I am not naive. Furthermore, I don’t believe, there is such a thing as objective truth. We all know a degree of subjectivity is present in nonfiction. The content being published in nonfiction is coloured by the author’s interpretation of events, the choices of what is being said versus what is not being said and the people selected to be included with views or interviews in the book.
The Salt Path is one of the biggest successes in nonfiction in modern time. Written by Raynor Winn, it tells a story about facing adversity, going on a strenuous hike and turning around your life. It has sold million of copies and was recently made into a blockbuster movie featuring Gillian Anderson.
Then the bomb fell. The Observer published an extensive journalistic piece, proposing a very different truth including fraud and deception by the author, whose real name is Sally Walker.
The Observer article triggered a huge wave of reactions across media, including Richard Osman & Marina Hyde discussing the responsibility of the publishing house, The Guardian emphasizing memoirists have a duty to tell the truth and The Independent stating we have ourselves to thank, being gullible readers longing for a good fairytale. Eventually, articles appeared with the author defending herself and Penguin defending themselves.
Where do I stand? First of all, I was disappointed. I was amongst The Salt Path‘s biggest fan, being fond of hiking and loving stories about real people overcoming adversity. I felt cheated. One of the reasons, nonfiction often has such a big impact, even bigger than fiction, is that it really happened. As mentioned, I am far from naive and accepts there must be subjectivity involved in memoirs and nonfiction in general. However, if the whole premise for story turns out to be a lie, the impact diminishes and it may even impact my experience with nonfiction going forward. Will the doubt creep in, every time I read something extraordinary?
In my opinion, the author has a huge responsibility and needs to take it seriously. I was reminded of Ian McEwan’s Atonement, which has exactly that as one of its key messages.
I did consider taking down my review, but for now I will leave it. Let me know what you think of it all.
Orginal review from January, 2020
The fog is laying thick, everything around me is grey and blurred and all sound seems to be swallowed by this dense blanket of fog. Suddenly, a muted shout manages to penetrate the fog: arfineq pingasut! Another voice seems to answer, this time a bit louder: qulingiluat!
We are on our way down from a mountain on Greenland, when the fog surprises us. Our hiking guide suggests it is safe to continue down, but introduces a check system to secure nobody gets lost in the fog. The guide yells one, the next in line yells two, etc. The only problem is, he insists we use the Greenlandish numbers. So if someone fails to answer, it is not entirely certain the person is lost, he/she may just have forgotten, whether seven is arfineq marluk or arfineq pingasut.
I love hiking. But doing the full backpack version, where you carry tents, cooking gear and food for an extended period is hard work. More than 15 kg on your back is tough to begin with and it affects your balance seriously. Add to that the non-existing trails, which means you muddle around in uneven terrain filled with rocks and invisible holes. Not to mention the ridiculously steep slopes, which Greenland seems to be filled with.
After a few days, your entire body is hurting and just getting your backpack on and off is close to impossible. Resting on an ultraslim thermarest mattress doesn’t do much to recover your sore muscles. Then of course, there are the mosquitos, which insist of eating you alive and the cold, which somehow goes straight through all the layers of fleece and gore-tex. And yet, it is amazing! The spectacular views, the clean air and the sense of adventure make up for all the struggles!
The Salt Path resonated with me on so many levels. First and foremost, Raynor Winn’s descriptions of the hiking experience were spot on. I felt the pain, when she tried to get her backpack on (through time I’ve tested various more or less elegant techniques myself), I froze, when she described the inadequate sleeping bags, I gasped (and chuckled a little bit) when they had to escape the water after thinking they had camped in a safe distance to the sea (haven’t we all tried that).
In many ways, the scenes she described were so familiar. But the reality around them couldn’t have been further from my reality. Raynor Winn and her husband had literally lost everything. Everything. And the way it happened made me exceedingly angry. Is there no such thing as justice?
