Ring of Salt: Finding home and hope on the Wild Coast of Ireland

by Betsy Cornwell

On her son's first birthday, Betsy Cornwell fled her home, checking into a hotel under a false name so her husband couldn't find them. In the uncertain months that followed, her fierce determination to give her child what she never had - a safe and stable home - saved them.

In Ring of Salt, Betsy traces her journey from that desperate moment to Ireland's windswept west coast, where the Atlantic Ocean crashes against ancient cliffs. There, nestled beside a quiet lake in the wilds of Connemara, she discovers a long-abandoned knitting factory - forgotten, but full of possibility. She sets out to restore it into a sanctuary for herself and her son - and, eventually, a creative refuge for single mothers.

As she renovates the crumbling house and fights to keep custody of her son, Betsy begins to rebuild something a sense of belonging. In the cool mists of the countryside, and with the help of fellow survivors and an unexpected community, she pieces together a new kind of family.

Mixing Maid's gripping portrait of single motherhood with Wintering's wild, romantic sense of place, this is a powerful memoir of survival, new beginnings, and the quiet, everyday magic of finding home on one of the world's most storied and soul-stirring coastlines.

352 pages, Hardcover

Published October 9, 2025

About the author

Betsy Cornwell is a New York Times bestselling author living in west Ireland. She is the story editor and a contributing writer at Parabola, and her short-form writing includes fiction, nonfiction, and literary translation and has appeared in Fairy Tale Review, Zahir Tales, The Violence Prevention Initiative Journal, and elsewhere. She holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame and a B.A. from Smith College.

Mechanica was published in 2015 and has featured on several best of the year lists, including Amazon.com’s Best Young Adult Books and USA Today‘s Must-Read Romances. In a starred review, Kirkus called this retelling of Cinderella “a smart, refreshing alternative to stale genre tropes.” Mechanica is a YALSA Teens’ Top Ten nominee for 2016.

Betsy’s debut novel, Tides, was published in 2013 to critical acclaim including a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly, a place in the Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year, and a Bisexual Book Awards nomination.

Betsy has two more novels forthcoming from Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, in 2017 and 2018.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ring of Salt is a beautiful memoir of escaping child sexual abuse and domestic violence into the embrace of Ireland’s wild Atlantic coastline. The author is an American who’s made her name in young adult fairytale retellings, and her writing in this memoir certainly feels magical and very tied to the landscape. A beautiful and ultimately uplifting book.

[Devon Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir is a magic spell, cast to inspire and protect all women. It is a rare experience that I am wholly unable to put a book down, and this was one of those books.

There are not many (or any) women who have not been impacted by some degree of abuse, and this book will tend to that wound in a way you did not realize it needed. I initially did not think I would personally walk away changed by this book, and I cannot stress enough how wholly wrong I was!

If you have ever said the words "I believe women," please read this. It is a mystical and heart-wrenching story, where you will laugh, cry, scream, and witness magic. She effortlessly speaks to something intergenerational, primal, and wholly present.

This is a book I'll recommend for many years to come, and an excellent book club pick. Five our of five stars, and I mean it!

[Aimie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Betsy draws you into her story, a story I had both the pleasure and challenge of partially watching unfold from the privilege of tea. She is remarkable both in her talent and her tenacity and someone I am proud to have met along the way. This is her story, but one that unlocks the telling of many other stories - stories that are only too common - and so rare that you know more should be done. Well done Betsy - may the years and paths ahead be kind and the road you are paving for may be fruitful in finding rest.

[Sharon Casburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written. Betsy Cornwell weaves her own personal story into her discovery and growing love of Connemara. Although her own life journey has it’s own harrowing twists and turns , her resilience, courage and determination to protect her baby and give a better, happier life to him , while trying to work and create a safe space for her and her little boy and also eventually other women who need refuge.
It is an example of how we can overcome life’s hurdles and create beautiful environments while surrounded by a caring community near and far.

[Jeffrey Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

It reads like a novel, but it's a true story. Kind of felt a bit sorry for a nice guy called Shea, sort of felt that she could've given him a better chance.