LoveReading Says
LoveReading Says
Just gorgeous… this is an emotional and quite, quite beautiful read. After a particularly traumatic time at home, 13 year old Sal and her younger sister Peppa escape into the wilds of Scotland. Sal has spent a long time preparing, the wilderness beckons them, can they survive on their own? Sal tells their story, the first chapter is so clever, I started to realise what had been happening, and then a few carefully chosen, yet almost casually thrown away words, sent a shockwave running through me. I could clearly hear Sal’s voice, she is so individual and distinctive, her words entered my mind and expanded, filling my heart. Mick Kitson encourages the Scottish countryside to sing with intensity, while you can hear Sal, you can see and feel the clean and natural space she and Peppa find themselves in. Kindness flows from unexpected places, and love is behind every word shared by Sal, even in the darkness. Simple, beautiful, provocative yet touching, this is an outstanding debut, and a read I will return to again and again. Highly recommended and one of my picks of the month.
Liz Robinson
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About
Sal Synopsis
This is a story of something like survival. Sal planned it for almost a year before they ran. She nicked an Ordnance Survey map from the school library. She bought a compass, a Bear Grylls knife, waterproofs and a first aid kit from Amazon using credit cards she'd robbed. She read the SAS Survival Handbook and watched loads of YouTube videos. And now Sal knows a lot of stuff. Like how to build a shelter and start a fire. How to estimate distances, snare rabbits and shoot an airgun. And how to protect her sister, Peppa. Because Peppa is ten, which is how old Sal was when Robert started on her. Told in Sal's distinctive voice, and filled with the silent, dizzying beauty of rural Scotland, Sal is a disturbing, uplifting story of survival, of the kindness of strangers, and the irrepressible power of sisterly love; a love that can lead us to do extraordinary and unimaginable things.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781786891914 |
| Publication date: |
3rd January 2019 |
| Author: |
Mick Kitson |
| Publisher: |
Canongate Books Ltd |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
234 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Family Drama
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| Other Genres: |
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| Recommendations: |
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Press Reviews
Mick Kitson Press Reviews
Just wonderful. A breath of fresh air in a book. Sal is a story with incredible heart, told so beautifully and with such clarity and grace I can hardly believe it's a debut! I loved it -- JOANNA CANNON, author of THE TROUBLE WITH GOATS AND SHEEP
Sal is spellbinding, that rare gem of a novel that effortlessly explores what it is to be a human existing in an often brittle and unkind world. Sal's voice is one of the most compelling I've read in a long time. A luminous debut -- SARAH SCHMIDT, author of SEE WHAT I HAVE DONE
Sal is a triumph. It's a modern adventure story of siblings on the run in 'the Last Great Wilderness of Scotland. But it's much, much, more than this. Sal, and her sister Peppa, are vivid and compelling - their relationship and their voices ring utterly true. Shot through with deft humour and a humane, sometimes harrowing, honesty, Kitson's characters will stay with me for a very long time -- JESS KIDD, author of HIMSELF
A genuinely wondrous novel, combining the beautiful rural detail of an Arthur Ransome adventure with a touching story of sisterhood and family trauma. The descriptions of the Scottish landscape are so resonant you can smell the pine needles. It's been a long time since I've felt this involved with a character and her struggle -- KEITH STUART, author of A BOY MADE OF BLOCKS'
Author
About Mick Kitson
Mick Kitson was born in South Wales, and studied English at university before launching the prolific 80s pop band, The Senators, with his brother Jim. He worked as a journalist for several years, then went on to become an English teacher. Mick lives in Fife, Scotland with his wife Jill and bad-tempered dog Lucy. He has three grown-up children, and spends more time than is good for him fly fishing for sea trout, reading, playing the banjo and growing strawberries. He also builds boats. Sal is his first novel.
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