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The Salt God's Daughter

by Ilie Ruby (Goodreads Author)

3.53 of 5 stars 3.53 · rating details · 243 ratings · 92 reviews

Set in Long Beach, California, beginning in the 1970s, The Salt God’s Daughter follows Ruthie and her sister, Dolly, as they carve out a life in a place filled with meteorological myths and exotic folklore, where female rites of passage are met with startling discoveries. Raised by a mother drawn to the ocean and guided by the moons, their heritage is a mystery and with th...more

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published September 4th 2012 by Soft Skull Press (first published September 1st 2012)

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September 2012 YA Fiction

82nd out of 111 books — 84 voters

My Favorite Books in 2012

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Oct 23, 2012 T. Greenwood rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ruby's THE SALT GOD'S DAUGHTER reads like an extended dream, this novel unlike anything else I've ever read. This story is written in a language somewhere between poetry and prose, about a world somewhere between reality and fantasy, and the characters somehow between human and mythological.

The story of three generations of women, it is also about motherhood and nature and the cruelties of humankind. Set in southern California primarily in 1970s and 1980s, most of the novel is dedicated to Ruth,...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Lori L (She Treads Softly) rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Salt God's Daughter by Ilie Ruby follows three generations of women in California. Set mainly in Long Beach, the novel opens in 2001 with Ruthie's daughter, Naida, and then jumps back to 1972 and follows Naida's grandmother, Diana Gold and her two daughters, Ruthie and Dolly, to the present. Diana raises her daughters on the road, living out of her station wagon, based on what she sees in the Old Farmer's Almanac and the phase of the moon. Many of her inventive names for the moon's phases ar...more The Salt God's Daughter by Ilie Ruby follows three generations of women in California. Set mainly in Long Beach, the novel opens in 2001 with Ruthie's daughter, Naida, and then jumps back to 1972 and follows Naida's grandmother, Diana Gold and her two daughters, Ruthie and Dolly, to the present. Diana raises her daughters on the road, living out of her station wagon, based on what she sees in the Old Farmer's Almanac and the phase of the moon. Many of her inventive names for the moon's phases are tailored to fit their situation. The women keep returning to Dr. Brownstein's beach hotel, which later becomes a retirement home, in Long Beach.

The Salt God's Daughter is an atmospheric novel that explores the complex relationship and love between mothers and daughters while portraying the female experience. It is also about being different, a non-conformist to the world and how violence and bullies can influence a person's self esteem. Always present is a tantalizing pull toward the sea or repulsion from it, depending upon the character. There are also several heartbreaking passages where the characters bear painful, life changing experiences.

The Salt God's Daughter is not a light read. This is a multi-layered novel with many complexities woven into the plot. Folklore, magic realism, mysticism, and mythology infuse the whole novel with a dream-like quality. Certainly having a character named Diana following the phases of the moon so closely is no coincidence. (Diana, a huntress, is the Roman goddess of the moon, nature, fertility and childbirth.) And, while the women are Jewish, that fact was simply another tradition that was ultimately tied into all sorts of other belief systems, including Celtic lore.

Ultimately, this is a beautifully written novel that will have many readers turning back to relish a sentence or paragraph again. While admittedly I also had to turn back a few times because I got lost in the mythology (magic realism can trip me up), that didn't deter me from the pure joy I felt in reading such a finely crafted novel. Even though I normally try to avoid magic realism, this novel was the exception to my rule as I enjoyed it immensely.

Very Highly Recommended - one of the best

It is very evident that Ilie Ruby is a painter, as well as an author, in her descriptions of Ruthie painting. She is also the author of the critically-acclaimed novel, The Language of Trees, which debuted in 2010 and was selected as a Target Emerging Author’s Pick and a First Magazine for Women Reader’s Choice.

Disclosure: My copy was courtesy of Spark Point Studio for review purposes.
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Oct 04, 2012 Jessica Keener rated it 5 of 5 stars

I can't wait to read this--am swept up by the language I've read so far and story.

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Aug 06, 2012 Marlene added it

I could not put this one down. Ilie Ruby's second novel is even better than her first. Imaginative but with characters searingly familiar. Painful and beautiful. Inspiring. Love it.

