her looks and build or her manner and expectations of life. The fear is palpable as she is lured into circumstances which could lead to her downfall when the women turn totally against her. Her saviour comes from the most unexpected source and the novel leaves you wondering what Belle will do next.
The relationships in A Salt Splashed Cradle are complex as they are simple. The reader grapples with the trauma of Belle’s daughter Sarah, the strong mother in law and Matriach Annie, as much as with Belle herself. The sea is never far away, with its dangers, both fishing in local waters and further afield as Belle’s husband Jimmie heads off to the far north in a whaling ship.
A well crafted novel and a pleasure to read.
I picked up The House Between Tides by Sarah Maine at Waterstones since it was Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year. Although not a Scottish author, her setting for this and Women of the Dunes, couldn’t be more Scottish, based on the north west coast.
Libby follows the trail of stories from her home in Canada to the Hebrides, tales passed down to her of Ullaness, Ulla the Norse-woman and the chapel, involving intrigue, disappearances and possibly murder.
Diana Jackson 