All nonfiction must stick to the truth

On The Salt Path Controversy

Img: Lbeaumont, CC BY-SA 4.0

You may have seen coverage of what has now been dubbed The Salt Path controversy. The eponymous book by Raynor Winn has been a bestseller, purchased by two million readers intrigued by the “unflinchingly honest” and “true story” of a middle-aged couple who have fallen on hard times.

Fame turned to infamy when The Observer suggested earlier this month that parts of the book, which was billed as “nonfiction”, were in fact fiction. According to The Observer, the author’s real name is Sally Walker, and she invented the part of the story about how she and her husband lost their home – the very premise of The Salt Path.

For the last couple of weeks, this “controversy” has occupied my thoughts while I’m editing the manuscript for my own next book, WEIMAR.