writing for self-discovery

From time to time, I stumble upon a book that leaves an indelible mark. The Signature of all Things, The Ibis Trilogy (three books), Krakatoa, and many others. I’ve kept a record of everything I’ve read since 2019. There are 195 books on that list. 

The latest is The Salt Line by Elizabeth Spencer. You know how you breeze through some novels without really thinking. Others keep you suspended on the edge of your chair, gut churning, not wanting to know what happens but needing closure. 

Then there is that lofty genre appropriately called literary fiction. It is the brilliant crafting of sentences, the complexity of characters, and the thematic depth of a plot that commands consistent attention, or you find yourself going back several pages to pick up where you lost the trail.

The Salt Line is an exquisite work of that genre. It’s difficult to call anything similar to mind. I’ve rarely found myself paying attention to every word because there were no extras. No fluff. To follow the intricacies of the narrative, I couldn’t skim. The characters were multifaceted to the extent that my loyalties shifted as the author developed and expanded upon their personalities.  

Arnie Carrington, the protagonist, is a former professor and 1960s campus radical. After Hurricane Camille devastated the coast between Biloxi, Mississippi, and Gulfport, he is eager to rebuild and attract new business to the area. The characters in The Salt Line are busy reckoning with old ghosts, liberating repressed passions, and figuring out life after trauma. 

True to the genre, Spencer doesn’t offer neatly tied-up endings for the individuals in her story. It is more about the unfolding of their journeys. None of them remains unchanged. 

In that way, it mirrors us. We, too, are changed by the paths we take and the choices we make. Some of us are intentional about who we are and where we want to go. Our goal is clear, and the steps to achieve it are orderly and systematic. Others of us are dreamers. We sense adventure and trust destiny to show us the way. And there are the lost souls who wander without a goal and without a dream, allowing life to happen to them. All types find representation in The Salt Line. Perhaps you’ll see yourself there.