Mainstream-Mini Review: Sweetness of Salt By Cecilia Galante

The Sweetness of Salt By Cecilia Galante

Published 2010 By Bloomsbury Childrens

Julia just graduated as her high school valedictorian, has a full ride to college in the fall and a coveted summer internship clerking for a federal judge. But when her older sister, Sophie, shows up at the graduation determined to reveal some long buried secrets, Julia's carefully constructed plans come to a halt. Instead of the summer she had painstakingly laid out, Julia follows Sophie back to Vermont, where Sophie is opening a bakery—and struggling with some secrets of her own. What follows is a summer of revelations—some heartwarming, some heartbreaking, and all slowly pointing Julia toward a new understanding of both herself and of the sister she never really knew.

~ MY REVIEW ~

I've been in a contemporary mood lately. Maybe because Summer is just around the corner and good weather is perfect for digesting some slices of life. I happened upon The Sweetness of Salt and was intrigued by the title. I'm a sucker for catchy titles. This book turned out to be a step away from a tear jerker, one that I finished in a single reading session. The big secret the blurb on the back cover hints at isn't so much one thing as an accumulation of many. This is a story about a family that needs mending, and a girl searching for the truth. Our MC, Julia, suffers from what a lot of adolescents do as they embark on their college journey. She suddenly realizes she's not sure what she wants to do, or why she picked the path she was on. This insecurity is furthered by the fact that some serious family secrets are bubbling up to the surface and that the distance between her and the boy she loves has reached an all time high. This story is a great reminder that no family is perfect, no matter how glossy the cover appears. However, I was a bit disappointed at the anticlimactic feeling I got from the "big reveal." The truth Julia saught wasn't as dark or embellished as I was expecting. Yet that's probably what makes this a decent story. It's extremely real and relatable. I know this book has received mixed reviews, but if your a fan of contemporary writing, you will like The Sweetness of Salt. It makes you think and you'll find a fondness for Julia and her sister.