A debut novel that’s well worth its salt

When someone you know writes a book the thought of reviewing it is a little daunting.

That’s one reason why I don’t intend to review Salt Sisters by Katherine Graham.

Another is the fact that I can’t write reviews. I find it a real struggle.

Nevertheless - and I hope this isn’t damning the book with faint praise - I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

The long wait for Salt Sisters is a story in itself. According to Katherine, who I first met (and was slightly intimidated by) more than a decade ago:

I built a career as a professional storyteller without even realising it. I started out as a trainee journalist and ended up in communications and PR. I’ve spent more than 15 years helping some of the world’s biggest brands craft their narratives and find the right words to tell them. Stories are, and have always been, what I do.

But it took a while for me to find the confidence, time and commitment to write a story of my own. I began writing fiction back in 2008. My debut novel Salt Sisters was eventually published in 2021. That's a long draft.

I won’t give away any spoilers but the story is set in a fishing village in the north east of England.

I’m not sure how autobiographical it is but the principal character has clear echoes of the author.

Isabelle (or ‘Izzy’) is an ambitious corporate exec working in Hong Kong who is forced to return home when her sister dies unexpectedly.

I assume that’s where the direct similarity ends but Katherine, who currently lives in Taiwan, is clearly mining aspects of her own life, including her north east roots, for what follows.

Whether that includes throwing up on arrival at Heathrow, leaving a puddle of vomit for her fellow passengers to side-step (page one), only Katherine knows but don't let that lovely image put you off.

There’s a nice plug for Nespresso, one of Katherine’s old employers, in chapter 12, but the dominant drug in this story isn’t caffeine but alcohol. Boy, can Izzy drink.

‘I poured a small vodka.’

‘Tormented, I knew that only a glass of wine would help.’

‘I was bored with wine and needed something a little harder, so I poured myself a scotch.’

Is there something you’d like to tell us, Katherine?

Joking aside, this is a remarkably confident debut novel.

I found it absorbing and extremely well plotted, with a remarkable degree of detail, none of which got in the way of the plot.

The characters are well drawn and the dialogue - which can be incredibly stilted in the hands of many novice authors - is also well written.

Befitting a murder mystery, Salt Sisters rattles along and the surprises keep on coming right to the end.

The pacing in particular is extremely well done and with each chapter it feels as if the story is being cranked up a notch until it fairly races to its conclusion.

Perhaps the greatest compliment I can give Salt Sisters is that, after a few chapters, I completely forgot that I knew the author or was reading the book largely out of curiosity.

Instead I was fully engaged and enjoying the story in its own right.

Some might describe Salt Sisters as a potboiler (‘a book, film, or other creative work produced solely to make the originator a living by catering to popular taste’) but that would do it a disservice.

To the best of my knowledge it hasn’t been written for money but is a genuine labour of love, a love letter (of sorts) to Katherine’s native north east, although that never gets in the way of the story.

Most important, if you enjoy a murder mystery it’s a really good read.

The denouement is a bit melodramatic but the overall vibe - the coastal setting, the small, rather claustrophobic community - reminded me of Broadchurch.

If I was a television producer I’d snap up the rights now!

For further information about the book click here. To purchase a copy (the Kindle edition on Amazon.co.uk is free) click here.

Warmly recommended.