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Apr 11, 2013 Beverly Diehl rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The seem to be a book that you either loved, or loathed. I actually did both. There were parts of this book that were wonderful, but as a whole, I felt it was too disjointed and painful to read.

It’s told in three parts; the first part is about Ruth’s childhood with her abusive/inspired homeless mother Diana and her sister Dolly. The second part is about Ruth’s adolescence and young motherhood, and includes her romance with a man she dubs the Salt God, who may or may not be a selkie. The third pa...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Terry Gibson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: have-read

The Salt God's Daughter
Ilie Ruby
Counterpoint/Soft Skull Press
September 2012

The Salt God’s Daughter, Ilie Ruby’s latest novel, is set in the 1970s in Long Beach, California, on the frigid, mysterious and unassuming Pacific Ocean. With remarkable diction and cadence, Ruby has skillfully sculpted an epic tale about the lives of three generations of women and written it with such eloquence, the pages often sang to me, leaving me salt-drenched, feeling protected by fuchsia bougainvilleas, and in a st...more The Salt God's Daughter
Ilie Ruby
Counterpoint/Soft Skull Press
September 2012

The Salt God’s Daughter, Ilie Ruby’s latest novel, is set in the 1970s in Long Beach, California, on the frigid, mysterious and unassuming Pacific Ocean. With remarkable diction and cadence, Ruby has skillfully sculpted an epic tale about the lives of three generations of women and written it with such eloquence, the pages often sang to me, leaving me salt-drenched, feeling protected by fuchsia bougainvilleas, and in a state of breathlessness. From the first sentence, this book careens the reader through a whirling, magical voyage into the color and richness of Scottish myth and Jewish mysticism. Suddenly, we find ourselves considering anew the shifting moons, eclipses of the sun, changing tides, cloud formations, selkies, “groatie buckies,” barnacles and a plethora of other animal and plant life in and around the water.

The story begins with Diane, a young single mother to two daughters, Ruthie and Dolly, who struggles with drinking and depression. They live in a station wagon, are often hungry, miss school, and endure the disconnectedness of that reality. With life like this, Ruthie and Dolly are often at the mercy of their mother’s moods and health, and learn early to tend to and comfort her. They begin their rite of passage early in life. “Dolly and I had time on our hands to fantasize and create, to conjure and compose, to experiment and dramatize, to create a world wholly experienced in the imagination. We’d frequent the pier, our bare feet slapping the wood slats as we played chasing games ….”

Years pass and daughters become mothers. Mothers become grandmothers. The sisters change individually, but stay solid in the tight bonds between them. Like everyone, however, they are destined to seek out a lover and a partner, like their great grandparents, Ruth and Daniel, found in each other for seventy years--as was the story Diane told the girls while she leaned on the car, smoking, and made them all feel hopeful. Achieving this goal meant accepting and loving themselves fully, before loving another. This is not easy. Both women must come to terms with their own mistakes, and the toll taken by errors or atrocities that were never theirs to bear. Loving themselves through those difficulties takes strength—especially after being traumatized, labeled 'other,’ unworthy, or immoral by misguided, cruel peers and adults. Both find solace in the home, performing valuable work as caregivers to some of the women who nurtured them and doing everything possible to keep the family and its stories safe and intact.

While enchanting in its musicality and vivid imagery, this book is also gritty, evocative, and relevant to the cultural and socio-political climate in the United States and world today, especially in the area of sexual politics, predominantly rape and abortion. Reading and reviewing The Salt God's Daughter has had a huge impact on my own life. Through Ruby's voice, I rediscovered my own unheard and silenced cries in the dark from decades ago. It felt freeing to know that the loss of young girls' lives to suicide--from bullying, other crimes committed against them, landing on the wrong side of current sexual mores, or other oppressive rules and laws--has stimulated healing. In fact, I believe this work has released a groundswell of women’s energy and emboldened words which resound right now like an echo in a canyon. I hope we will all find the courage to heed Sister Mary’s words: “Speak, Ruthie. As often and as loudly as you can. Keep speaking it,” she said. Therein lies the secret of The Salt God's Daughter.
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Oct 11, 2012 Thaisa Frank rated it 5 of 5 stars

