A Sweet Sting of Salt: A Novel

(Paperback)

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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. 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, already drenched to the bone in the freezing cold and barely able to speak a word of English. Although Jean is the only midwife in the village and for miles around, she's at a loss as to who this woman is or where she's from; Jean can only assume 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 grow. 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 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

Reviews

Agorgeous tale of sapphic yearninglaced with a slow-building sense of Gothic dread, Sutherlands captivating debut isan intensely beautiful experience you wont soon forget.Paulette Kennedy, bestselling author of The Witch of Tin Mountain

A Sweet Sting of Salt masterfully combines rich historical detail with an atmospheric, poignant romancebetween two unforgettable women thatwill sweep readers off their feet. For fans of feminist retellings and queer fairy tales, Sutherlands debut isa must-read.Allison Epstein, author of Let the Dead Bury the Dead

Rose Sutherlands debut, A Sweet Sting of Salt, brilliantly weavesthe stark atmosphere of coastal nineteenth-century Nova Scotia as a complement to lonely midwife Jean and otherworldly Muirin. Sutherlandsthoughtful prosemirrors the environment, dotted with echoes ofBrontan romantic longingbutwith heroines who have the inner strength to determine their own happy endings.Maureen Marshall, author of The Paris Affair

Sutherland has crafteda modern fairytaleas harsh and beautiful as its Nova Scotian setting, melding thegorgeously rendered love story of her heroineswith the realities of queer life when such love could rarely be openly expressed. A masterful work, A Sweet Sting of Salt will linger in my imagination as vividly as any bit of ancient folklore, long after the last page.Laura R. Samotin, author of The Sins on Their Bones

Both folkloric and true to life, A Sweet Sting of Salt invites us hearthside fora mesmerizing yarn. Sutherland plunges us into theforbidden desiresof nineteenth-century hearts, then rescues us with the deepest kinds ofuniting love. Hervibrant depictionof the Nova Scotian shore fills our lungs with salted air and imbues us with a yearning for the sea.Gwen Tuinman, author of Unrest

A stunning workfilled with beautifully rendered lore, evocative prose, and heroineswhose indelible internal strength and magic make you root for them at every turn.Felicia Grossman, author of Marry Me by Midnight

Filled with fierce, unforgettable characters and sweeping landscapes, A Sweet Sting of Salt is a stunning debut from start to finish. Sutherland is most definitely a writer to watch.Molly Greeley, author of Marvelous

Sutherlands debutisa moody, tense, queer love story, loosely based on the Scottish folktale The Selkie Wife. Theintense, passionate connection between Jean and Muirin isbreathtaking. . . . Readers who enjoy fiction inspired by fairy tales and folklore will beentranced.Booklist, starred review

Wild and windsweptjust like its setting, A Sweet Sting of Salt isa subversive, lushly romantic historical retellingof an age-old folktale.Olesya Salnikova Gilmore, author of The Witch and the Tsar

Author Bio

Rose Sutherland was born and raised a voracious reader of anything she could get her hands on in rural Nova Scotia, and once even fell off the roof of her house trying to re-enact Anne of Green Gables. She's continued to be entertainingly foolhardy since, graduating theater school in New York City, apprenticing at a p tisserie in France, and most recently, working in theater in Toronto. She's mildly obsessed with the idea of one day owning a large dog, several chickens, and maybe a goat. A Sweet Sting of Salt is her first novel, and the story is a love letter to the wild beauty of the place she calls home.