Above the Salt

Vaz (Saudade) pulls from her heritage to write a passionate, poetic Portuguese American journey with a dash of magical realism. Maria and John meet in Portugal in the 1840s as children and are immediately drawn to each other. Maria’s father is a master botanist who has passed on his talents to his daughter, who is also a gifted embroiderer. John’s mother is a religious zealot who puts John in danger for her beliefs. When the two meet again as refugees in a Portuguese enclave in Illinois, Maria’s beauty has captivated a wealthy man, and both she and John have strong political beliefs that lead to them spending time with Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln before his presidency. John becomes a beloved teacher for the Deaf, and then fights in the Civil War; Maria marries and tries to find her place in American society. The draw between them never ceases, despite the fates seeming to keep them apart.