The SALT GOD'S DAUGHTER, by Ilie Ruby is a profound literary work that segues from descriptions of the hard-scrabble life of two girls and an itinerant mother to a mythic sea world that washes back on land with the strength of its myths. (Or are they just myths? Ruby makes them so real, so relevant, by the time the novel is over, this reader believed in them.--Just as I heard the sound of the sea long after the novel was over. ) This novel loops back to generations and then back again. But unlik...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Angie Holtz rated it 5 of 5 stars

From Lilac Wolf and Stuff

The Salt God's Daughter isn't an overly long book, but it is full of poetic and descriptive writing. The story itself is gripping and I enjoyed the writing. But I do want to give fair warning, it does get wordy. Now you just have to decide if you like that or not. I thought it was beautiful and moved quickly through the tale.

It's split into two parts. The first part tells the story of Ruthie's childhood, which was mostly unsupervised and spent homeless and traveling. Rut...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Dawn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ilie's Ruby's second novel delivers what I think is some of her best work yet ! The Salt God's Daughter delivers a complex look at relationships of mothers and daughters. Journeys they take alone and together. You often think of the "dad" being a daughters first love. When in reality it is indeed the mother. It is often your mother you wish to please the most and work hard for their approval and love. A relationship so complex it is not often until later in life do you realize the sacrifices, th...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Bllu Catalano rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Salt God’s Daughter offers a dreamscape that thrusts us out of logical thinking into emotional thinking. Upon entering the first landscape, we find ourselves at an edge. To walk through the first paragraph the reader must make a choice to step in and have brain waves re-patterned, or kindly leave.

The waves here are volatile, dense with invisible traces. Narrative is rent from its usual unity and suspended around us, particlized into fragments of knowledge. Strangely, these impart more infor...more The Salt God’s Daughter offers a dreamscape that thrusts us out of logical thinking into emotional thinking. Upon entering the first landscape, we find ourselves at an edge. To walk through the first paragraph the reader must make a choice to step in and have brain waves re-patterned, or kindly leave.

The waves here are volatile, dense with invisible traces. Narrative is rent from its usual unity and suspended around us, particlized into fragments of knowledge. Strangely, these impart more information than such unified knowledge as chronology, exposition and sentence structure. Phrases trace and jab and provoke. People are glimpsed. Memories are also the future. The main characters are the self-destructive mother Diana, her two little girls Dahlia and Ruth whose lives depend on her, and Ruth’s beloved daughter Naida. Their stories intertwine half-known, half-formed, laced like a ribbon in the Santa Ana wind.

The moon, the sea, the desert, vines and flowers are all colors that Ruby swirls onto a room of canvases, stacked up to the ceiling, against each other, backwards. The scenes hum with colors that wander in and out, in and out, ululating through the years beginning in the early seventies. The images of little girls imprint in the waves, in the dust, along highways and strawberry fields, lungs filled with California brush fire and skin soaked with flood. Sea animals appear and disappear as omens, as friends, as sisters. The back seats of the station wagon stick to our legs. We taste homelessness and wandering, and we are left alone. We are abandoned and our fear settles in our lap as our mother soaks herself into unknowing… lies… follows the moon. Diana of the Moon.

This is a sad tribe of women, women who’ve lost more than was treatable, containable. We might never know why. We only know more than that; we know how these losses score right into the skin, into the soul. Beauty is a buoy, a picnic blanket among wreckage. But beauty can also herald violent betrayal to the unprotected: Ruthie, Naida. No voice, just quiet and the sea to salt the abrasions.

There are safe havens. Dr Dagmar B. are the haven and the keeper of the haven, Twin Palms, then Wild Acres? The elders keep watch. Who is kept safe and saved? Ruby offers: those who need saving the most often began as rescuers. Daughter, mother, daughter, sister—what is the texture of these connections? Here, in the Salt God’s Daughter, they are layered dream upon dream upon dream, a stack of pages written with tears, enigmas, thumbprints, and notes in the margin.

