I would like to thank NetGalley, Canongate Books, General Fiction (Adult) and Mick Kitson for my ARC of ‘Sal’ in return for my honest review.

This is an amazing book to read. Sal is such a special character and with her sister are escaping an abusive situation. Sal has researched and prepared for this and this is portrayed with compassion and determination.

It is sad, dark, compulsive reading with determination and love. At times it is uplifting especially with the sibling love and care. I really enjoyed the different aspects of the story.

Recommended.

Sal and her sister Peppa flee to the Scottish mountains following a terrible murder committed by Sal.. She has finally killed her alcoholic Maw’s abusive boyfriend Robert. An act she had planned for a long time, and had taught herself survival skills by watching YouTube videos and buying extensive survival kit from Roberts stolen credit cards.

This book is heart-wrenching! It raises many issues; alcoholism, physical and sexual abuse, poverty being but only a few. Sal is a 13 year old girl with guts, strength, determination and fierce love and loyalty for her little sister Peppa, in a similar way to Katniss & Prim in the Hunger Games.

All characters were flawed and imperfect, but this juts made them more real and likeable. Ingrid and her life story was one that I didn’t expect to see but couldn’t get enough of. I powered through this book, desperate to hear more about a take of survival, love and a young girl who will do anything to protect her sibling.

Firstly, I loved reading this book, secondly I am aware that it could be a bit of a marmite book - for the survival purists it is a big leap of faith to accept the premise of the story which is that a 13 year old schoolgirl and her little sister can survive in the wild armed only with some bear grylls outdoor equipment and knowledge gleaned from youtube videos!

But as a Bear Grylls fanatic and would-be wild camper myself, I put aside any preconceptions and just rolled with it and found myself enchanted by the voice of Sal and entranced by the characters she meets especially the wonderful Ingrid.

Sal wants to escape the clutches of her alcoholic Mums abusive boyfriend Robert before he turns his attentions to her beloved little sister Pepper. So it follows that she needs to plan this very carefully using any means at her disposal which are mainly a thirst for knowledge and a canny nature.

For a whole year she endures the drunken violence whilst devouring youtube survival videos and binge watching every Bear Grylls episode she can find whilst plotting to escape. Using her stash of stolen credit cards she hoards Amazon and ebay purchases of outdoor all weather equipment and tools whilst planning and plotting their escape. Until she reaches breaking point and murders the brutish Robert and takes for the wilderness with her rucksack weighted down with Belvita biscuits and Dundee cake.

Into the forest they go and Sal proves to be a capable survivor, with guts and a rough at the edges love for her sibling, coupled with a rare vocabulary of swear words and the innate ability to be able to work out “What Bear Grylls would do” in any given situation. Her rough little voice struck a chord and I loved this kid.

It's delightful and captivating and oh so enjoyable, especially to the kind of reader who dreams of walking out of the door one day and taking up residence in an abandoned shack somewhere remote.
It reminded me of “The Outlander” by Gil Adamson. which is one of my all time favourite books and I am positive it will be a huge hit.

I genuinely felt bereft when I finished it, it’s one of those books where I really envy everyone who hasn’t read it yet because you’ve got it all ahead to enjoy. Pure reading delight.

Told in the narrative of 13 year old Sal, it was certainly an interesting plot. Although there were not many characters in this book, they were well written with lots of background to them. I felt the writing style seemed a bit clunky yet it seemed suited to the voice of a 13 year old.

Enjoyed it but it didn't wow me - 3 stars.

I fell completely under the spell of this yes, slightly harrowing tale but full of twists and turns. Sal and her sister, on the run and surviving from Bear Grylls techniques seen on youtube, survive in the scottish wilderness., away from a drunken mother and her abusive boyfriend. Really interesting, i fully recommend this book

Powerful and unique - the voice of Sal drew me in quickly and kept me immersed in her story until the very end. Needs a 'Will Cause Book Hangover' warning sticker.

