Exploring Resilience and Renewal: A Journey Through “The Salt Path”

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
Genre: memoir
I read it as a(n): audiobook
Narrator: Raynor Winn
Length: 09:00:00 
Her Grace’s rating: 5 stars

Raynor Winn and her husband, Moth, are in their 50s when they lose everything due to a bad business scheme their friend got them into. They find themselves with no home, no business, no money, and no one able to help. On top of all that, Moth is diagnosed with a terminal degenerative illness just days after they lost everything else. So they pack their backpacks and set off to walk the South West Coastal Path, a 600+ mile trail around the Cornish peninsula. Just like any normal person would (WARNING: sarcasm detected). Having lost all their savings, they are dependent upon the miniscule amount of government funds they’re entitled to, which is something like £20 per week. 

I first became aware of this book because of an article I saw that said it was being filmed and is starring Jason Isaacs and Gillian Anderson. BOTH of my celebrity crushes in the SAME MOVIE OMFG *FLAIL* WHEN CAN I WATCH IT?? 

Here’s the thing, though. After reading it, it doesn’t even matter to me if Jason and Gillian are starring. At this point, I would have watched it no matter who was in the film. They could have cast Adam Sandler (shudder) and Gwyneth Paltrow (double shudder) and I would still watch it. That’s because I already know this book will top out in my 5 favorite reads of 2024. 

I read this book a few weeks ago and I still can’t get it out of my head. I felt so bad for Ray and Moth. I can’t imagine how hurt and scared they must have been to be screwed over like they were by a “friend” or how unfair the legal system was to them (they had proof they were not at fault but weren’t allowed to use it because they didn’t submit a form exactly right WTF). Also, how awful it must have been for Moth to carry on when his body was betraying him. 

One thing that struck me throughout the book was the casual cruelty they experienced. They could be sitting by themselves, bothering nobody, in a public park, and someone often would come along and tell them they’re disgusting for being drunk in public or sleeping in public or being crazy in public or whatever the fuck. Nevermind the fact that they were not drunk or stoned or anything like that, and they were homeless. There aren’t enough shelters or space in the existing ones. Where the fuck are they supposed to sleep, the Savoy? And what kind of judgmental jerk automatically assumes that if a person is homeless, they must also be an addict, criminal, or mental patient of some kind? I guess being poor in public is also frowned upon. The fact that these were educated, productive members of society prior to their devastating loss apparently never even occurred to any of the people who gave them grief. Also? I don’t know about you but if I were homeless, numbing all of that with drugs and alcohol probably would seem like an excellent idea.

I think the thing that made me feel the worst to hear about was when they were laying in their tent in the early morning (in a location where it is perfectly fine to pitch a tent) and waiting to get the day started when a random hiker and his dog both take a piss on their tent. I mean, who the fuck DOES that? What kind of asshole do you have to be to piss, literally, on someone’s home? See, this is an example of why I should never become a Jedi. If I had the Force, there is a 100% chance I would use it to give instant karma to assholes like that. Want to pee on someone’s tent? Cool – instant, antibiotic-resistant UTI for you. Maybe a scorching case of jock itch as well. Enjoy it, dickweed. 

All that is to say that this book correctly challenges the perceptions much of society has towards people who are marginalized, whether they are unhoused, addicted, mentally ill, or anything else. People without homes are still people. People with addictions are still people. People who are impoverished are still people. The fact that this needs to be said is a pathetic indictment on humanity as a whole. 

That said, they also did encounter many people who were kind and helpful along the way. Some of them were also walking the south west coast path and they ran into them more than once, though those people were all walking on vacation and only had so many days before they got into a car and drove back home. While they were generally kind and eager to share, it seemed like that was a painful encounter as well since Ray and Moth had no home to go to when they were cold or hungry or sick. Listening to it felt a little like rubbing salt in the wound. 

The book is also an exploration of home and what makes a home. Initially, home was their lost farm, the place where their kids had been born and grew up, where all their things were. By the end, home was simply with each other. They learned that they needed far less than they ever thought, and got by on less than that even though it was out of necessity. As long as they were together, that was really all they needed. That was home and they can take it with them anywhere they go.

FAVORITE QUOTE

We were lightly salted blackberries, hanging in the last of the summer sun, and this perfect moment was the only one we needed.