The Gilly Salt Sisters by Tiffany Baker

5 Star

In the isolated Cape Cod village of Prospect, the Gilly sisters are as different as can be. Jo, a fierce and quiet loner, is devoted to the mysteries of her family's salt farm, while Claire is popular, pretty, and yearns to flee the salt at any cost. But the Gilly land hides a dark legacy that proves impossible to escape. Although the community half-suspects the Gilly sisters might be witches, it doesn't stop Whit Turner, the town's wealthiest bachelor, from forcing his way into their lives. It's Jo who first steals Whit's heart, but it is Claire--heartbroken over her high school sweetheart--who marries him.

Years later, estranged from her family, Claire finds herself thrust back onto the farm with the last person she would have chosen: her husband's pregnant mistress. Suddenly, alliances change, old loves return, and new battle lines are drawn. What the Gilly sisters learn about each other, the land around them, and the power of the salt, will not only change each of their lives forever, it will also alter Gilly history for good. 

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Lydia - 5 Star

Full of family secrets, small town antics and an exploration of the family bond that keeps us together and repels us apart, The Gilly Salt Sisters is a mesmerizing read. Although it started a tad slow for me, especially as we started with a woman comes across as bitter and who was literally burned by life, I warmed up quickly to the women and their respective and intertwined plights and ended up really enjoying this read which was a pleasant surprise as I wasn’t entirely sure in the beginning.

 

This novel held a strong under tow.  One minute I was bobbing along gradually, not really sunk deep into the story and suddenly I was drowning and unable to stop thinking about the sisters and their situations. 

 

Much to my surprise I enjoyed the explanation and attention to detail that the salt was given in the story.  It was incredibly unique and I had never really considered where salt came from or how it is produced and I enjoyed learning about it through the details given and appreciated that these never took over the story, but complimented it.  It was a fine line as much of the story surrounded the Gilly’s salt farm, the magic of the Gilly salt and the towns love-hate relationship with it, but Baker balanced this exceptionally well.

 

These sisters tell it like it is.  There is no sugar coating in this novel and there are a few scenes that are a little morbid at times, not to mention a bit shocking (cat lovers and religious folks, you may have a hard time digesting a few scenes and ideas within this novel). Their voices resonated as real and I could feel myself transported into their world and got swept away by this intense story. 

 

The Gilly Salt Sisters kept me on my toes.  Although easy to figure out a couple of the hidden truths, there was enough mystery involved to keep me reading to see how it would play out.  I really rooted for the sisters, even though at times I didn’t even completely love their characters. They were quite bitter and hard to take at times, but their gradual changes over the course of the novel was enough to keep me rooting for them. In fact, pretty much everyone in the town is bitter, grouchy and unhappy but for some reason it’s not too depressing or over the top and is in fact a vital part of the sisters and their salt's story.

 

You can’t always outrun what you are or where you’ve come from and The Gilly Salt Sisters is a unique read that takes us on one such journey. I look forward to more from Tiffany Baker!

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing  for our review copy!

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