Beyond the stories of braving storms in a tinny, catching mullet, and encountering fisheries officers, there is a sorrowful tone to the memoir. This is the story of a changing landscape and a saltwater tradition that is losing its place in the communities of south-west Australia as tourism and gentrification encroach. Drummond captures ‘the work of these briny dynasties firsthand’ by labouring alongside the fishermen and women to explore their past and comment on their uncertain future.

One reservation about Salt Story is the length of the vignettes (never more than five pages). This structure doesn’t allow the reader to develop a sense of the narrative’s momentum. Just as the reader begins to immerse herself into an anecdote, it is clipped and we are suddenly observing the story from a different perspective without a clear chronological progression.

This is a unique and atmospheric offering. There is much to like about Drummond’s Salt Story, and much to think about too.