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Silver & Salt
“There was a child in our courtyard. I saw a child there, standing by the fountain. She was there, then she was gone.”
On the death of her father, the celebrated photographer Max Hollingbourne, Ruthie returns to his villa in Greece after fifteen years in exile. Tortured by a dark secret from her childhood and by memories of her mother, whose despair had turned to madness, Ruthie is nevertheless able to build a fragile happiness at the villa with her older sister, Vinny. But the arrival of an English family at a neighboring cottage, and of one young girl in particular, triggers a chain of events that will plunge both women back into their harrowing pasts. Haunting, lyrical, and shocking in its graphic re-creation of the traumas that shape two families, Silver and Salt is a brilliantly incisive novel about the destructive consequences of love and betrayal.
On the death of her father, the celebrated photographer Max Hollingbourne, Ruthie returns to his villa in Greece after fifteen years in exile. Tortured by a dark secret from her childhood and by memories of her mother, whose despair had turned to madness, Ruthie is nevertheless able to build a fragile happiness at the villa with her older sister, Vinny. But the arrival of an English family at a neighboring cottage, and of one young girl in particular, triggers a chain of events that will plunge both women back into their harrowing pasts. Haunting, lyrical, and shocking in its graphic re-creation of the traumas that shape two families, Silver and Salt is a brilliantly incisive novel about the destructive consequences of love and betrayal.
376 pages, Hardcover
First published April 4, 2017
20 people are currently reading
849 people want to read
About the author
Elanor Dymott
4 books31 followersElanor was born in Chingola, Zambia, in 1973. She was educated in the USA and England and also spent parts of her childhood in South East Asia. After studying English at Oxford University, she qualified as a lawyer before becoming a law reporter. Her short fiction has been published in Stand, The Warwick Review and Algebra. Every Contact Leaves A Trace is her first novel, and was longlisted for The Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award. Elanor lives in London where she plays jazz flute and is writing more novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
March 31, 2017
When their famous photographer father dies, Ruthie and Vinny reunite at the family villa in Greece.
Ruthie had been estranged from her father for the last fifteen years and returning to the place of much hope and sadness, has a profound and emotional effect. A young girl and her family, renting the villa next door will trigger a chain of misfortune that ends in tragedy.
Silver and salt, this intriguing title are elements used in a certain developing of film. There is much about photography and the process, the way to see things others don't, grouping things together to make a story, make your photos have meaning. The love of photography was shared by Ruthie and her father, but was also the basis for emotional and physical abuse. The book travels from present to past, back stories and incidents are revealed slowly, like developing film, not rushed.
A darkly thematic novel of mental illness, of a continuing grief relating to both mother and father. Bea, the father's sister often is the only shining light in this book. Her love for the girls, her willingness to care for them when their parents cannot, Vinny's saving grace. A beautiful character amidst the darkness. I was intrigued by this book, the many layers it encompassed, the insidious tone, and the fact that everything wasn't spelled out for the reader. Reading between the scenes, very much required. A book that shows the many ways a family does not relate and the ways that they can and how sometimes that may not be enough.
ARC from publisher.
Publishes April 4th.
Ruthie had been estranged from her father for the last fifteen years and returning to the place of much hope and sadness, has a profound and emotional effect. A young girl and her family, renting the villa next door will trigger a chain of misfortune that ends in tragedy.
Silver and salt, this intriguing title are elements used in a certain developing of film. There is much about photography and the process, the way to see things others don't, grouping things together to make a story, make your photos have meaning. The love of photography was shared by Ruthie and her father, but was also the basis for emotional and physical abuse. The book travels from present to past, back stories and incidents are revealed slowly, like developing film, not rushed.
A darkly thematic novel of mental illness, of a continuing grief relating to both mother and father. Bea, the father's sister often is the only shining light in this book. Her love for the girls, her willingness to care for them when their parents cannot, Vinny's saving grace. A beautiful character amidst the darkness. I was intrigued by this book, the many layers it encompassed, the insidious tone, and the fact that everything wasn't spelled out for the reader. Reading between the scenes, very much required. A book that shows the many ways a family does not relate and the ways that they can and how sometimes that may not be enough.
ARC from publisher.
Publishes April 4th.
March 15, 2017
The roots of the Hollingbourne family were on shaky ground. Max, a noted globetrotting photographer, was physically and emotionally absent from wife Sophie and their children. Sophie, a budding opera singer, gave up her career to raise Vinny, an easy going child and Ruthie, very needy but often ignored.
