RaveWashington Independent Review of BooksSalt Water is a compilation of narrative essays in which Pla describes the experiences of his youth on the Costa Brava. Translator Peter Bush tells us that though Pla asserts the pieces were written in the 1920s, they were actually written in the 1940s, when Pla \'refashioned\' earlier works ... The plot is a thin wire from which hangs a heavy, immensely embroidered cloak. You read slowly, very slowly, but you do progress through the pages ... These are fast-moving, compelling narratives ... If you choose to read Salt Water, you will need three things: patience, a good map, and a notebook. Each essay represents unfamiliar territory that you will traverse, searching for paths and landmark ... Above all, draw upon your patience as you confront thickets of exquisite — and sometimes exquisitely tiresome — detail.