The Wanderer, the Wanderer, written repeatedly. Who is this Wanderer? And who is the Salt God’s Daughter? Clever us, we think we know. Always wanting to make things reasonable, we think we have it mapped out even amidst the floating particles, the waves, and the maze of lacing. What I knew by the end of this book was that I’m still capable of knowing a story without it being told; I’m capable of holding a picture in myself that was created by the traces between words.

Finally, there is solace. Stability can take root and love can flourish amidst abandonment. You, just like Mr. Takashi, can cut all the blooms away but they will grow again. What do we need to know about a person? For all that we don’t know or can never know, they are a part of us. Our never met fathers. Our secret-holding mothers. Our guarded children. When we can accept their touch on our lives, we can move forward instead of all the other ways sad people move. We can bury their books, we can let them go, we can fulfill the dreams they had for us that we never knew they dreamt.

We know we are the most beloved thing in our mother’s life, we are her lodestar. Even as we are lost into the sea she guides us home. We are guided to the wing that covers us after every escape, every flight.

As with all good poetry, the lives shared in these pages gave more than reality, more than what can be predicted or assumed. We drank it and breathed it and were given a lovely dream.(less)

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Oct 05, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, family-drama

The first part of this book was breathtaking-flawless and magical. I was completely enthralled and loved all of it – the setting, the descriptions, the exploration of heritage (“…her connection to tobacco, and her fear of the ocean. She passed it all down through cellular memory.”) As someone who grew up in Southern California, I loved the beaches (Wild Acres is palpable) as well as the bougainvillea metaphor. The relationship between young sisters Ruth and Dolly was beautiful. One of my favorit...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Tiffany (Book Cover Justice) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

It's the 1970s and Ruthie and Dolly are living on the road with their mother, Diana. Traveling through California in "Big Ugly", their station wagon, Ruthie and Dolly are just young children forced to work strawberry fields and trash pick to survive. Diana lives her life by the moons, obsessing over her Farmer's Almanac, always changing her course depending on what the book has to offer that day. Diana's moods are constantly shifting as well, drinking often and punishing Ruthie for very small mi...more It's the 1970s and Ruthie and Dolly are living on the road with their mother, Diana. Traveling through California in "Big Ugly", their station wagon, Ruthie and Dolly are just young children forced to work strawberry fields and trash pick to survive. Diana lives her life by the moons, obsessing over her Farmer's Almanac, always changing her course depending on what the book has to offer that day. Diana's moods are constantly shifting as well, drinking often and punishing Ruthie for very small mistakes.

From childhood to adulthood, Diana's ways stay with Ruthie, who constantly struggles with life's injustices and who wants nothing more than to find love. This comes in the shape of Graham, a mysterious man who comes and goes without warning, ultimately giving Ruthie what she always wanted: Naida, a daughter. The Salt God's daughter follows the lives of Diana, Ruthie and Naida as they struggle to make sense of their pasts and determine what promise their future holds.

First, I have to say that this novel is written quite beautifully. Almost lyrically. The author has an exceptional skill and it shows. But have you ever finished a book that left you feeling confused? That is how I am feeling right now, confused. When I first came upon The Salt God's Daughter, I knew right away that I wanted to read it. I am drawn to stories about unstable families, especially mothers and daughters, and this one sounded very promising. The stunning cover definitely helped grab my attention as well. But it was far different from what I was expecting.

The story takes place in three parts: Ruthie before Naida, Ruthie immediately after Naida's birth, and Naida's childhood. I was immediately drawn to Ruthie, her childhood was harsh and I wished I could snatch her right out of the book to live with me each time her mother left her standing alone in the desert for hours just to teach her a lesson, always wondering how long she would be there before her mother's mood changed and she came back for her. Many times I was left feeling uncomfortable for the girls, knowing that things would not get better for them yet still aching each time another vicious act was committed against them. I felt for Dolly too, although her smug attitude sometimes turned me off to her, and especially Naida. Born with a defect but also the gift of sight, she is tortured at school and her only friends are the old folks in the retirement home in which she lives.