Sophie was the first to unravel. Seemingly in a trance, she began to drop pieces of coal into a bucket and carry bucket after bucket into the home library. Vinny was told to care for Ruthie and to keep the library doors locked. Sophie was unable to cope with Max's continual absences and unwillingness to devote time to their family. She came undone. Max's sister, Beatrice, a financially secure war widow, took charge and tried to provide the children with some stability. Beatrice insisted that Max talk with his children. Max and daughter Vinny connected. Max and Ruthie did not. Ruthie started displaying an interest in photography to try to develop common ground with her father. His photography tutelage was often verbally and physically abusive.
Upon Max's death, estranged daughter Ruthie and sister Vinny returned to the Greek villa where they spent their summers. They try to reconnect. Ruthie, however, starts to experience memories that have long been buried. The floodgate of memories intensifies when Ruthie notices the patterns of interaction between a young girl, Annie, and her brother who live in a nearby villa.
Max and Sophie were unable to nurture their children. "Silver and Salt" by Elanor Dymott explores the grief and suffering the sisters endured. This tome is a dark, gut wrenching window into a family in crisis.
Thank you W.W. Norton & Company and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Silver and Salt".
Sophie was the first to unravel. Seemingly in a trance, she began to drop pieces of coal into a bucket and carry bucket after bucket into the home library. Vinny was told to care for Ruthie and to keep the library doors locked. Sophie was unable to cope with Max's continual absences and unwillingness to devote time to their family. She came undone. Max's sister, Beatrice, a financially secure war widow, took charge and tried to provide the children with some stability. Beatrice insisted that Max talk with his children. Max and daughter Vinny connected. Max and Ruthie did not. Ruthie started displaying an interest in photography to try to develop common ground with her father. His photography tutelage was often verbally and physically abusive.
Upon Max's death, estranged daughter Ruthie and sister Vinny returned to the Greek villa where they spent their summers. They try to reconnect. Ruthie, however, starts to experience memories that have long been buried. The floodgate of memories intensifies when Ruthie notices the patterns of interaction between a young girl, Annie, and her brother who live in a nearby villa.
Max and Sophie were unable to nurture their children. "Silver and Salt" by Elanor Dymott explores the grief and suffering the sisters endured. This tome is a dark, gut wrenching window into a family in crisis.
Thank you W.W. Norton & Company and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Silver and Salt".
March 21, 2017
On the death of her father, a celebrated photographer, Ruthie returns to his villa in remote, wild Greece. After 15 years in exile she is welcomed by her older sister, Vinny. Together they build a fragile happiness in their haven above the sea, until the arrival of an English family at a neighboring cottage, and one young girl in particular, triggers a chain of events that will plunge both women back into their dark pasts, and entirely derail their present lives. This is a story of love and violence, and of what happens when a child is lied to by someone who has their trust.
Max is a photographer, who marries Sophia, an opera singer, and then takes her away from her career in London and on his work trips with him. Eventually the couple have two daughters and while Max is frequently traveling, when he is home, he is abusive to both his wife and his children. This eventually pushes Sophia into mental illness and Beatrice, Max's sister, eventually comes to care for the children. Their two daughters Vinny and Ruthie, are very different; while Vinny is older and focused on school, Ruthie is younger and still craves her father's attention, although he continues to be abusive. After their father passes away, the sisters meet at his villa in Greece to reconnect. Things are going fairly well until a family arrives at a neighboring villa, which triggers both the girls to remember the violence from their past.
I typically stray away from adult or contemporary fiction, but this book sounded interesting so I gave it a chance and I did enjoy it. The book does deal with some very serious issues, such as abuse and mental illness, so reader be warned. This is the first I have read by the author and enjoyed her writing style. The book moves along at a steady pace and I felt like I got to know both Vinny and Ruthie fairly well. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of this genre, just be prepared that it does deal with some hard topics.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an advanced reading copy of the book.
Max is a photographer, who marries Sophia, an opera singer, and then takes her away from her career in London and on his work trips with him. Eventually the couple have two daughters and while Max is frequently traveling, when he is home, he is abusive to both his wife and his children. This eventually pushes Sophia into mental illness and Beatrice, Max's sister, eventually comes to care for the children. Their two daughters Vinny and Ruthie, are very different; while Vinny is older and focused on school, Ruthie is younger and still craves her father's attention, although he continues to be abusive. After their father passes away, the sisters meet at his villa in Greece to reconnect. Things are going fairly well until a family arrives at a neighboring villa, which triggers both the girls to remember the violence from their past.
