To feel disappointed after reading this in The Observer about the author and her husband from The Salt Path book and film?

[DisappointedReader]

The real Salt Path: how the couple behind a bestseller le...

I read Raynor Winn's book The Salt Path and her other two books. I was looking forward to seeing the film at some point and to reading her next book. I felt sorry to read about the challenges the couple had faced, especially with regard to losing their family home and with Moth's health. Now, having read the article in today's Observer, I feel a bit stunned and am not sure what to think.

So she got one of their agents.

Interesting. She must have had advice/ a leg up from someone because as a complete beginner she'd have to work her way through all the dozens of agents out there. GMC are pretty solid and well established.

Her writing really isn't good at all.

I've just dipped into it again and the language is 'pedestrian' to put it mildly. Pun intended.

I read this for book club years ago; she lost me when she said she couldn’t possibly live in a council house as what would the neighbours think? Also didn’t care that her children had nowhere to come home to. The sense of superiority and entitlement radiated off every page.

But I just thought she was wingeing over losing out on a potentially lucrative investment which she’d have happily crowed about had it paid off. Didn’t make the leap that they were a pair of robbing lying scumbags.

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I was amazed at how she put this in the book! And if you do get caught and realised you can't pay at a campsite, don't use the facilities!

It makes you wonder what else they did that even they deemed too unethical to put in the book.

I didn't like how they talked about the old surf barn man, can't remember the exact place but she was very judgemental and almost aghast at the way they lived and their attitudes, which was a bit "kettle black".

Again, not necessarily. I just sent my debut novel (well, whatever number of chapters each one specified, plus a pitch letter) out to 10 agents. A couple never replied, a couple said no, five said ‘Send us the full MS’, three of those offered representation, and I chose one. Who was a young, starting-out agent, at one of the big agencies, building her list. Obviously some debut authors do query dozens of agents and get no interest.

Non-fiction, which I know less about, operates a bit differently. An agent might sell a book to a publisher on the strength of a sample chapter and a strong idea, so the agency might have been interested in The Salt Path on the basis of a strong idea (redemptive tale of hopelessness and walking the coastal path) and a writing sample. Raynor Winn/Sally Walker may have queried them, or an agent might sell t from there may have approached her if they’d seen her writing somewhere.

£6 I paid for that book. I want my money back!

Whatever happened, there have to be a few people in the trade with their heads in their hands right about now!

She is listed at Companies House as Raynor Winn, not Sally Walker.

Admittedly years ago but used to work in this field as a trainee - courts are very slow to actually enforce judgement to kick people out of their homes. There are lots of stages before that happens which is why I was suspicious of this from outset. Plus her woe is me plucky country folk done over by big business thing got right on my nerves. I was seen as a meanie by my book group but I guess I was proved right <smug>

I always thought it was a good read but with only a hint of truth.

What’s a back end deal? Is that when they accept low pay and a percentage of the profits, as you write here? Hopefully no one will lose out that way, as it seems like it’s been quite a popular film already.

I feel your pain; I’m always the cynical one at book club.

I'm a published writer. It's no surprise she got an agent and a good deal (which then became other great deals). Her writing might be pedestrian but it's decent enough and the story is gold. Perfect non-fiction. it has a great engine driving a personal story - loss, illness, financial instability, resilience, victory... similar to Cheryl Strayed's Wild (although Wild is infinitely better).

Were Winn/Walker’s agent aware of her past? Worrying if they weren’t… and even more worrying if they were. Interestingly, there is an article from 2017 in the Big Issue in which Winn explores the issue of rural homelessness. This article appeared before The Salt Path was published, and in it she describes how they became homeless as a result of “a financial dispute with a lifelong friend that led to a court case…” Rather different to the description in The Salt Path of a failed investment of ‘a substantial sum’ of their own money to a close friend of Moth’s who insisted they then repay a large debt when the investment failed. Was it decided to change the narrative because ‘a financial dispute’ raises questions about what the dispute involved, whereas a failed investment doesn’t? If so, who decided to change the narrative? Winn by herself? Winn in conjunction with her agent? Or Winn in conjunction with her publisher and agent?

Big Issue - Rural homelessness

I adore this comment 😂😂😂

Isn’t that the book she says inspired them to do the walk?

Yeah, my agent would have snapped it up!

Oooh quelle surprise!

I must admit I haven't read the book but I'm a huge fan of Jason Isaacs and have watched/ listen to him give many interviews about this film over the last few weeks and every time he's explained the premise it's niggled me because so much just didn't make any sense.

Much like with the Moores I'm now wondering how on earth they thought they could get away with this not coming out somewhere down the line.

I enjoyed the book and have walked some of the SW coast path in chunks, I didn’t like the film it was too silly! I wonder how much of the book is actually true, what came first, the walk or the idea for a book? Did they really rough it as much as she said? I guess we’ll never know!

As an aside, how do you embezzle as a bookkeeper? I am doing some basic bookkeeping for a family member so admittedly am not an expert at complex stuff, but everything is recorded, ticked off, reconciled etc. It then all goes to an accountant once a year.

How can you just syphon off thousands without it being noticed? Was it easier when it was manual not computerised? Surely bank statements still needed to be reconciled?

The listing as Raynor Winn is no longer active. She has as her address there Haye Farm in Cornwall which I think is the Cider Farm Rick Stein visited. Interestingly the accounts for that company are overdue although she is no longer a director so not her issue.

Under Sally Walker (with the same birthdate) there is another company. The two active officers listed are Sally Walker and Tim Walker. So legally I think she is still Sally Walker.
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/12547141/officers

I have a theory about the CBD.

I think Moth developed symptoms as a result of the stress of losing the house etc etc. They looked a bit like CBD or PD and he saw some drs who couldn't really explain it. Maybe some slighty odd MRI/DAT findings which were hard to interpret. This diagnosis was grasped as it sounds better than 'stress-related neurological symptoms'. The brain is phenomenal and can create all sorts of (very real) issues that don't represent an organic disorder.

Then they went walking and he started feeling better. But the story works better if he is 'properly ill'. And by now, there are lots of lies, so one more doesn't hurt.

And then it all snowballs. Obviously all speculation on my part, but I can see how it might happen.

They said she was faking invoices ...

That's quite a common way of stealing money sadly

I heard them interviewed on Woman's hour and I thought they sounded weirdly shifty. Now it all makes sense!

maybe more cagey than shifty