What do you do, when you lose your home, your income, your savings and to some extent your good health? Apparently, you go on a strenuous 630 miles hike with the cheapest hiking gear you can find.
The circumstances which triggered the hike were utterly depressing, but The Salt Path is in many ways an uplifting story. I can only admire, the way Raynor Winn and her husband tackled their hopeless situation, they were fighting back! Despite of everything, they didn’t lose their sense of humour either, and the book includes many humorous situations and descriptions oozing of Winn’s dry wit.
Winn also provides insight into the experience of being homeless and the way it completely colours other people’s perception of you. It made a huge impression on me.
The Salt Path is one of the best and most inspirational books I’ve read in a long time. It brought me through most of the emotional spectrum of anger, depression, empathy, existential pain, laughter, despair, heartache and hope.
Title: The Salt Path [2018]
Author: Raynor Winn
Format: Audiobook, narrated by Anne Reid
Genre: Nonfiction
Beautiful photographs and scenery.
Greenland is beautiful! And I am sure the South West Coast Path is as well, although I haven’t walked it. Thanks for stopping by!
Wow, this certainly does sound inspiring and powerful. As many times as I’ve seen this book around, I don’t think I paid attention to the premise. I would enjoy this one, too. And how fascinating that they chose to hike together given the circumstances they were in. I love that. Fab review, SG!
I found it very inspiring and it is as gripping as any fictional story, I have read in a long time. You would enjoy it, I think. Certainly, it was amazing they went on a hiking trip in those circumstances – bordering to a bit crazy. But reading the story, it felt like the right thing to do. Thanks 😀
So glad this one resonated with you, Stargazer. It’s pretty special isn’t it. I love how you can relate to the effort and strain of hiking long distances. Your Greenland experience sounds both exhilarating and scary. I’d love to go one day but I suspect I’d keep clear of hiking in the fog!
So am I! It was definitely one of my favourite books in 2019. I think there are certain situations, which all hikers can relate to and that brought an extra dimension to reading The Salt Path. Greenland is amazing, there are such beautiful landscapes. And yes, generally, it is not advisable to hike in the fog, but it really depends on the terrain.
Wonderful post! I’m glad to hear this one resonated with you so strongly.
Thanks! Yes, it was a great read. It has been a while since I awarded five stars.
Haha! I love the idea of being lost in a fog unable to remember what my number is in Greenlandish! I hope they taught you the word for “Help!” I’m so impressed by your rugged adventures – I fear the idea of hiking makes me want to get a mug of hot chocolate and curl up with a good book. 😂 The book sounds very powerful – I’m intrigued as to how they lost everything, but good on them for turning the experience into something wonderful.
I thought it was so funny! Of course, I would have been less impressed if I actually had got lost… I know what you are saying about wanting to curl up with a book. But when you are forced to live in a very basic way without your usual comforts, you appreciate civilisation so much more, when you get back home. Showers, toilets, beds, food which isn’t dehydrated powder that has to be dissolved in water, books, hot chocolate. Anyway, The Salt Path was amazing and I am sure you don’t have to be fond of hiking to enjoy it.
The book sounds so rich! Wonderful review! x
Thanks Meggy, it was a prime example of why nonficion can be so powerful!
I love how your personal experience allowed you to confirm and appreciate this novel even more than anyone else. That’s definitely reassuring if you ask me, to know that it’s genuine, that the story is able to capture the emotions and make anyone understand the journey! Fantastic review! 😀
It always adds an extra dimension to the reading if you can relate to some aspects of the story, either the events happening, the location or just the activities taken up. In this case, I’m glad that I could only relate to the hiking aspect, but the book did make me think more about the reality of homeless people. Thanks! 😀
This was lovely to read. I haven’t heard of their story before but now I would love to know more and read about it. Thank you
Thanks so much! 🙂 I can highly recommend this book, it’s amongst my favourite reads in 2019.
