Some days I am very raw, as though my outer layers have been peeled away, exposing the new parts of myself to the wind and the sea spray… I feel very sensitive to different consistencies of light. The speed of the wind. The pull of my clothes against my arms. Everything has a texture. I had stopped noticing it. I have a new pleasure in holding objects. A cold, round apple is solid in the palm of my hand. I stroke the smooth, hard squares of Scrabble letters. I run my fingers over the rough wooden surface of the table. I wonder if this is how my mother felt when we came here during those long, brooding summers.
~ Jessica Andrews, Saltwater: A Novel (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, January 14, 2020)
I loved it. Recommended for you? Hmmmm. Read a Kindle sample to get a taste.
Notes:
- The Guardian Book Review: A coming-of-age debut novel. A story told in fragments as working-class Lucy finds her way in the modern world
- NY Times Book Review by Penelope Green: “Growing Up in the Margins Without Being Marginalized“
- NY Times 10 New Books We Recommend this Week

Love this David.
Thxs for sharing.
Ju.
Hey Julian. Me too! Thank you for dropping by.
a lovely reawakening of the senses
It is….
Discovering (or rediscovering) the joy of simple sensory experiences can be profound. For me it’s often a matter of making time for such communion. Thanks for the gentle prod, pal….
So well described Lori. Exactly what I felt.
Not available in softcover!!!
Old stale thinking.
You, Mr., are cruising for a bruising, and at high speed!
LAUGHING.
2 men in their 60s telling me I’m old thinking, old fashioned, within minutes.
Sad, like Trump, have your Facts way off (as to the 2 men in the 60’s). The rest is right.
I’m not laughing.
Sawsan, ‘old men in their 60s’ – I think you got DK well and good there…. who’s the other one? You DO have a cruel streak there, though, don’t you? 😉
He’s asking for it. He’s on his knees begging.
Other one is Esam, my husband.
Cruel? I can be cruel!
😉 thought so 🙂
Kiki, he said I’m old and stale in my thinking!
Twice, yesterday, and today. How come you’re not defending me?
Kiki has so much wisdom. She knows. She really knows.
Please Kiki. No need to throw chestnuts to Sawsan to make her feel better.
🙂
Poor Sawsan. Has dialed up her Meds a few clicks too high.
She’s so Cruel!
Dave, you DID ask for it, in a way
You are relentless DK
But I guess Sawsan got you back by saying you are already in your sixties 😉 Tee hee…
🙂
Dale. Please. You keep betting on the wrong horse.
Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
Interesting … ‘ Jessica Andrews, Saltwater: A Novel (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, January 14, 2020) … ‘
I love this, David. It’s how I have been feeling all morning…though not in a pleasant way
Another great post
Thank you Joanne.
Owwwww, that was not the intention of this post.
Nahhh.. don’t worry about it
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