The Taste of Salt

Publishers Weekly

In her haunting fourth novel, Southgate (Third Girl from the Left) examines the complicated issues of race, family, love, and addiction. Josie Henderson is a widely respected scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts and prides herself on being the only senior-level African-American marine biologist there. Henderson loves her job and has a husband, Daniel, who adores her, but she can't shake her past of growing up with an alcoholic father. The story spins out, told through Josie's eyes and those of her brother, Tick, father, mother and husband after Josie goes back to her hometown of Cleveland to pick Tick up from his second stint in rehab. Southgate's arresting, fluid prose and authentic dialogue come together in a resonating study of relationships, where selfish tendencies among the various characters are revealed, as are their feelings of regret. A fascinating story that shows how the mistakes people make affect all those around them. (Sept.)

Booklist

“With a lyrical style and obvious respect for her craft, Southgate has composed a compassionate, complex, and concentrated novel, tenderly powerful, that explores family bonds that last long after the family is dispersed.”— Booklist

NPR.org

“[The Taste of Salt] hauntingly explores how the mistakes people make affect everyone around them.” —NPR.org

Christian Science Monitor

"Southgate brings a thoughtful intelligence to her downbeat tale." --Christian Science Monitor

People

"Four voices tell this poignant story, making each page ache with a different shade of loneliness." --People

Entertainment Weekly

"In The Taste of Salt, Southgate writes a minor-key melancholy that comes on softly, but lingers long after. B+" --Entertainment Weekly

Essence

“Martha Southgate delivers her most personal work ever…a heartbreaking and fascinating character study… In a virtuoso balancing act, Southgate tells this poignant story from other points of view.”—Essence

San Francisco Chronicle

“[A] searing, gorgeous, brilliant and profoundly human novel about two generations of an African American family riding the slow-mo roller coaster of addiction.”—San Francisco Chronicle

BookPage

"With compassion and quiet grief, Southgate examines the ways families self-destruct even as they try to hold together." --BookPage

BookReporter.com

“The story of a family pushed to its limits by addiction over the course of two generations… Weaving four voices into a beautiful tapestry, Southgate charts the lives of the Hendersons from the parents first charmed meeting to Josie’s realization that the ways of the human heart are more complex than anything seen under a microscope.”—Bookreporter.com

VOYA - Lona Trulove

Growing up is difficult in the best of circumstances, but it is especially difficult for teens in families dealing with alcohol and drug abuse. The Taste of Salt takes the reader on a journey with the Henderson family as they navigate the murky waters of alcohol and drug abuse. Southgate does a wonderful job of developing well-rounded characters for whom readers can feel compassion, empathy, and even frustration as they begin to deal with the truth about their family and the destruction that abuse creates. It is especially helpful that she paints the picture of a middle-class, intelligent family who is struggling. Many times teens in these families feel as though they are alone and do not have someone to talk to about what is happening at home; hopefully this book will be a springboard for dialogue. The honesty with which this novel is written makes it a great addition not only to classroom libraries but also to the counseling departments of middle schools and high schools alike. It would be useful to read in small groups and then discuss, as well as for researching alcoholism and drug abuse today. This is a sensitive, thought-provoking novel that touches the heart and stays with the reader. Reviewer: Lona Trulove

Library Journal

Southgate follows her two critically acclaimed novels, The Fall of Rome and Third Girl from the Left, with a novel featuring African American oceanographer Josie Henderson, who resides in Massachusetts with her white husband. Her decision to live and work near the ocean, away from her hometown of Cleveland, was prompted, almost without her being aware, by the alcoholism of her father and younger brother, Tick; she had longed for an escape. When Tick shows up expectantly at her door, Josie is suddenly confronted with her past and her own romantic addictions. Writing largely from the perspective of her protagonist, Southgate does a wonderful job of telling Josie's story, touching on racism, sexism, alcoholism, and emotional infidelity in a story that is intriguing if not entirely unpredictable. In fact, the novel is strongest when it most recalls an actual memoir. VERDICT A good, attention-grabbing read reminiscent of James Baldwin's Go Tell It on the Mountain, this work will appeal to readers of African American literature.—Ashanti White, Univ. of North Carolina, Greensboro