Winner, IP Picks 2002, Best Fiction by an Australian Author.

In her award-winning debut, Sally Finn is concerned with the big picture beyond the constructs of plot and character. She questions life, the nature and meaning of it, the undercurrents of relationships and how we are shaped as people through these relationships and our past experiences. Fine Salt has all the restless energy and the unpredicability of the open sea.

Twins Phoebe and Samuel leave their rural home in search of independence and and an escape from their parents’ dysfuntional relationship. Samuel’s search leads him to adventures in India while Phoebe is drawn to Melbourne’s inner suburbs, but the city’s harsh edges take their toll. They come together once more in a turbulent struggle involving Georgia, the object of their desires and the cause of their angst.

This is a story of confused identity and the raw imperative of youthful love coming of age in Melbourne.

Finn’s style is captivating and often poetic as she dramatises the emotional highs and lows of her characters in a world where nothing can be taken for granted. The work constantly challenges us to leave our comfort zone to see if the struggle against adversity in contemporary society can lead to meaning and happiness.

 

Sally Finn grew up in Melbourne, moving to East Gippsland as a young adult. She still owns a property at Waterholes on the Nicholson River.

She is a therapist in private practice and also works part-time in a needle and syringe program for the Salvos.

She now lives in Melbourne with her girlfriend, Billi, and a kitten called Lucky. She has a son, Leonardo.

Fine Salt is her first novel.