Sal by Mick Kitson

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 stolen credit cards. 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, of the kindness of strangers, and the irrepressible power of sisterly love; a love that can lead us to do extraordinary and unimaginable things. Editorial Reviews Readers who enjoyed My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent should love this novel of the resourceful, 13-year-old Sal, who escapes an abusive home in Scotland with her ten-year-old sister Peppa to live in the wilderness, armed with knowledge gleaned from YouTube survival videos. Author Mick Kitson gives narrator Sal an endearing, unique voice. - B&N Review 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 Just wonderful. A breath of fresh air in a book. Sal is a story with incredible heart, told so beautifully and with such clarity and grace I can hardly believe it's a debut! I loved it. - Joanna Cannon Atmospheric . . . Distinctive . . . A vivid, moving tale about the strength of sisterhood and the struggle to survive. - The Observer This short, impressive debut is an uplifting tale of survival, shot through with humour, compassion and humanity. - Mail on Sunday Atmospheric... Distinctive... A vivid, moving tale about the strength of sisterhood and the struggle to survive. - Anita Sethi Readers who enjoyed My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent should love this novel of the resourceful, 13-year-old Sal, who escapes an abusive home in Scotland with her ten-year-old sister Peppa to live in the wilderness, armed with knowledge gleaned from YouTube survival videos. Author Mick Kitson gives narrator Sal an endearing, unique voice - Barnes & Noble Reads There's an edgy charm and an innocence to this story of two youngsters who escape into the woods...Kitson's novel has an abundance of influences and themes-from flashbacks to Ingrid's life in East Germany to the belief in a Mother Goddess-that will make it a rewarding read for teens and adults alike - FOREWORD REVIEW Startling in its simplicity and immediacy, told from Sal's undeniably practical perspective, this remarkable debut novel is a story of courage, lost innocence, and freedom. Sal memorably unpacks the skills needed for survival, of all kinds - BOOKLIST Powered by Sal's innate sense of justice and her fierce love for her sweary, show-stealing sister, this original, bittersweet tale effortlessly beguiles - Daily Mail 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 - Guardian - JENNI FAGAN Sal is an inspiring novel that feels honest and fastidious. It introduces the theme of redemption and fresh beginnings without shying from the awful truth - Financial Times Daring and original . . . Manages to feel both contemporary and timeless, both heart-rending and uplifting . . . Sal deserves to be one of this year's hits - Observer Just wonderful. A breath of fresh air in a book. Sal is a story with incredible heart, told so beautifully and with such clarity and grace I can hardly believe it's a debut! I loved it - JOANNA CANNON Incredibly engaging . . . Mick Kitson's depiction of the siblings' relationship is spot on, as is his description of the beauties of the natural world as seen through Sal's eyes . . . [A] gutsy debut - Sunday Express Endearing . . . A wake-up call about how society fails women in poverty, with Sal's precocious ability to fend for herself ultimately standing in for her ability to survive the misery at the book's heart - Metro A striking and stark debut novel . . . Beautifully done - Scotland on Sunday - Stuart Kelly Startling in its simplicity and immediacy, told from Sal's undeniably practical perspective, this remarkable debut novel is a story of courage, lost innocence, and freedom. Sal memorably unpacks the skills needed for survival, of all kinds. - Booklist There's an edgy charm and an innocence to this story of two youngsters who escape into the woods...Kitson's novel has an abundance of influences and themes-from flashbacks to Ingrid's life in East Germany to the belief in a Mother Goddess-that will make it a rewarding read for teens and adults alike. - Foreword Review Gripping and hopeful - Book Club Pick ELLE Brilliant . . . [Sal's] compelling, ballsy voice is a breath of fresh air - Good Housekeeping Sal is spellbinding, that rare gem of a novel that effortlessly explores what it is to be a human existing in an often brittle and unkind world. Sal's voice is one of the most compelling I've read in a long time. A luminous debut - SARAH SCHMIDT In Sal , Kitson has captured a curious quality of teenagerhood . . . This is an astonishing debut . . . Sal sits somewhere between Huckleberry Finn and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time , with a glint and charm all of its own - The Skinny Sal is a triumph. It's a modern adventure story of siblings on the run in 'the Last Great Wilderness' of Scotland. But it's much, much, more than this. Sal, and her sister Peppa, are vivid and compelling - their relationship and their voices ring utterly true. Shot through with deft humour and a humane, sometimes harrowing, honesty, Kitson's characters will stay with me for a very long time - JESS KIDD A genuinely wondrous novel, combining the beautiful rural detail of an Arthur Ransome adventure with a touching story of sisterhood and family trauma. The descriptions of the Scottish landscape are so resonant you can smell the pine needles. It's been a long time since I've felt this involved with a character and her struggle - KEITH STUART Narrator Sharon Rooney's distinctive Scottish brogue takes a little getting used to, but once that happens, it becomes obvious just how perfect her performance is. Sal and Peppa are sisters on the run from the police. In preparation, Sal watched Bear Grylls videos on YouTube to hone her survival skills. They hide out in the Galloway woods, trapping rabbits and catching pike while trying to figure out how to break their mother (Maw) out of rehab. Rooney's tone and timing convey the easy bond of the sisters, Sal's fierce protectiveness, and Peppa's high spirits and mile-a-minute energy. Most masterful is how Rooney creates authenticity of place-the moor, the cold, the solitude. It creeps right under your skin. A.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine - JANUARY 2019 - AudioFile