Our Book Of The Month for April is The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. For our online Book Clubbers we have some questions below about the book for you to get involved with. Either answer in the comments section or use as discussion points at your next Book Club (whenever that may be!)
The Salt Path – The Blurb
Just days after Raynor learns that Moth, her husband of 32 years, is terminally ill, their home is taken away and they lose their livelihood. With nothing left and little time, they make the brave and impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset, via Devon and Cornwall.
Carrying only the essentials for survival on their backs, they live wild in the ancient, weathered landscape of cliffs, sea and sky. Yet through every step, every encounter and every test along the way, their walk becomes a remarkable journey.
The Salt Path is an honest and life-affirming true story of coming to terms with grief and the healing power of the natural world. Ultimately, it is a portrayal of home, and how it can be lost, rebuilt and rediscovered in the most unexpected ways.
Discussion Points
The following are written with the presumption you have read The Salt Path. If you haven’t, bookmark the post for now so you can come back and answer the questions later.
- Travel is often described as life changing, why is this? Have you ever undertaken a similar life changing journey? Where did you go? How did it change you?
- How has this book changed your perceptions/attitude towards homeless people?
- There are frequent comments in the book as to Raynor and Moth’s ages. Despite adult children and retirement, why is it that the world is expected to constrict for older people?
- Raynor often notices that walkers doing the South West Coast Path just do the tourist route to tick off that they have seen something without really taking in the real essence of the place. Are you guilty of this? In a world where there are so many demands on our time how do we avoid this?
- What essentials could you not do without if you were to undertake a similar journey? Could you really carry them? If you have nothing to do during lockdown try lying them all out and carrying them around the house. Up the stairs.
- We challenge you to ‘wild camp’. For those lucky enough to have a tent and a garden stick it up and camp for the night. No electronics are allowed. And you can only eat/drink what you can carry and cook outdoors!
Get Involved
Feel free to answer as little or as many of the questions as you like. Post your replies below, discuss with us on social media using @BookSocialUK, or pose some questions of your own. If you enjoyed answering our questions, have a go at last month’s Get Involved: I Who Have Never Known Men.
And come back tomorrow to read our #BigReview of The Salt Path.