But as much as I loved the characters and felt every heartache they endured, and as beautifully written as it was, I still struggled to keep up with the storyline. Reality is fused with folklore throughout the story and this is where I came into trouble. I had a very hard time figuring out if these tales were meant to be believed or were just used as metaphors. Did these strange things actually happen, or were they meant to explain other things altogether? I just don't know, and I'm not sure I will ever figure it out, short of actually talking with the author. I think I would have enjoyed the book much more had I known about this ahead of time. I like knowing beforehand if there is a mystical aspect to a story, for this very reason.

However, that being said, please do not let this discourage you from reading this story. I know for a fact that had I known from the beginning that there was this aspect to the story, I would have really loved it. So now that you know, you will not be confused as I was. Please do not let my bias stop you from giving this a chance. The writing is lovely and the story is heartbreaking, two crucial elements to a wonderful read.(less)

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Sep 03, 2012 Caitlin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

I've been very fortunate over the past several weeks to read a number of wonderful books that take folk tales, fairy tales, mythology as their heart. The Salt God's Daughter is one of those books. Ruby's story, based on the Celtic tradition of the selkie - uncanny creatures who appear as seals on the sea, but can shed their skins and walk when on land. Traditional tales of the selkie often lead to tragedy as a selkie and human fall in love (or not) and make a life together. It's the "making a li...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Cresta rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Salt God's Daughter by Ilie Ruby was recommended for me via Amazon.com. They send you recommendations based on the books you've bought in the past. I read the synopsis and decided it was a must read. My father gifted this book to me - thank you again, Dad.

First and foremost, the cover drew me in. I'm a very visual person and a good matte book cover draws me as the moon draws water, pulling me towards the story. The colors and the picture let the reader this will be an ethereal experience; an...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Staci rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads

Well, I've been thinking about this review for over a week now and honestly, I still don't really know what to say about this book. There were parts that I enjoyed and other parts not so much. Ruthie and Dolly are two characters that pulled on my heart strings and I did feel for their plight and the crazy mother figure they had to endure!! But what I didn't really care for was the mystical aspect. At times it confused me and quite honestly, I wasn't entirely sure that it added that "unique" twis...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Ana Lewis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Gives Unheard Women a Voice:

Ilie Ruby has spun a fabulous work with her book, The Salt God's Daughter. I was swept away by the oceans, sea breezes and the scent of Love's Baby soft in the 1970's picture of my mind.

After reading this book, I sat with the quiet acceptance of the differences in people in our lives. Not judging. Just grateful to Ilie for showing the inner beauty of all. The homeless, the impoverished, the physically different, the ignored, the castaway. What a mistake we make over...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Alicia rated it 3 of 5 stars

I had to renew this book three times, if that is any indication of how long it took me to get through it. In places, the writing is beautiful, evoking a magical, almost ethereal feeling. The problem is that the author keeps getting mired down in reality. I breezed through the beginning, totally getting the relationship of Dolly and Ruthie and loving how these sisters connected. Something happened, though, once Ruthie reached adult-hood and suddenly, the book was hard to read. Running through the...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Corinne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks-checked-out

I was drawn to this book because it is set in Long Beach, CA, where I lived for 9 years. There's some lovely writing here - very poetic and descriptive. But there were many moments when I felt the plot was sacrificed for the sake of keeping all the beautiful descriptions & imagery.

There's a lot of time spent on Ruth, and very little on her daughter Naida - I would have liked to have seen more balance here. And by the time I got to the end, I wanted to read a few chapters from Diana's perspe...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Cachelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

One special book, I could not put down!

Ilie Ruby is a master weaver, of tales, relationshiops, feelings, hope and perseverance.

The Salt God's Daughter seemlessly flows from a mythological folk tale to current times. I viserally felt each character's emotions and complexity, and their complicated relationships, as they choose to love and their struggle to move forward.

It is a very special author who can truly get inside the veins of all characters; and their struggles with love.

