Review of Above The Salt, by Katherine Vaz

An epic historical novel that sweeps through 80 years, from Madeira and all around the United States. The term “above the salt” refers to an old English tradition about the placement of the salt (cellar) on a large dining table – people seated closer to the host were “above the salt", socially-favored; by exclusion, those below the salt were on a lower social level. This expression reflects the narrative only indirectly, in its theme of social distinctions that affect lives in tragic ways; and the author refers to salt often, in relation to tears and to the ocean.

I was drawn to the novel by its Portuguese connection, and I enjoyed the language and culture references; but the romantic love stories and the evocation of life in the late 1800s propelled the narrative. Occasional poetic metaphorical passages evoked the emotional state of the characters, and often jarred the straight line of the narrative. We follow the triumphs and travails of our two main characters, and resist the temptation to look ahead to see whether (and how) the two lovers will reunite. Suffice it to say, it takes a long time, many miles of America, and many tearful paragraphs. They manage to survive the many absurd social barriers to such brown-skinned foreigners. It is, in the end, an American-immigrant success story.

The acknowledgments section of the book describes the intensive historical research that underpins the story and confirms the feeling of verisimilitude in the names and places and products of the 1800s. A few of the more bizarre episodes were actually lifted from historical accounts. I enjoyed the Portuguese language references, particularly when describing our hero's time with countrymen “plaiting the air with the swallowed sounds and ‘shh’ aspirations he recognized.” Ah yes, swallowed sounds and 'sh’aspirations, indeed, we are struggling to learn!

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