Preview
  • A Sweet Sting of Salt

  • A Novel
  • By: Rose Sutherland
  • Narrated by: Aven Shore
  • Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (26 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

A Sweet Sting of Salt

By: Rose Sutherland
Narrated by: Aven Shore
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.25

Buy for $20.25

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

A young woman uncovers a dark secret about her neighbor and his mysterious new wife. Now she’ll have to fight to keep herself—and the woman she loves—safe.

“A modern sapphic updating of the selkie wife folk tale that’s already scoring with readers”—Parade (A Best Romance and Best LGBTQI+ Book of the Year So Far)

“Lush, atmospheric, and threaded with multiple kinds of magic.”—Paste

When a sharp cry wakes Jean in the middle of the night during a terrible tempest, she’s convinced it must have been a dream. But when the cry comes again, Jean ventures outside and is shocked by what she discovers—a young woman in labor, drenched to the bone in the bitter cold and able to speak barely a word of English.

Although Jean is the only midwife for miles around, she’s at a loss for who this woman is or where she’s from; Jean can only assume that she must be the new wife of the neighbor up the road, Tobias. And when Tobias does indeed arrive at her cabin in search of his wife, Muirin, Jean’s questions continue to multiply. Why has he kept his wife’s pregnancy a secret? And why does Muirin’s open demeanor change completely the moment she’s in his presence?

Though Jean learned long ago that she should stay out of other people’s business, her growing concern—and growing feelings—for Muirin mean that she can’t simply set her worries aside. But when the answers she finds are more harrowing than she ever could have imagined, she fears she may have endangered herself, Muirin, and the baby. Will she be able to put things right and save the woman she loves before it’s too late, or will someone have to pay for Jean’s actions with their life?

©2024 Rose Sutherland (P)2024 Random House Audio
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ+
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

“A gorgeous tale of sapphic yearning laced with a slow-building sense of Gothic dread, Sutherland’s captivating debut is an intensely beautiful experience you won’t soon forget.”—Paulette Kennedy, bestselling author of The Witch of Tin Mountain

“For fans of feminist retellings and queer fairy tales, Sutherland’s debut is a must-read.”—Allison Epstein, author of Let the Dead Bury the Dead

“A masterful work, A Sweet Sting of Salt will linger in my imagination as vividly as any bit of ancient folklore, long after the last page.”—Laura R. Samotin, author of The Sins on Their Bones

What listeners say about A Sweet Sting of Salt

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    16
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    17
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    16
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow.

I picked this book on a whim and I was completely blown away. Lush, exciting, romantic. And the reader did such an amazing job.

Will be listening to this again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great narration

Aven does a terrific job as the voice for this book!!! Deserves so much love!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Atmospheric in the Best of Ways—not to miss!

What an achingly beautiful story! More than a retelling, this book hits all the sweet spots that are promised, with a setting that is as much a character as the brave women in its center. And the audio sings, allowing the imagination to run wild.

Meet midwife Jean, who’s had some heartache on the Nova Scotia shores. One night she saves a woman on the seashore about to give birth, a woman who has a strange language, and an even stranger relationship with her brooding and nervous husband. And with that, a retelling is born. A retelling that sees the other side of the selkie wife story, while it shows the many ways life unfolds. An inclusive story that is as believable as it is beautiful. Honestly, I’m reminded of the feelings I had after reading Miller’s The Song of Achilles. Can’t wait for the author’s next offering. Well done.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Exciting and Romantic

The Sweet Sting of Salt is a perilous, exciting, and romantic twist on the Selkie Wife story, diving into domestic violence, othering, and the search for belonging. I loved the 1830s Nova Scotia setting, the characters (especially the seal people), and the complex relationships. Five stars!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Well written - and a satisfying ending

I often feel like the endings of books are rushed or drawn out... this dances that line perfectly. I was left waning for nothing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding in every way

I binged this book hard! It's well written, incredibly well performed, the story was engaging and I loved the protagonists.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Painfully slow

Someone else described this book as slow building. And it was, painfully slow. I’m sorry to be harsh, but that’s how I felt. Great characters, though.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!