The Salt in Our Blood - Hardcover

Morgyn, Ava

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0807572276 ISBN 13: 9780807572276

Publisher: AW Teen, 2021

Synopsis

Ten years ago, Cat's volatile mother, Mary, left her at her grandmother’s house with nothing but a deck of tarot cards. Now seventeen, Cat is determined to make her life as different from Mary’s as possible. When Cat’s grandmother dies, she’s forced to move to New Orleans with her mother. There, she discovers a picture of Mary holding a baby that’s not her, leading her to unravel a dark family history and challenge her belief that Mary’s mental health issues are the root of all their problems. But as Cat explores the reasons for her mother’s breakdown, she fears she is experiencing her own. Ever since she arrived in New Orleans, she’s been haunted by strangely familiar visitors―in dreams and on the streets of the French Quarter―who know more than they should. Unsure if she can rebuild her relationship with her mother, Cat is realizing she must confront her past, her future, and herself in the fight to try.

About this title

About the Author

Ava Morgyn is a native Texan who grew up falling in love with all the wrong characters in all the wrong stories. She studied English Writing & Rhetoric at St. Edward's University and now resides in Houston. She writes a blog on child loss, ForLoveofEvelyn.com, and is author of the widely praised Resurrection Girls.

Reviews

Gr 8 Up—The summer before her senior year, Catia discovers that her grandmother Moony, who has been raising her, has died in her sleep. With nowhere else to turn, Cat reluctantly reaches out to her estranged mother, Mary, who brings her daughter back to her apartment in New Orleans. Her mother has been grappling with bipolar disorder for years, with extreme highs and lows that made parenting Cat impossible. A mixture of gritty realism and fantasy are intertwined unevenly as Cat moves between solving the mystery of her mother's past and interacting with other-worldly beings. Cat begins a healthy romance with a multi-racial young man who proves to be a good balance to her dysfunctional family dynamic. Tarot cards, mysticism, and religion tie in together as Cat unearths a secret from Mary's past that explains some of her behaviors and sets Cat on her own path of discovery. Morgyn creates an atmospheric narrative that tackles some facets of mental illness and how some youths end up taking a parental role in their relationship with a mother or father. An author's note explains Morgyn's connection with Mary's secret and includes the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Cat and her family are white. VERDICT This magical realism story would be a good addition to larger collections and might prove welcome to those who do not have traditional households.—Nancy McKay, Byron P.L., IL

Edition details

• Publisher: AW Teen
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0807572276
• ISBN 13: 9780807572276
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 336