A Sweet Sting of Salt (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780593594599)

Once a young woman uncovers a dark secret about her neighbor and his mysterious new wife, she'll have to fight to keep herself--and the woman she loves--safe in this stunning queer reimagining of the classic folktale "The Selkie Wife."

"Laced with a slow-building sense of Gothic dread, Sutherland's captivating debut is an intensely beautiful experience you won't soon forget."--Paulette Kennedy, author of The Witch of Tin Mountain

When a sharp cry wakes Jean in the middle of the night during a terrible tempest, she's convinced it must have been a dream. But when the cry comes again, Jean ventures outside and is shocked by what she discovers--a young woman in labor, drenched to the bone in the bitter cold and able to speak barely a word of English.

Although Jean is the only midwife for miles around, she's at a loss for who this woman is or where she's from; Jean can only assume that she must be the new wife of the neighbor up the road, Tobias. And when Tobias does indeed arrive at her cabin in search of his wife, Muirin, Jean's questions continue to multiply. Why has he kept his wife's pregnancy a secret? And why does Muirin's open demeanor change completely the moment she's in his presence?

Though Jean learned long ago that she should stay out of other people's business, her growing concern--and growing feelings--for Muirin mean that she can't simply set her worries aside. But when the answers she finds are more harrowing than she ever could have imagined, she fears she may have endangered herself, Muirin, and the baby. Will she be able to put things right and save the woman she loves before it's too late, or will someone have to pay for Jean's actions with their life?

Author: Rose Sutherland
ISBN-10: 0593594592
ISBN-13: 9780593594599
Publisher: Dell
Language: English
Published: 04/09/2024
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 7.95h x 5.12w x 0.79d

Review Citation(s):
Booklist 11/01/2023 pg. 34
Publishers Weekly 01/29/2024