Although I initially found it difficult to get into I am very glad that I stuck with Sal.
Sal takes her sister Peppa and runs away from home, leaving an alcoholic mother and her abusive boyfriend. Sal has spent time watching YouTube videos and reading SAS books to survive in the Scottish highlands and this is the story of how they live.
The writing style felt odd and a little forced to begin with until I started to understand the character. Every action was described, every SAS tip and historical nugget that Sal knew was told in great detail and I found it jarring- almost like the author was showing off until I understood that Sal was at least slightly autistic (although it is never mentioned specifically in the book, there are enough clues that you can piece it together). That suddenly made it so much easier to read and I fell into the story.
Peppa and Sal have a wonderful relationship with each other and Sal's adoration for her little sister is so heartwarming.
I loved their characters and rooted for them all the way along. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone.

Sal is with her little sister Peppa. Sal is 13 and her sister is 10. They are "surviving" on their own in a somewhat remote part of south west Scotland. Sal has prepared their escape. Sal is excitable and knowledgeable about survival though mostly from YouTube videos. The reason for their escape is revealed quite early on in the book. The voice of the book, Sal's, seemed a little strange initially. As the story develops however we learn more and more about Sal and the narrative style makes more sense.

There are times when this is quite a hard book to read. It can be quite dark in its way. That darkness is mitigated by the writing I think. The story felt understated at times when for me it should have been even harder hitting. That said my eyes were unaccountably damp sometimes! It does feel as though the narrative rambles at times. Often it is with Sal in current time however it frequently goes back to past experiences she has had or to the planning for their escape. The more you find out about Sal the more it all makes sense.

There are a couple of other characters in this story. "Maw" is someone who takes little explaining allowing the ability to understand some Scottish accent! There is another character called Ingrid who is important to the tale. I understand why there is a need for her however there are times when she did seem to dominate the story.

I would never have thought of stopping reading this and I guess I was fairly convinced by the story however not completely. Equally though I don't think it ever quite gripped me in the way I thought it would. I guess that there is a fine line between powerful and naive and something more contrived. Very readable and probably over 3.5/5 for me.

How would you cope in the wilds of Scotland? Could you skin a rabbit? Build a shelter? And protect your 10-year-old sister? That's what Sal does with the help of youtube videos, a knife and stuff she purchased from Amazon with stolen credit cards. A disturbing and quite frightening tale that can only be told by those who have experienced such horrors. But love conquers all and the help of strangers makes this novel uplifting in a very real way.

An interesting read and totally different from other books which is refreshing. Sal has runaway from home with her younger sister Peppa. They have left an alcoholic mother and her abusive boyfriend. This is the story of them trying to stay safe and trying to find some normality. Sal is so brave for her age and very protective of Peppa. She is determined that Peppa will have a better childhood than she has had. A very moving book which is well worth reading.

Oh my goodness I totally fell in love with this book from day one. It’s such a gem of a find I felt privileged to read it. And was actually quite sad when it was over.

I totally adored Sal & Pepper especially Peppers honesty at the most inappropriate times haha! It’s about two girls running away from an awful home where abuse from both their mum and step dad is is just the beginning. It’s about survival and courage and I loved reading about their adventures and survival in the woods along with their past and what lead to this point in their lives.

It’s a sad book in parts but it’s also very uplifting showing the strength we have without even knowing it. Is about total
Love for your siblings and the lengths you will go to keeping them safe.

I loved this book immensely and I really didn’t want it to end, I read it in around 3hrs well into the night as I couldn’t stop reading and had to know how it ended for them both.

A beautiful read and a book you’ll remember for a very long time. A must read it’s stunning!

Sal has a troubled life, her mother is an alcoholic who doesn't fill the role of mother, Robert her mothers boyfriend beats both her and her mother and in the night comes into her room for some horrible acts towards Sal. The horrible acts started when Sal was ten years old and now her sister Peppa is coming up for ten.

Sal knows what will happen to her sister if she does not act soon, and unfortunately for Robert she has had time to prepare.

Sal is a wonderful story between the bond of two sisters as Sal and Peppa strive to survive in the woods of Scotland living off the land with help from information Sal saw online and on YouTube.

