Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Saltwater

Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

This was not the type of novel I expected so I needed a minute to get into it to be honest.
It is split into four parts and we follow Lucy as she switches narratives between living her life in the present and to growing up, and her relationship with her mother is at the fore and core.

- And it has grown on me since the initial reaction (3.5 stars, and I’m glad I read it btw).

My favourite part - of these diary-esque vignettes if that’s even a thing - was the “current setup” in Ireland. Overall I found the book honest, meaningful, sweet and layered.

Also, credit where credit’s due, and maybe I’ll reread this one day to get a better feel of it, the fracturing, moving and changing mother-daughter relationship and dynamic is a strong trope in this book. The ambivalence and heartbreak of it is pretty tangible and very much relevant and relatable and carries the story forward in how this new crossroads is still heavy with the mix of a want and need and a letting go. If that makes sense…

Content Warnings

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Saltwater also features a protagonist trying to find herself, although Lucy is much younger, with the story centred on her transition from a school girl in working class Sunderland to university student in London, a transition which isn’t as straightforward or positive as she’d expected. Some of the key themes are the mother-daughter relationship, the legacy of alcoholism, disability and the impact it can have on the family as well as the individual, and class and regionality. What really stands out in this book is it’s form. It unfolds in a series of episodic vignettes which move back and forward in time with no real narrative arc. The vignettes are perfectly captured moments, demonstrating the author’s talent for showing, not telling.

Content Warnings

stjernetjern's review

Go to review page

inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Content Warnings

emilyburton30's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This was recommended to me by one of my lovely besties. This book is beautifully written. The prose is stunning and several things she says in the book resonate with me as a person.However, whilst reading this book I got into a reading slump - whether that was due to the book or myself I’m unsure. There were parts of the book that really did hook me though others did fall a bit flat. To its credit, I do think the book got better as it went on.

Content Warnings