A few years ago when Carol, the film counterpart of this book, debuted I rushed to my independent theater (as I do for most movies featuring lesbian characters) and took my mother with me because she wanted to see it and my girlfriend had no interest. By the “knowing” looks I received from my fellow movie goers I was pretty certain everyone thought we were engaged in our own age gap relationship (gross) like the couple on screen. And that was the last time I saw I lesbian movie with my mum. I had enjoyed Carol and considered it a Christmas movie, or at least the kind I can enjoy (no corny stuff), which is why I thought The Price of Salt would be a satisfactory Xmas review. I bought the book a while back, but as it is also available via audible escape I swapped between reading and listening.
Here’s the Premise –
Therese Belivet is a young woman living in Manhattan, trying to find work as a stage designer. When she takes up a seasonal job at a toy department store for the holidays, Therese meets the lovely Carol Aird. Therese assists Carol with buying her daughter a present and the two women form a relationship that develops romantically as the story progresses. Carol is in her early-thirties, knows what she wants, and is in the middle of divorcing her husband. Therese is enthralled with her and it’s easy to see why. The two decide to take a road trip together westward and what follows is love, betrayal, and slow-build character growth.
Therese starts off as a timid type of doormat character. She follows her boyfriend, Richard, in doing whatever he has scheduled or wants her to do and is pretty complacent in her life. I think Carol was even surprised when Therese first expressed her own passions and plans. Perhaps it was seeing another woman take charge of her own life, or all the traveling around foreign land, or just the general independence Therese experienced as the book progressed that helped her find and strengthen her voice. This felt very much like what I imagine a New Adult book would be like if published in the 50s. The Price of Salt was first published in 1952.
I felt like this had a good portrayal of insecurity, desire, and love in a relationship that can’t conventionally be talked about aloud due to society’s constraints. Carol is very cautious and guarded, which might make her come across as cold at times. Unfortunately, these misgivings aren’t unwarranted. Carol has lost a great deal in living as her self, this is shown in a brutal custody battle for her daughter. I really liked Carol and I wanted her to have some type of win by the end of the book. This contrasted nicely with also enjoying Therese’s growth into independence. Don’t worry folks, The Price of Salt is noted as the first work of lesbian fiction with a happy ending. www.amazon.com/Carol