Salt Road and the most scandalous books of 2025

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But 2025 was also the year the memoir attracted attention for the wrong reasons. Journalist Olivia Nuzzi’s much-publicized “American Anthem,” which, among other things, details her “digital affair” with Robert F. Kennedy, has been described by critics as “absolutely awful,” “hate-reading,” and “intolerable tautology.” Despite producing hundreds of columns of coverage, the book sold fewer than 1,200 copies in its first week.

In September, The New York Times published a story that raised questions about Amy Griffin’s successful memoir “The Tell,” a book backed by figures including Oprah Winfrey, Gwyneth Paltrow and Reese Witherspoon. The book chronicles Till’s childhood sexual abuse, drawing on memories recovered in ecstasy therapy sessions.

Salt road scandal

Perhaps the biggest literary scandal of 2025 was related to Raynor Wynne’s memoir “The Salt Road.” First published in 2018, the book tells the story of Wayne and her husband Moth’s 630-mile (1,015 km) journey along the UK’s South West Coast Path. In the book, readers learn that the couple lost their home after a failed investment and a subsequent legal dispute with a friend. To make matters worse, Muth was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy days later with corticobasal degeneration (CBD). With seemingly nothing to lose, the couple decided to start walking. By the time they had completed their journey, a stranger had offered them a place to live and Moth’s symptoms had begun to start to subside, startlingly.

Readers fell in love with the novel of triumph over tragedy, which its publishers described as “unflinchingly honest.” The book has sold more than two million copies and has been translated into more than 25 languages. Wayne published two successful follow-ups, The Wild Silence and Landlines. Spring 2025 saw the release of a film adaptation of The Salt Path, starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs as the married couple.