I loved this story and was always excited to read what would happen next to the sisters and how they would survive. There are turns in the story which I did not expect that worked brilliantly in expanding the story by introduction of other characters in a location which is expected to be solitary.

One thing I noticed is the way Sal explains things to the reader is as if she is trying to teach or prove the reader what she knows as if she is reading straight from a guide. This comes off a little strange to begin with but then again on another hand it does show Sal is a little different from the average thirteen year old given her experiences and her mental state.


I would highly recommend this book and is a great for adults and young adults alike.

Sal and her sister Peppa flee to the Scottish mountains following Sal’s murderous act. She killed her alcoholic Maw’s abusive boyfriend Robert.

An act she had planned for a long time, and had taught herself survival skills by watching YouTube videos and buying extensive survival kit from Roberts stolen credit cards.

Oh how this book stole my heart. It raises many issues; alcoholism, physical and sexual abuse, poverty being some.

Sal is a 13 year old tgirl with guts, strength, determination and fierce love for her little firecracker of a sister Peppa.

All characters were flawed and imperfect in the most beautiful way. I adored Ingrid and her life story was one that I didn’t expect to see but couldn’t get enough of.

I powered through this book, desperate to hear more about a take of survival, and ultimately love and a young girl who will do anything to protect her sibling.

I would like to thank Netgalley for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

This is both heart breaking and uplifting. Sal has read up on survival skills and watched YouTube videos. She has bought the equipment and prepared her little sister for their escape from their alcoholic mother, whom they both still love greatly, and mum's abusive boyfriend.
Sal also knows that Scottish law has only one charge for what she has done. There can be no turning back.
The setting is Galloway in Scotland...my country so the setting and language made me strangely happy.
I was even happier when Sal killed her first rabbit; skinning, gutting, cooking and eating it with no regrets. It was food. Peppa is a bundle of energy who would eat a diet sandwich so there was no problem feeding her.
The countryside is described in Sal's voice so well that I could smell the pine needles.
The stories Sal tells Peppa are excellent and the history of their visitor is one that should be told often.
A marvellous read.

These two girls are so young, and yet have to deal with an abusive stepdad and an alcoholic mom. It's so beautiful to see Sal defending herself and her little sister. I think the world really needs more books like this right now. Great read.

Interesting book, from the outset it is clear that this is not the run of the mill crime story and that Sal and Peppa were not ordinary kids ! The setting in Scotland is familiar to me as I am from Scotland myself so it was easy to get into the swing of the language and vocabulary. Sal is nothing if not resourceful and you are not at all phased by the suggestion (very early on) that Sal killed her mothers boyfriend, Robert. I loved Sal and her love for Peppa in getting her away from domestic abuse and also in the planning for the "run" by reading everything she could and watching Youtube Videos. It is not ordinary and it is not always comfortable (domestic abuse never is.

Sal is a touching and distinctive novel about two sisters trying to survive in rural Scotland. Sal prepared for a long time for her escape into the wilderness with her little sister Peppa: watching YouTube videos, reading the SAS survival handbook, and getting supplies and tools from Amazon using stolen cards. Robert, her mum’s abusive boyfriend, didn’t notice the missing cards. Now Sal must use her knowledge of building shelter and skinning rabbits to look after Peppa, now that she’s freed her sister from the dangers of Robert. Just as long as nobody works out where they are and wants to split them up.

The novel is written from Sal’s point of view and creates a vivid sense of her voice and thoughts. She is a character who shows the force of sibling love and protectiveness, but at the same time, Sal and Peppa aren’t cloying or annoying, but real siblings who tease each other and have different interests and strengths. The narrative is made up of the minutiae of their wilderness life as well as larger things that threaten to change it, and it provides a tense atmosphere at times, as it is clear it will be hard for them to go on as they are.

Sal has some similarities to Emma Donoghue’s Room though the premise is fairly opposite, as it uses a distinctive character voice to show a fraught situation become normal. Its writing style makes it easy to get invested in the sisters and it is certainly an enjoyable and gripping read, though a little slower at parts. It is deeply set in its Scottish location, both the wilderness and the scheme where Sal and Peppa escaped from, and is an exciting new novel with heart.