I cannot wait unti...more

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Sep 17, 2012 Alice Heiserman rated it 3 of 5 stars

Three generations of women cope with understanding who they are--love, betrayal, and their roles in the world. Much magical realism meets gritty reality of poverty. The mother of two daughters drives them all over California looking for work while dumpster diving for things to sell to second-hand stores, staying in seedy places including the car, and figuring out some of the hard truths of family loyalty amid mental illness and physical problems. The issues concern female bonding, bullying, rape...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Liz Good rated it 3 of 5 stars

I started off liking this story, and found a lot of the language poetic and hypnotic. The early chapters began with what seems to be a common theme in books and movies recently - children raised in unconventional environments by an unstable (eccentric/nomadic/unpredictable) parent, who seek refuge in some measure of fantasy within their own imaginations. It also touched on sexual abuse and its effects, and on generational relationship patterns that seem to be reenacted over and over. All of the...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Susan Sherman rated it 5 of 5 stars

Whew! I just finished The Salt God's Daughter and what a read. I loved this book. What imagery, so beautifully written, so evocative and mythic. The story tells of an incredible journey of three women anchored by the sea. It's a magical world of tides, phases of the moon and oceanic depths all wrapped around Jewish mysticism and Celtic myths. At the heart is a mother/daughter relationship and a daughter's quest to find her heritage and the mysterious man who fathered her. It's an engrossing myst...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Lesa Parnham rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books-read

Beautifully written, weaves fact and fable together. Some of the parts did'nt make sense, at first Diana was a horrible mother who leaves her daughter standing by the side of the road, then all of a sudden she is living in the hotel--where is her money coming from? Then they turn Diana into some kind of martyr???? You are led down the path of Diana and Graham, Since the book was almost mystical, I thought he may have been someone who frequently comes out of the sea. Instead, he is just a guy who...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Laura de Leon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: possible-bc-nominee, fiction, review-copy

What a gorgeous book!

There aren't many writers out there who write beautiful prose that I enjoy reading, but Ilie Ruby is clearly one of them. The words never get in the way of the story.

What really appealed to me in The Salt God's Daughter were the characters, three generations of interesting women.

Ruthie and Dolly have a highly unconventional upbringing, wandering with a mother with a taste for men, the road, and the moon. They each are affected in different ways. Ruthie becomes a nurturer, f...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Shurece Williams rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic from cover to cover! The story of mothers, daughters, sea lions and swimmers was refreshing to read. I found I connected well with this book especially because it is about women's issues which I care greatly about. I am a recent college graduate and this novel took me on magical journey. Ruby did a great job of capturing some critical issues facing women today while weaving in the story of three generations of women and the mythical tale of the Selkies. I definitely recommend The Salt...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Cindy Roesel rated it 4 of 5 stars

It isn’t often that when reading a novel I’m rendered speechless, but that’s what happened while reading Ilie Ruby’s second novel, THE SALT GOD’S DAUGHTER. I found myself swallowed in a magical world, rereading sentences so I didn’t miss their beauty. The novel was certainly unlike anything I expected and while this is a good thing it created some distinct challenges as I sat down to write my perspective of the book. This assignment presented a refreshing task I normally I don’t engage in when w...more
It isn’t often that when reading a novel I’m rendered speechless, but that’s what happened while reading Ilie Ruby’s second novel, THE SALT GOD’S DAUGHTER. I found myself swallowed in a magical world, rereading sentences so I didn’t miss their beauty. The novel was certainly unlike anything I expected and while this is a good thing it created some distinct challenges as I sat down to write my perspective of the book. This assignment presented a refreshing task I normally I don’t engage in when writing a review, so here it goes.

THE SALT GODs DAUGHTER is set in 1970s Southern California, specifically Long Beach.
Diana raises her two daughters Ruthie and Dolly in the back of the family station wagon driving around being guided by the Old Farmer’s Almanac and the moon’s calendar. Marginalized by society, Diana an alcoholic, the kids never know where their next meal will come from and dumpster dive for the clothes on their back they finally end up living in an old motel retirement home, Wild Acres on the beach run by Dr. B.

“If I told you that I ached for a different mother, I’d be lying. I ached for my own, every minute, as motherless daughters do.”