I’ve seen many articles about the controversy surrounding this book, I’ve read the original Observer article which started the scandal plus many others, including the writer’s repudiation of the criticism she’d received – I do want to be fair. However, the latter read rather like a ‘fudge around’ as she’s failed to answer the central question. She’s said she paid back the money, which admits that she took it, and apologised for ‘mistakes’ she might have made. The taking of £64,000 from her employers, on not one but several occasions, sounds like a pretty big ‘mistake’ of serial theft. And then there’s the question of her husband’s medical condition …
The bottom line is that this ‘factual’ memoir rested on the bedrock of rising above adversity and injustice; when that becomes ‘adversity’ caused by criminal activity on the part of the author, and less-than-accurate reporting of that and the severity or otherwise of the illness, it falls apart. Many people with a similar condition were given hope by the husband’s apparent ‘cure’ through nature, and many felt for the couple rising triumphant. Now we feel cheated, scammed, lied to. It’s like a country rejoicing because one of their team has won gold at the Olympics, then discovering that the athlete is a drug cheat.
I’ve given a scathiing review and advised people to read the Observer article and to make up their own mind – and I have to say that I’m shocked at how many people on social media are saying that it doesn’t really matter, there are worse things, it’s a good story and they don’t really care. Where is their moral compass? I’d like to see how they react to being the victims of theft of anything, never mind £64,000.
You can tell that I feel strongly about this, so excuse the rant. I’m also a little puzzled that nobody else on here has commented on the scandal, which is the focus of your post, but rather read the review and decided to read the book! I urge them to read the plethora of articles surrounding it and I’m adding the link below to the Observer’s response to Winn’s reply to their original article:
https://observer.co.uk/culture/books/article/fact-and-fiction-raynor-winn-wont-talk-to-us-but-heres-what-she-said-about-our-story
Many thanks for the post. It’s just such a shame that it was necessary. 🙁
I completely agree with what you say. How can people not care? If it was marketed as fiction inspired by real events, I would have been less critical, but there is no point in having a nonfiction category, if you can just make things up.
Quite. And the controversy keeps on going, with claims made about aspects of the walk they made now being questioned. I’m afraid there are too many questionable aspects to this now, and in my mind the writer is discredited. 🤨
Agreed. I won’t be buying more of her books. She seems to be doing well in terms of sales after all the controversy started, though. Bad publicity better than no publicity, eh?
That seems to be the case. What a world we live in. 🙁
I loved the book and really felt for them. Now I’m flabbergasted keep reading and watching everything as the whole saga unfolds. It’ll be interesting to see what happens next, won’t it?
I must admit, it is kinda fascinating following how it all unfolds. Apparently, the Observer is following up with another article, where the author looks into their actual walk.
Somehow I barely had heard of The Salt Path, if at all. Where have I been?
Haha, quite a few people hadn’t heard about The Salt Path before the movie and some only heard about it after all the controversy started. So you are not alone.
I’m feeling a wee bit superior, becase when I read it , maybe 2 – 3 years ago now, I took against the author, who irritated me considerably with her poor planning, and the fact that she seemed to be In Charge, and taking decisions for her husband, who did as he was told (I accept he was ill and might not have wanted to have that responsibility). We read it in our book group, and while most people enjoyed it as a story of triumph over adversity, a select band felt like me, and have not read any of her subsequent books, or seen the recently issued film (though I’d like to see shots of the coastal path).
That is interesting. Apparently, the journalist is going to write another article about the actual walk, I wonder if the author took some liberties with that part as well. Although that is probably less serious than the other accusations.
I guess if you didn’t like the book, you are less affected by the controversy. I must admit, I am disappointed and certainly won’t read more of her books. I wonder if she will write another story about “How my book became the centre for one of the bigger controversies in moderne nonfiction”.
I don’t know how all of this has affected her revenue from the movie, but the book has gone straight onto the bestseller lists again. Bad publicity is better than no publicity, as they say.
