Heart and Salt

Heart and Salt 

Heart and Salt is a collection of short stories that I just finished reading. If you’ve been following me for any length of time, then you know how much I love a good short story to start and end my day with! I was very excited to read Heart and Salt. 

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Have you read Heart and Salt yet? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

About Heart and Salt 

Camus once stated that fiction is a lie through which we tell the truth. The main characters in Heart and Salt all have truths, lies, and in-betweens, similar to every human being you’ve ever met. We all carry scraps of our past in our heart, the hope of the present in our palm, and the leftovers in our souls. 

Heart and Salt unwraps what is boxed tightly until it can’t be contained any longer—Charli tests her seemingly strong marriage, Genevieve investigates a crumbly old beach shack after decades of storms, February navigates a new friendship, and Feather can’t find her way out of the self-imposed “middle.” Every piece’s setting inhales and exhales as strongly as the people living within its walls, from backyards to kitchens to small towns, to cities. 

Dive deep into their heart, their salt, and their truths. 

Thoughts on Heart and Salt 

Heart and Salt is a collection of short stories that I read each morning with my coffee instead of a newspaper article or mindlessly scrolling through social media. I’ve decided this year to focus on my mental health, and social media isn’t conducive with that at times. So starting my day with a great short story is much healthier! I highly recommend you try it yourself. 

These are stories about women, and clearly aimed at women as the target audience. It is a very light read, and short. It is less than one hundred pages total. I love women-inspired stories. 

I enjoyed the fact it is a light and simple read. The problem for me is that I struggled to relate to any of it. I want a story that draws me in, makes me feel emotions, and inspires me to reflect on my own memories or life. Heart and Salt fell flat for me in this regard. 

I often compare short stories to how I felt when I read Beautiful, Complicated Family from Roesy Lee. Heart and Salt did not measure up. But that is just me and my opinion. The writing is good, I simply couldn’t get into it or relate to it. 

Final Thoughts on Heart and Salt 

I went to check reviews when I was finished with these short stories, and there are not many reviews. But from the ones I found, it appears that I am in the minority group of finding these stories flat. Most readers loved them, so I do recommend that you give Heart and Salt a try and see what you think for yourself. I hope you enjoy them far more than I did and they speak to you! 

Short stories should leave the reader wanting more, and I simply didn’t get that here. There was nothing wrong with the stories, no egregious spelling errors or anything triggering or upsetting in it. I just felt so-so when I finished them. 

I don’t know about anyone else, but I always find that disappointing when it happens. I wonder if I’m crazy for not loving a story. But that is the beauty of writing. It will appeal to some and not to others. It is there waiting for the readers to find it, and let it speak to them. 

Discussion 

Have you read Heart and Salt or any other writing from author Elaina Battista-Parsons? Are you a fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

About the Author 

Elaina Battista-Parsons is a writer across genres. Elaina has an upcoming YA with Inked in Gray Press in Fall 2022 and a memoir collection called Italian Bones in the Snow with Vine Leaves Press. She’s had poems and prose published in The Spring City, Malarkey Books, Burnt Pine Magazine, Read Furiously, 3Moon Magazine, and Backlash Press. 

She lives on the Jersey Shore with her two daughters and her husband. Elaina loves ice cream, antiques, pop culture, and snow. 

Purchasing Heart and Salt 

If you are interested in buying the paperback version of Heart and Salt, click here.

Click here for the Kindle version.

Click here for my favorite Kindle I currently own.

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