The first half of the book is told by Diana who dies young. The second half Ruthie and her sister, Dolly are each other’s saviors. It adds up to a very complicated novel about mothers and daughters.

“She was our child. We didn’t know anything different. Everyone knew a mother was a daughter’s first love.”

Life is not easy for Ruthie and Dolly. The world does not understand them. Their lives are affected by rape, violence, poverty, but they are anchored by Wild Acres the people living there and the sea. Ruthie meets a man at a bar who works on a ship out at sea and they have a child, Naida. He comes and goes, making no promises to her somehow more committed to the sea, saying it is his job to protect the animals of the oceans. Their daughter, Naida is born with a foot deformity, that has toes stuck together to form a web. She gets bullied at school and called “Frog Witch.”

THE SALT GODs DAUGHTER incorporates the Celtic tradition of the Selkie – creatures that appear as seas in sea, shed their skin and walk on land. If a loving relationship with a human develops, it can turn tragic because they cannot live together. Ruby uses folklore and myths to go back and forth between the 70’s and current times.

Ilie Ruby is also an abstract painter. She paints whimsical thought-provoking canvases with incredible movement. She uses mystical and ethereal realism in her painting as well as in her writing. It’s more spiritual than representational. Her novel is filled with myths, folklore - one might argue her writing is more mythical based than reality, too.

THE SALT GODs DAUGHTER is not chick-lit. This is something very different. If you’re looking for something unique, I say go for it. It’s not a quick read. Plan on spending some time, and I think you’ll be happy you did.
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Nov 03, 2012 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars

THE SALT GOD'S DAUGHTER was at times worth 5+ stars in my mind, but it was also only 3 stars at times. I settle for 4 stars over all.

I was very drawn to Ilie Ruby's book by the cover and the beautifully poetic rhythm of the opening pages I read as a sample. This, I thought, is what I strive to write; what I always want to read. And as it turned out, much of the book fulfilled this promise.

Following the lives of multiple narrators is always a risk. I had just recently read another such book that...more

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Aug 24, 2012 Leah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-2012, ebooks, for-review

When I received an email asking if I was interested in reviewing Ilie Ruby’s new novel, The Salt God’s Daughter, I was immediately drawn in to the beautiful cover which shows a girl with bright red hair, presumably under water. I took a look at the synopsis and although it didn’t sound anything like I normally read, I thought it sounded interesting enough for me to give it a go. While I found the book fascinating, and did indeed finish it, I will admit that it certainly isn’t my kind of novel, s...more When I received an email asking if I was interested in reviewing Ilie Ruby’s new novel, The Salt God’s Daughter, I was immediately drawn in to the beautiful cover which shows a girl with bright red hair, presumably under water. I took a look at the synopsis and although it didn’t sound anything like I normally read, I thought it sounded interesting enough for me to give it a go. While I found the book fascinating, and did indeed finish it, I will admit that it certainly isn’t my kind of novel, sadly. There were bits I enjoyed and there wasn’t anything wrong with it at all, it just wasn’t to my particular taste, although I am very glad I read it as it was a very intriguing story.

Whenever I read a story that’s perhaps a bit different to the norm – whether it features magic, witches, or as The Salt God’s Daughter, mysticisim, I am perhaps a bit sceptical. I’m not generally a black or white kind of person, except for when it comes to things like mysticism, fantasy stuff, magic, things that people do believe in but that aren’t possibly true in any way, shape or form. I just do not believe in that stuff, and perhaps that should have been a warning sign that this novel was not for me, but because I am always interested in being proven wrong, and for all I knew, been the best book ever. So I wasn’t really sold on the stranger, more fantastical parts of The Salt God’s Daughter. Instead, I much preferred the more sedate story of Ruth and Dolly trying to find their place in the world. Trying to grow up in a world that was a little bit harder for them than most kids’ lives, as their mother struggled with her own demons and beliefs.

