Review: The Salt God's Daughter by Ilie Ruby

The Salt God's Daughter by Ilie Ruby 

Publisher: Soft Skull Press 

Pages: 352 

Format: eARC 

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Set in Long Beach, California, beginning in the 1970s, The Salt God’s Daughter follows Ruthie and her sister, Dolly, as they carve out a life in a place filled with meteorological myths and exotic folklore, where female rites of passage are met with startling discoveries. Raised by a mother drawn to the ocean and guided by the moons, their heritage is a mystery and with their mother often absent, they are forced to confront the social and sexual mores of the time on their own as they search for true love and a home. Ruthie's daughter, Naida, is born into this conflicted landscape with a secret she tries to keep hidden as she seeks out the father she never knew. 


Kritters Thoughts:  First, what an interesting book.  This one was quite out of my normal reading habits.  The language the author used brought me back to my college reading days with the word imagery floating in my head.  Centered around a mother daughter who have life experiences way beyond what I have had and they challenged me to appreciate the many things that I have not had to go through due to an excellent family and friends.  

Ruthie and Naida, mother and daughter, are two women who have definitely fought life uphill and I think both can say that in the end they succeeded in finding true happiness.  Both women had definite trials to overcome, but with the power of female friendships you see these women come to love life just as it is.

I think this book was a little challenging in the words the author chose and at times it was hard to follow, but in the end it was worth the work and every once in awhile I like a book that takes me out of my usual element.

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2012 Challenge: 50 out of 25

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Spark Point Studio.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.