On the Portuguese island of Madeira, in the year 1840, five year old John Alves starved in jail alongside his mother, Serafina. She was a Presbyterian who refused to denounce her faith. "Music would feed them, they would feast upon sounds...".
Augusto Freitas, a Catholic,
…more led the protest to free John. Augusto was head gardener of a Botanical Garden owned by aristocrats. He lovingly cared for the plants and was devoted to his daughter, Maria.
Sparks of friendship ignited between John and Maria, however, contact was lost when unrest between Catholics and Protestants caused each family, separately, to seek refuge in America.
Maria had a gift for Madeiran needlepoint work. "Maria plies threads..." She and her father cultivated plants. "On days dedicated to the trees, he wears a bowtie, because in Portuguese it is called a butterfly and the trees appreciate that...he grows a shrub with glossy dark pointed leaves and red berries...the miracle-berry or miracle-fruit plant." The father-daughter team would try to transplant the miracle shrubs in America.
New beginnings in Springfield, Illinois. John Alves studied sign language. He worked on his Sound Machine. "If only the Sound Machine could capture the gestures and swaying of his students and let the music be felt through the floor so deafness is not a prison...they would feast upon sounds...music would feed them...the melody of birds...to my listening ears all nature sings...Men are studying about capturing sounds...".
Augusto Freitas was a "maestro" of plants with a specialty in grafting. He was employed as head gardener on Edward Moore's estate. Edward's motto was "A WISHBONE ain't as likely to get ye as far as a BACKBONE." Augusto and Maria, worked side by side, trying to coax the transplant to root in this foreign soil. Success as master botanists would not entitle them to truly mix with Edward and his inner circle. They would always be viewed as "below the salt".
"Above the Salt" by Katherine Vaz is ultimately about the ebb and flow of love. Is love enough? Perhaps not, when hindrances were religious or societal. The outbreak of the Civil War compounded the obstacles and added the dimension of the plight of soldiers on both sides of the conflict in this all encompassing work of historical fiction. Altered communications and betrayals created twists and turns that were heartwrenching, if a tad soap opera-like. Highly recommended.
Thank you Flatiron Books and BookBrowse for the print ARC in exchange for an honest review. (less)
