A few months ago, I went to the cinema with my mum and brother to see a charming British film called The Salt Path. It was the story of Raynor Winn and her husband, Moth, a couple who lose everything and end up in debt and homeless. What’s worse is that the husband has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness. With everything they own in a couple of backpacks, the couple decide to walk the southwest coastal path.
They learn to rough it, eating packet noodles and camping in a tent along the way. They meet a number of people along the way, and many of the people seem to think they already know Moth, and they think he’s actually called Simon. It turns out they are referring to Simon Armitage, the now poet laureate, who at the time was hiking the coast himself.
Raynor Winn kept a notebook along the way and turned their story into a bestselling book. Which, of course, was then turned into the film.
It was a heart-warming film and the three of us left the film in good spirits and thinking “What a lovely little story”. Naturally, I was curious to read the book as well, so I put in a request from the library. As came as no surprise to me, the book was highly requested, so I had quite the wait, but in the meantime, an article was published in the Observer which claims that Raynor Winn’s account may not be all that she claims it is. There are numerous allegations made within the article, including that Mr and Mrs Winn’s pathway to homelessness was a little different to how depicted in this book and film. Furthermore, the article claims that Raynor and Moth Winn are actually Sally and Timothy Walker. I did wonder where a name like Moth came from, and there’s no mention of the names Sally and Timothy anywhere in the book.
Of course, this is all still up in the air at the time I write this review. There are news stories breaking every other day. But the fact is, we don’t know for a fact who is telling the truth. We may never know. No matter how you split it, it was next to impossible for me to read this book through a different lens than how I viewed the film. And all that really means is that I was reading with a sense of scepticism, asking myself how much of it is true. If any.
It’s not my job to investigate this situation. The only word that really comes to my head is shame. If the allegations are true, then it’s a shame to the victims of the Winns and everything they’ve been through. Equally, if the allegations are false, then it’s a shame because the reputation of the book is tarnished forever. Personally, of all the things in this book, I find it hard to believe that anybody could’ve mistaken Moth for Simon Armitage. They don’t look alike at all. Secondly, I find it even harder to believe that Armitage genuinely has so many ‘fans’.
All I’m here to do is review the book. And looking at it just as a book: it’s fine. Nothing more. Nothing less.
My Goodreads review: ★★★☆☆ (3 stars)
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