The Salt God’s Daughter just wasn’t for me, sadly. I gave it a try, and there was nothing remotely wrong with it. It was well-written, and Ruby is clearly a talented author, and I very much enjoyed all of the scenes that took place at Twin Palms, that place was very much a character in itself. I also enjoyed the elderly residents of twin palms, particularly Mr Takihashi and Mrs Green. Sometimes, though, a book just doesn’t click with you and this one didn’t with me. Many will love it, and I didn’t dislike it, it just plain and simple wasn’t my type of book, which is fine.(less)

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Jan 19, 2013 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cover-love, beach-reads, rereadables, reviews-to-post, wishlist, favorites

{Notes}

*Rating is actually a 4.5

*This book is just...magical. I tend to read a lot of YA fiction, and sometimes it just feels so good to sink my teeth into a real literary powerhouse of a book. It took me quite a while to read this one, simply because I would read and reread passages over and over, trying to absorb the full meaning of it all. This definitely is not a book to be rushed, it's a book to be savored.

*The pacing did confuse me every now and then. The story would be going along quite...more {Notes}

*Rating is actually a 4.5

*This book is just...magical. I tend to read a lot of YA fiction, and sometimes it just feels so good to sink my teeth into a real literary powerhouse of a book. It took me quite a while to read this one, simply because I would read and reread passages over and over, trying to absorb the full meaning of it all. This definitely is not a book to be rushed, it's a book to be savored.

*The pacing did confuse me every now and then. The story would be going along quite nicely, when suddenly there would be a break in the narrative to describe something completely different - like a passage about sea life that has nothing to do with what's actually going on. It was jarring at times, and would occasionally throw me off.

*Big warning up front, this book does contain rape. If you're sensitive about that, or are easily triggered, I would actually maybe avoid this book. It's not a long, drawn out scene by any means, but it resonates through the entire novel.

*I've actually never read a book with Jewish main characters I think. I actually found it incredibly fascinating, learning different aspects of the religion.

*I did seem to miss Ruthie's narration when it switched over to Nadia. It would make more sense for me to connect with Nadia (since we were actually born the same year!), and I can relate to her situation, but something about her "voice" didn't drag me in the way Ruthie's did.

*One of my favorite things were the touches of magic scattered throughout. You're never quite sure if they're real, or metaphoric, and I love that.

*It would be amiss to not touch on the most amazing aspect of the entire book: the writing. It's not a revolutionary plot, nor does it really have a linear plot. The writing seethes in and out like the tides, and it waltzes confidently down the line of poetry and prose. This books has some of the most beautiful, amazing, breathtaking passages I think I've ever read. If you asked me to pick a favorite quote, it would be impossible. It's passionate and sad, but at the same token, hopeful and light. It's a modern fairytale, but also a stark look at three generations of struggle and heartbreak. It's like a dream you just want to keep slipping into and revisiting - this is definitely a novel I want to reread more than once, just to try and absorb all I can from it.

*It's hard to find the words to describe this novel accurately. It makes you want to talk about it in the language it's written, and to do so, just takes away from it almost. It's a poem in the guise of a book. It's so harshly real, but filled with magic at every turn. I really almost feel it's a book everyone should at least try to read just once. It's not for everyone, but for some of us, it will wedge it's way into your heart.(less)

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Sep 18, 2012 Jaime Boler rated it 4 of 5 stars

Book Review: The Salt God’s Daughter by Ilie Ruby

The Salt God’s Daughter by Ilie Ruby (Soft Skull Press; 352 pages; $25).

Ilie Ruby, the critically acclaimed author of The Language of Trees, counts among her influencers some big names like Isabel Allende and Alice Sebold. Reading her moving, hypnotic new novel The Salt God’s Daughter, this reviewer clearly saw traces of both Allende and Sebold, as well as Alice Hoffmann. Ruby combines elements of mystery, fantasy, and magical realism to tell a m...more

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About Ilie Ruby

The Salt God's Daughter was inspired by a folksong about the selkies that my mother used to sing to my sister and I when we were little. The novel takes place in the seaside community of Long Beach, CA, where I was a teacher many years ago, and so becomes an enchanted landscape for my characters. Here, sisters are saviors and daughters take on the roles of mothers when mother's can't. The ways in...more

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