I typically stray away from adult or contemporary fiction, but this book sounded interesting so I gave it a chance and I did enjoy it. The book does deal with some very serious issues, such as abuse and mental illness, so reader be warned. This is the first I have read by the author and enjoyed her writing style. The book moves along at a steady pace and I felt like I got to know both Vinny and Ruthie fairly well. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of this genre, just be prepared that it does deal with some hard topics.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an advanced reading copy of the book.
May 5, 2017
This was a tragic book--one of the saddest things I've read in a long time. Mental illness, child abuse, neglect, suicide, infertility, loss, grief, and art, photography. The story is beautifully written, almost poetic. The contrast of the ugly subjects and beautiful writing makes it haunting--almost a like a photographic negative, which I suppose was by design. Worth reading, but do it slowly. The story moves about in time and point-of-view. It can be hard to remember to experience each tiny bit fully if you read in large chunks, and each tiny bit matters. This is a dense, layered, and emotional book that left me exhausted.
October 27, 2019
The voice chosen for this story put me off. The story might have worked brilliantly as a first person narrative, but it reads as though a emotionless narrator is blandly narrating a movie while the movie is on. There is no narrator in the novel.
December 12, 2022
So beautiful
September 15, 2018
4.5 Stars for this one. I thought it was beautifully written while being tragic. It explores mental illness and suicide, grief, physical and emotional abuse, abandonment... It was heartbreaking.
Aunt Beatrice was a beautiful character, such a smart and loving woman who demonstrated such incredible strength.
Everyone in this story is damaged, and while I feel there is more to the story that I didn't pick up on / can't put my finger on, this was a very good, albeit dark, book.
Aunt Beatrice was a beautiful character, such a smart and loving woman who demonstrated such incredible strength.
Everyone in this story is damaged, and while I feel there is more to the story that I didn't pick up on / can't put my finger on, this was a very good, albeit dark, book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2025
It is a bit confusing, when you start because it changes perspectives and does a iffy job of it. Basically it goes from the parents when they were young to their kids when they were adults. Was hard to read but interesting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2018
I did not finish reading this book. I'm sure some will like it, it just wasn't for me.
April 27, 2017
Got a quarter of the way through and could not finish it. Just couldn't get into it.
Want to read
March 24, 2017I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I wish I could say that I finished this book, but I can't. Upon viewing this book for the first time, I fell in love with the name, cover, and most importantly, the synopsis. The plot is intriguing, but it was difficult for me to follow. I couldn't easily distinguish the transition between the past and present. Perhaps if the first half were flashbacks and the second half was present-day I might've understood it better. Nonetheless, the author shows immense talent by writing about beautiful places, complex characters, and a mystery that can definitely pull you in. This is the sort of novel that you might read for a college course and end up loving it. Definitely worth reading.
March 18, 2017
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This is a difficult, painful read but a wonderfully-written look into a family fraught with dysfunction and mental illness.
Max is a celebrated photographer who meets and marries, Sophia, an opera singer. He whisks her away from London and her singing world and goes off on his photography trips, eventually leaving her with two small girls. Max is never around and when he is, he's distant and abusive to his wife and girls. Sophia eventually lapses into mental illness. Beatrice, Max's sister, eventually swoops in to care for the girls.
Vinny is the oldest and strongest daughter. She excels at school and is focused on her study of languages. Ruthie is the youngest and doesn't cope well with her parents' absence. Max eventually tries to teach Ruthie photography, but is still abusive and mean in his methods while Ruthie strives for his attention and praise.
When Max passes away, the sisters meet at their villa in Greece. A family is also on the compound vacationing, and Ruthie becomes obsessed with the young daughter, Annie. Annie's brother, Edward, is cruel to Annie and it opens up a plethora of past memories, spiraling Ruthie into the same mental illness as her mother.
A remarkably-written book about such a painful subject.
This is a difficult, painful read but a wonderfully-written look into a family fraught with dysfunction and mental illness.
Max is a celebrated photographer who meets and marries, Sophia, an opera singer. He whisks her away from London and her singing world and goes off on his photography trips, eventually leaving her with two small girls. Max is never around and when he is, he's distant and abusive to his wife and girls. Sophia eventually lapses into mental illness. Beatrice, Max's sister, eventually swoops in to care for the girls.
Vinny is the oldest and strongest daughter. She excels at school and is focused on her study of languages. Ruthie is the youngest and doesn't cope well with her parents' absence. Max eventually tries to teach Ruthie photography, but is still abusive and mean in his methods while Ruthie strives for his attention and praise.
When Max passes away, the sisters meet at their villa in Greece. A family is also on the compound vacationing, and Ruthie becomes obsessed with the young daughter, Annie. Annie's brother, Edward, is cruel to Annie and it opens up a plethora of past memories, spiraling Ruthie into the same mental illness as her mother.