She won’t be poor any more, that’s for sure. I’ve just read some accusations coming from cafe owners and similar who feel misrepresented and put in a bad light. I guess the accusations will just keep on coming now. But as you say, bad publicity is better than no publicity from her point of view.
Yes, we probably haven’t heard the last word in this case, but maybe the author doesn’t care too much, since she has done well for herself economically. Interesting to see if Penguin goes ahead with publishing her fourth book (so far, it has been delayed).
Watch this space is all we can say …
This is fascinating as I just started reading this book – purely because the film has just been released and my book club thought it would be fun to do a film night. The controversy that has blown up in the last week or so is pure coincidence. I have to say I am not particularly enjoying it. I am comparing it unfavourably to Cheryl Strayed’s “Wild” which (so far) feels more authentic and better written – for me.
That certainly adds a different dimension to the reading experience. I don’t think, I would have enjoyed The Salt Path as much as I did, if I’d read it after all the controversy started. But who knows. Wild was good as well, but I actually enjoyed The Salt Path more.
I haven’t read the book as I didn’t think it was my sort of read, but I’ve heard a lot about it. I think if it had been presented, as many other non fiction books are which deal with personal experiences, as based upon real events, not as actual real events, it may have avoided all this… interesting the article only came out once the book was super successful and the film was out!
I guess the more popular a book is, the more people hear about it and the more likely it is to be revealed if there are inconsistencies in the material. Despite its popularity, many people hadn’t heard of the book before the film was made.
Yep, I have read the investigative piece and was quite flabbergasted- is there no longer such thing as due diligence? I know that we are living in an era of post-truth, but I thought this is exactly why we still can and do trust certain authoritative sources, be they media or publishing houses – that they do care about the truth enough to put the effort into valuing integrity over greed, checking their sources (or their authors) and backing their claims with objective facts. This is a particularly hot matter because the book had been a source of consolation, and inspiration, to so many readers who believed the author. That’s why it’s called non-fiction: if you want to lie, write fiction.
I am sure, this isn’t the first (or last) case of nonfiction being revealed as having a rather relaxed relationship with the truth. Having followed scandals in finance and other sectors, I shouldn’t be surprised. Some people just value money and ambitions higher than integrity. And admittedly, The Salt Path was a rather good story. I certainly think the publisher has a responsibility, but I also think (in all aspects of life) if people want to cheat, they find a way. Maybe I am just disillusioned about humanity. 😉
I absolutely loved The Salt Path when I read it a few years ago and am mulling over how I feel about the controversy, she certainly took us all for a ride but she did write a good book; it made me look at homelessness with clearer eyes and I loved the geology she explains of the coastal path. I think the publishers do have a responsibility, especially to the couple she stole from; I wonder if she’s going to share any of the proceeds she must have made from the film and subsequent publicity?
Me too! it found it such a great story. But maybe I am naive. Apparently, some people spotted discrepancies when originally reading the story. The journalist is going to write a follow up piece about the actual walk, which wasn’t covered in her original story. I doubt the author is going to share any of the proceeds. Having my cynical glasses on, this could actually be the publicity stunt of the century, her book has rallied onto all the bestseller lists again.
It sounds like you don’t buy the author’s defense of herself. I must have been living under a rock since 2018 because I have not read the book nor have I read much about it …. until now. I am sorry for your utter disappointment now with the book/author, which I can understand if the Observer article is correct in all it implies. Is the book’s premise based on lies? When this happens in nonfiction and memoir … it feels like an explosion of trust.
Well, I feel the economic background is probably correct and quite easy to prove since there was enough material to raise a legal case, which she ultimately got out of by paying the money back. The illness aspect is more tricky, since there can be some cases of an illness which deviate a lot from the normal pattern (although it does sound suspicious). But yeah, I have lost faith in the author and won’t be reading more of her books.
