What You Feel When You Read a Book

The Salt Path Journey — Part One

When we author a book we reach out to connect to our audience.

When we read a book we look at it through the lens of our personal relationships and experiences if the author did the job correctly.

Raynor Winn did just that with The Salt Path.

Scot Butwell invited me to go on The Salt Path Journey.

Raynor Winn connected to me in her book in the very first three chapters.

In chapter one she tells of the decision to walk the South West Coast Path, the longest National Trail in the United Kingdom, a 630-mile path.

I never hiked in England, or anywhere else, unless you count the trek up hills that left me winded when I visited the English Riviera for the Agatha Christie Festival. The view from the more level boardwalk looking out into the water off the shore of Torquay, however, brought me such peace then, and had me appreciating the peace Raynor and Moth were seeking by taking the walk.

“Because we lost. Lost the case, lost the house, and lost ourselves.”

In chapter two she talks more about the case that caused this loss with the final frustrating turn of events in court.

“The judge looked at me accusingly.

‘Is this new evidence?’

‘Well, yes, we only received it four days ago.’

‘New evidence cannot be proffered at this late stage. I cannot accept it.’

‘But it proves everything we’ve said for the last three years. It proves that we don’t owe the claimant anything. It’s the truth.’”

The injustice of the judgment against them brought me back to when I was a reporter covering another injustice for three years. That judgment took away from 40 families the homes they owned on the rented land of Spanish Camp with absolutely no compensation to them. Trained to be an objective reporter who kept herself out of the coverage I must confess to retreating quickly to the ladies room in court that day to cry privately in anger and frustration over the miscarriage of justice I had witnessed.

When I read this court case I cried, too. When they learned on top of this the diagnosis that Moth is terminally ill, I cried even more.

In chapter three the author shares conversations with her children about the turn of events and their plan to walk.

The difference in reactions between their daughter Rowan and son Tom now had me laughing. Rowan thinks it crazy. Tom thinks it’s cool.

“Our manic star-jumping toddler had become too chilled for his own good, while the disco-dancing glitter queen had turned into my mum.”

As a mother of three adult children I could totally relate to how such news would have been received so radically differently.

I’ve only read these first three chapters per the start of our Salt Path Journey and already I’m heavily emotionally invested into the lives of Raynor and Moth.

I’ll keep you posted as the journey progresses.

Until then I invite you to read the others on this journey with me & how they see this part of the book.

Scot Butwell , Evon , Janice Macdonald , Klara Jane Holloway , C.A. Jaymes , Michael L Butler , The Sober Vegan Yogi , Belcairn , Mary DeVries , and Jane Kelley