A remarkably-written book about such a painful subject.
did-not-finish
March 18, 2017I found this impenetrable. The style, the story, the characters. It was an instance of knowing a book is not right for you almost straight away; I persisted a bit, to around the 10% mark, but it didn't improve.
Advance review copy received from Edelweiss.
Advance review copy received from Edelweiss.
September 24, 2020
Part family saga, part mystery, partly none of the above. I picked this out pretty much at random not really expecting much of it but really enjoyed it. We follow the family of Ruthie from London to a mansion in Kent, to her mother’s home in the South of France, to the Greek villa her father builds for them. We watch the family come together and fall apart. The story goes back and forth in time and place, jumping between characters, and it all works together. Very well written, especially the ending which you know is coming but can’t quite figure out how or why until it is suddenly clear. An author I’ll be looking out for again.
September 8, 2018
Silver and Salt by Elanor Dymott is a hard novel to read and understand. Although Dymott's writing is beautiful and her story of an English/French family fascinating, I finished the book not really understanding what had happened.
Sophie and Max fall in love, marry and have 2 little girls, Vinny and Ruthie. Max purchases a villa in Greece where the family is to spend their summers, the rest of the time in England. Max is a famous photographer and is away often and at length. When Ruthie is 9 she begs her father to teach her how to be a photographer which he does. One summer when Ruthie is 9, or 10, or 11 she does something terrible which is only explained at the end of the book, but in such a way that I could not figure out what it was.
Sophie and Max fall in love, marry and have 2 little girls, Vinny and Ruthie. Max purchases a villa in Greece where the family is to spend their summers, the rest of the time in England. Max is a famous photographer and is away often and at length. When Ruthie is 9 she begs her father to teach her how to be a photographer which he does. One summer when Ruthie is 9, or 10, or 11 she does something terrible which is only explained at the end of the book, but in such a way that I could not figure out what it was.
August 2, 2024
Mixed feelings about this. I had to read the first chapter or so twice before deciding to go ahead with the book. It's a tragic look back at the childhood of a famous photographer's daughters, who strive for his attention, all the moreso because of his long absenses while he's on assignment. His high expectations and cruel remarks and acts when he is present are devastating to the psyche of his sensitive younger daughter. A gruesome ending is foreshadowed throughout the book. This was well-written, although the transitions between childhood and adult events were sometimes confusing, and the plot was so sad that it was hard to like. I was going to give tthis a 3, but re-reading my comments, I see that my reactions were more negative.
January 14, 2018
I read this book in the course of 4 days. Dymott has a captivating way of writing that makes it difficult to put down. This story seamlessly takes place in the present with alternating chapters from the past leading you to the causes of the current events happening in this family's tragic saga.
March 19, 2018
I found the book to be absolutely beautiful in its prose and lyricism, full of intricate and lush detail. But also hard to fridge through in parts, because of the tragedy laced through the story. it is a look at how history repeats itself and the fragility of humans.
October 15, 2018
It takes a little while to get into this novel but the writing is sublime. I could have done without a lot of the photographic processes but it was kind of central to the storyline. I would read other books by this author.
August 11, 2019
Beautifully written and complex, the story of two sisters and their absent photographer father and talented mother. Themes of abandonment and mental health and the passage of time. So sad. Recommend.
April 5, 2023
I have read this novel 3 times. Beautifully written it needs more than one read to follow all the issues and time changes that continue in the novel. Ruthie appears to have the same mental illness as her mother. It is a very sad story that depicts a family in constant crisis due to the personality of the father. The novel ,I think, is based on fact . The photo at the end appears to confirm that.
May 7, 2017
I didn't care for this book at all. I thought it was boring. I was not engaged in the plot.
June 22, 2017
Frustrating and sad
July 30, 2017
I hated this book, still do not know what happened.
July 31, 2017
Read about 188 pages, just could not see where it was going. Seemed to do a lot of stalling. Gave up
October 11, 2017
themes of unresolved grief, abandonment, love of family interesting and very well written. far too long and overly graphic at times.
December 20, 2017
heartrending and honest and terrifying. something I probably should have waited to read until I was on meds again.
January 14, 2018
...disconnected...disjointed...disturbed...disliked
January 29, 2018
Dragged out to a predictable conclusion. The book summary and certain reviews make you think there will be some shocking ending, but there wasn't - totally misleading, so don't waste your time.
July 19, 2018
Quite disturbing
But beautiful
But beautiful
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews