Sal cover art

Sal

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Sal

By: Mick Kitson
Narrated by: Sharon Rooney
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About this listen

This is a story of something like survival. Sal planned it for almost a year before they ran. She nicked an Ordnance Survey map from the school library. She bought a compass, a Bear Grylls knife, waterproofs and a first aid kit from Amazon using credit cards she'd robbed. She read the SAS Survival Handbook and watched loads of YouTube videos.

And now Sal knows a lot of stuff. Like how to build a shelter and start a fire. How to estimate distances, snare rabbits and shoot an airgun. And how to protect her sister, Peppa. Because Peppa is ten, which is how old Sal was when Robert started on her.

Told in Sal's distinctive voice, and filled with the silent, dizzying beauty of rural Scotland, Sal is a disturbing, uplifting story of survival, the kindness of strangers and the irrepressible power of sisterly love - a love that can lead us to do extraordinary and unimaginable things.

©2018 Mick Kitson (P)2018 Canongate Books Ltd Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Feel-Good

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Critic reviews

"Kitson writes clearly and concisely...The girls’ capability, humanity and humour are inspiring and wonderful. Sal is an ambitious and skilled novel. Literature needs more stories like this." (Jenni Fagan, Guardian)
"Atmospheric...Distinctive...A vivid, moving tale about the strength of sisterhood and the struggle to survive." (Anita Sethi, Observer)
"Kitson inhabits the girls' voices with credible authenticity...This short, impressive debut is an uplifting tale of survival, shot through with humour, compassion and humanity." (Mail on Sunday)
All stars
Most relevant
I wasn’t looking forward to this but felt I needed to know more. So pleased I did, what a wonderful tale of overcoming dreadfulness. I so love and admire Sal Just absolutely wow. Thank you.

Stunning

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I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to get lost in a book. It allowed me to disappear into the forest with Sal and Peppa and to feel as if I was somewhere else. The story was incredibly gripping, funny and intriguing and the characters were so lovable and real that you were rooting for them at every step.

The ending was a little disappointing I found however this didn’t take away from it being a brilliant book. Sharon Rooney really is perfect for this audiobook and I think this made it even better as her voice was a perfect fit.

Overall I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who loves to get lost in the world of books. Fantastic listen, you won’t be able to put it down!

Brilliant, beautifully read, gripping

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A fantastically written and read story about two young girls who escape to the Scottish moors. Their lives were sadly familiar, far too often kids are born into dysfunctional homes and suffer horrifically at the hands of the adults who are supposed to be caring for them. Sal taught herself how to be an adult. How to survive, love and care for her sister. She is a modern hero and I highly recommend this book!

Brilliant, touching, sad but hopeful.

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Loved every minute of this tale of sibling love and human survival. Lots of humour and all likable characters. More please!

Loved every minute

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I struggled at first as was so different to my normal read. I'm so glad I did. You can't help but wanting to wrap your arms around Sal & Peppa. Such a sad back story but a story filled with warmth & adoration for the girls. A wonderful book that I cannot recommend enough. Fantastic narrator too.

Tough but wonderful!

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gripped right from the start, Sal is a brilliant story with such down to earth characters

loved it

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This is one of those rare things, beautifully written, beautifully narrated, heartbreakingly sad, hilariously funny, astonishingly honest and informative at the same time. I'm not sure what led me to download this story, perhaps echoes of my childhood, perhaps reverberations of later years, not sure but but I'm glad I did. The story of Sal and her sister is expertly handled by Sharon Rooney and the Scottish accent was wonderful and immersive and held true. The occasional laugh out loud wit and occasional graphic depictions of life could not have been delivered in a different accent. Ms Rooney owned this book. I hope she is proud of her work in conveying Mick Kitsons all too familiar story. No spoilers here, suffice it to say that the subject matter is difficult to listen to but written and aurally delivered without labouring the point. You know what you need to know, you hear what you need to hear, no need for current mode of endless graphic depictions. This book is more about survival, determination, intelligence and compassion, all seen through the eyes of a 13 yr old girl. Absolutely recommended this story to anyone. Download without hesitation and be prepared to laugh out loud one minute and stop in your tracks with disbelief the next.

Heart breaking and Hilarious.

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Beautifully read. Wonderful story. Sal is affected by her past. Feelings don't matter, it's what you plan and do that does.

Loved it, moving, wild and wondeful

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Hard to listen to but gripping. Only one minor niggle: the sound quality could've been a bit higher.

Haunting

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This isn't the sort of book that I usually read (or listen to) but it caught my attention and I thought I'd give it a go and I was hugely impressed. It's a captivating story told from the perspective of Sal, a young girl whose life has been difficult but who shows immense resourcefulness and a desire to survive. The insight into her mind and her thought processes gives the reader (listener) clues into what was going on that is not directly mentioned and raises all sorts of questions about what sort of person she is. You find yourself cheering her on and shouting 'no don't do that' at her as she negotiations the difficulties of trying to live life in the wild with her young sister. The relationship between them is wonderfully drawn and Sal's protectiveness and care for her sister is touching. There's nothing not to like about this book.

And the narration is excellent. Truly natural and appropriate for the character and the nuances of tone really help to create atmosphere and convey emotion (or lack of emotion).

I wanted the end to be different - I could see that it had to be as it was but I kept hoping that there would be some way to avoid the inevitable outcome because Sal so clearly deserved a better outcome. And that's part of the author and narrator's skill here - they have created a real person who you care about and who you want to go and find and rescue and protect.

I've read some reviews that question whether this is a book for children (of course not) or adults (well yes) because of the adult themes and the age of the central character but that's what makes this such a brilliant book for me; it is a story with some very adult themes told through the eyes of a child who simultaneously understands too much and doesn't quite understand enough.

Unusual and Engrossing

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