This is a book which looks at the eternal lure of the sea. In chapters which flow like the movement of the tides, Charlotte Runcie looks at the creatures which live in, on or beside the sea, people who work on the sea, myths and legends of the oceans, the way the sea is depicted in art, music and literature and the deep connection that she personally feels with the sea.
I spent a few days immersed in the lyrical prose of this book, beautifully narrated by Jessica Hardwick. It accompanied me on my walks along the prom by the sea at Portobello, a place which features in the book as the author lived in Edinburgh while she was writing. There were many places mentioned in the book which I either know very well, such as the coastal towns of East Lothian or Fife, or have visited, such as Skye or Lindisfarne and this really added to my enjoyment. It seemed unsurprising that I was driving past Newhaven harbour at the exact moment the author was sharing tales of the Newhaven fishwives, such was the magical quality of the writing. It also seems very apt that the date I have chosen to publish this review, quite unintentionally, is the Autumn equinox, a day associated with strong tides, also known as equinox tides.
There is a strong focus on women in the book whether that’s women waiting for their men to return from sea, women of myth and legend or women who make their living from the fruits of the sea. Interspersed with the main narrative are chapters where we accompany the author as she journeys through pregnancy, birth and into early motherhood. I thought these chapters were particularly powerful as the author spoke of the joys, the fears and difficulties of this time as well as the overwhelming love she felt for her newborn daughter, fresh from her own watery place of safety.
Although this is non-fiction, there is more than a hint of storytelling within its pages. Salt On Your Tongue is a beautifully written memoir highlighting the connections between nature and humanity, and drawing attention to how dependant we are on the waters which surround us and sustain us.
Full Book Details
Charlotte Runcie has always felt pulled to the sea, lured by its soothing, calming qualities but also enlivened and inspired by its salty wildness. When she loses her beloved grandmother and becomes pregnant with her first child, she feels its pull even more intensely.
In Salt on Your Tongue Charlotte explores what the sea means to us and particularly what it has meant to women through the ages. This book is a walk on the beach with Turner, with Shakespeare, with the Romantic poets and shanty singers. It’s an ode to our oceans – to the sailors who brave their treacherous waters, to the women who lost their loved ones to the waves, to the creatures that dwell in their depths, to beach trawlers, swimmers, sea birds and mermaids.
In mesmerising prose, Charlotte Runcie explores how the sea has inspired, fascinated and terrified us and how she herself fell in love with the deep blue. Navigating through ancient Greek myths, poetry, shipwrecks and Scottish folktales, Salt on Your Tongue is about how the wild untameable waves can help us understand what it means to be human.
About the Author
Charlotte Runcie is the Daily Telegraph‘s radio columnist and arts writer. For several years she lived and worked in Edinburgh, where she ran a folk music choir, and she now lives in the Scottish Borders. She has a secret past as a poet, having been a Foyle Young Poet of the Year with a pamphlet published by tall-lighthouse. Salt On Your Tongue is her first book.
@charlotteruncie | charlotteruncie.com