Not only do we not care whether an external reality is reproduced in a book, we also find it rather uninteresting. In the Middle Ages, every story was sold as a reflection of reality. We prefer fiction, which is why we have never read this book. Memoirs are fiction and truth anyway.
So we don’t understand what all this fuss is about.
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Yes, you are right, stories used to be a reflection of real events. I would have had no issues with the story, if she had written it as fiction inspired by real events. However, the illness aspect of the story has proved to have a bit more serious moral consequences.
This is a controversial subject! I loved The Salt Path. When The Observer broke their story I was astonished. Some of their claims such as using false names seemed trivial – surely we’ve all heard of pseudonyms? I felt that suggesting Moth’s illness was not as it had been described was distasteful. The murkiness surrounding how they came to be homeless had always been a bit dubious to me but I’d been willing to overlook it. Now I just don’t know. There’s a lot of creative non-fiction out there these days and I enjoy it a lot of the time. I’m not sure The Salt Path was presented as creative non-fiction; in hindsight I wish that it had been.
I’ve just read The Observer’s article in response to Wynn’s rebuttal and clearly they too have a few things wrong: the photo of their house in France is not in fact their house but that of a family member. The Observer have used this article to highlight the plight of another CBD sufferer who has been left devoid of hope having read that Moth’s alleged condition is mild and atypical. I’m not clear how that fits with what was written in the book; I don’t recall anything in it which stated categorically that Moth’s improvement was a general thing resulting from exercise but a remarkable thing which has unexpectedly helped him.
We may never know the full facts. What I do know is that Raynor Wynn’s life and reputation has been ripped apart and some of the comments I’ve read (without looking too far) are horrible. People do so enjoy a scandal and pointing the finger. It makes me sad. I have been looking for any reactions from the local community here as the first house they were offered after their walk was a few miles from where I live. So far I’ve found nothing. Make of that what you will.
I wish I had caught the film before this broke as I’m not sure I can watch it now, mired in confusion as it seems to be.
Overall at this point, I’m not convinced that the Wynn’s/Walkers set out to deceive. But I like my rose-coloured glasses and I don’t like to think badly of people. I shall maintain my naive position for the moment at least.
Thanks Sandra for a thoughtful comment and sorry for the late reply. I agree, we may never know the full truth, but I think you are a lot more generous towards the author, than I am. Raynor / Sally has admitted to stealing from her employer, which makes me question her moral standards in general and make me more sceptical towards other aspects of the story.
Like you said, this controversy could have been avoided by writing as a fictional story inspired by real events (creative nonfiction is to me a somewhat contradictory concept).
I guess the illness of her husband may be a grey area, but many people – including the journalist – have pointed out, that is potentially the most critical aspect. You have to be extremely careful when writing about a specific illness and many people with a serious illness have talked about how the book can be hurtful, cause misconception and induce false hope.
All this doesn’t change the fact that it’s a well-written and interesting story about the hike they did, but I feel the impact of the story has been diminished after learning more about the background.
Also, nonfiction struggles enough as it is in the publishing world and stories like this certainly don’t help. Ultimately, the concept of nonfiction is meaningless if publishers and authors don’t make an effort to publish a reasonably truthful version of events. In the big picture, this isn’t a huge disaster, but I do feel let down and won’t be reading more of her books.
On the flip side, this could be a huge publicity stunt ;-), the first book has entered all the bestseller lists again.
It’s back on the bestseller lists again? Oh my, what does that say about people! Since sharing my thoughts originally, I’ve read more about the situation and I have to confess that my rose-coloured glasses have slipped. As has my sympathy for Raynor. If the 4th book is eventually published, I’m not sure that I’ll be reading it.
I am quite curious sbout whether the 4th book will be published. For sure, it would get a lot of attention and may sell well. On the other hand, it may reflect negatively on the publisher. So does bad brand image outweigh more money?
Time will tell!
That’s why I never read it.
A sensible choice. Ironically, it is back on the bestseller list after all the controversy.