When I get the opportunity and good fortune to read and review something by Susan Wiggs, I admit to putting it aside for a while. Kind of like an amazing piece of chocolate just waiting to be savored. That's truly how I feel about Susan Wiggs. I have a long history with this prolific author if unabashedly some of the best books ever. When I started reviewing, I kept my eyes peeled for specific authors and Susan Wiggs was top of my wish list and has continued to this day. If SUGAR AND SALT is your first novel by this talented writer then you are in for a treat as it is a truly luscious example of her fare.
The title's meaning seems exposed from the very beginning. Margot learned barbecue sauce from her mother and from two wonderful people that helped and supported her until she was an adult. According to Margot, there are two basic and important elements to making a delicious sauce and that is sugar and salt, of course in the proper dimensions. So Margot labeled her BBQ sauce Sugar+Salt. And her first brick-and-mortar restaurant is of course named Salt.
Margot chose the site of her restaurant with care and wound up next to a local bakery whose name was, well you guessed it Sugar. Ah but that was too easy. Susan Wiggs wouldn't reveal so much in the first chapter. So her fans know all too well to be prepared for something fabulous to follow. And it does not disappoint.
Margot and Jerome, the owner of Sugar, are destined to become good friends. Susan Wiggs doesn't pull any punches letting you know that there are still some prejudices against biracial couples. But how about friends? Surely by the 2000s, some growth has been made in this regard. But what Susan Wiggs does is pure genius. We travel back and forth between the 1970s and before that as well. All so that we truly get to know these characters, past, and future. Lots of characters to be introduced along with their shared experiences. And here's when the review gets murky.
Never one to spoil the experience of reading a story on your own I grappled with just how much the review needs to include to whet your appetite. There were very many ah-ha moments along with surprising revelations. But all and all the character development is pure Susan Wiggs in all her glory. SUGAR AND SALT. Sweet and spicy. Just like life. Just like people.
Susan Wiggs likes to teach or make people aware. So many of those moments in SUGAR AND SALT. I will note one that had me pause. An awareness pause. A definite learning moment. When offered specially made hoodies Jerome's son says they don't wear hoodies. Margot replies oh you don't like them. But Jerome's response clarifies still another difference between being black and white. Hoodies. Think about it. It made me so very sad.
And then Susan Wiggs fills us in on how Margie Salinas became Margot Salton. That was enough to encompass the story of a character on its own. Gritty. Honest but at times brutal portrayal of the ultimate betrayal by society and justice. I can't think of anyone who could have captured that time in Margot's life better than Susan Wiggs, and I am certain after reading SUGAR AND SALT you will concur. And on that note, I will conclude by saying that SUGAR AND SALT is the go-to book for this summer. It hits so many points and will keep you turning pages until the end – at the same time – you wish this story never ends. Susan Wiggs is that good and SUGAR AND SALT is truly amazing.
The New York Times bestselling author of The Lost and Found Bookshop brings readers a can’t-miss tale of friendship, hardship, redemption, and love between a San Francisco baker and a barbecue master from Texas.
Jerome Sugar learned the art of baking in his grandma’s bakery, also called Sugar, on historic Perdita Street in San Francisco. He supplies baked goods to the Lost and Found Bookshop across the street.
When the restaurant that shares his commercial kitchen loses its longtime tenant, a newcomer moves in: Margot Salton, a barbecue master from Texas.
Margot isn’t exactly on the run, but she needs a fresh start. She’s taken care of herself her whole life, pulling herself up by her fingernails to recover from trauma, and her dream has been to open a restaurant somewhere far, far from Texas. The shared kitchen with Jerome's Sugar bakery is the perfect setup: a state-of-the-art kitchen and a vibrant neighborhood popular with tourists and locals.
Margot instantly takes to Jerome’s mother, the lively, opinionated Ida. The older woman proves to be a good mentor, and Margot is drawn to Jerome. Despite their different backgrounds their attraction is powerful—even though Jerome worries that Margot will simply move on from him once she’s found some peace and stability. But just as she starts to relax into a happy new future, Margot’s past in Texas comes back to haunt her…
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