A review by babsxi
The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson

4.0

This one took me a while to read. Not because the plot wasn’t interesting - it was - but because this is the kind of book that you can’t passively read without missing something important. The narrative switches, sometimes abruptly in the middle of a passage. Sometimes the text includes excerpts from primary sources like Baudelaire’s poems. This method of transition without warning feels difficult to navigate at first, but once all four women are finally introduced it becomes easier. This is definitely a book. You have to just trust the process and enjoy the ride on.

So, what are we doing in this book? Honestly, I’m not really sure. What I think is happening is we are following the journey of Ezili (Afro-Caribbean god) through the lives of three women, and ultimately back to herself. The three women, while in different circumstances, are similar in that they use salt (eg; blood, sweat, tears, semen, etc) to their advantage as a method of survival in a cruel world. Without knowing, or being aware, the three women’s lives are being impacted and influenced by Ezili as she shares their bodies and their experiences. It’s an intimate and brutal look into the sacrifices and compromises women of color have to make. And how love is best practiced in action.