Since 2018, when it was published, English writer Raynor Winn’s The Salt Path has been celebrated as an inspiring true story about the resilience of the human spirit and the healing qualities of nature.The autobiographical memoir by Winn, who is also known as Sally Walker, documents the lives of a couple who face financial troubles, homelessness, and a serious medical diagnosis.The book resonated with many readers, sold more than 2 million copies, was followed by two sequels, and was adapted into a film starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs that was released in May this year.But now, an investigation by the British publication The Observer has found that Winn lied about key facts about her and her husband’s circumstances, which lie at the heart of the book.The book follows the lives of Winn and her husband Moth as they embark on a 630-mile walk on England’s South West Coast Path from Minehead in the county of Somerset to Poole Harbour in Dorset.A major reason for their decision is the loss of their “forever home”, a 17th-century farmhouse in the Welsh countryside, where they had raised their children and were expecting to live until the last days of their lives. But the dream was cut short after their failed investment in a longtime friend’s business left them liable to pay debts and led to the loss of their home.Winn wrote that not long afterward, Moth was diagnosed with corticobasal degeneration (CBD), a rare degenerative and terminal neurological condition in which patients live for six to eight years.Story continues below this adAlso Read | The music and melancholy of Krishen Khanna’s signature ‘bandwallas’After these catastrophes hit them, the couple decided in 2013 to set off on the South West Coast Path. While walking, they lived off a small amount of money that they received in weekly tax credits.The book documents the exhausting but rewarding nature of the walk. It records the interactions of the couple with people through their journey, and ends with their getting an offer for a new accommodation. Winn says that the walk led to an improvement in her husband’s health, who has now lived for 12 years since the diagnosis.The Salt Path’s sequels, The Wild Silence and Landlines, also focus on the themes of nature, homelessness, and walking. The fourth book in the series, On Winter Hill, is due for publication later this year.And what did the investigation by The Observer find?The Observer on Sunday (July 5) published an investigative report which raised doubts over the truthfulness of Winn’s story.Story continues below this adAccording to the investigation, the couple lost their home in Wales after Winn swindled her former employer of £64,000, and not in a failed business deal as she said in her book. In order to repay the money she had been accused of stealing, the couple allegedly borrowed £100,000 against their house from a distant relative at 18% interest.The Observer investigation also found that the couple had a mortgage of £230,000 against the house, along with the loan, and the house was in fact worth less than these sums combined. The couple’s home was repossessed when they were sued to recover the money they borrowed.The report also said that the couple were not homeless, and in fact owned a house in France. However, this house has been uninhabitable for some time, the report said.The newspaper said it had spoken to medical experts who were sceptical about Moth’s CBD diagnosis, given his survival and his ability to reverse the acute symptoms, as documented in the book.How has Winn responded to The Observer investigation?Story continues below this adIn a statement released through her lawyers, Winn called The Observer article “highly misleading”. She said: “We are taking legal advice and won’t be making any further comment at this time.”Previously, in a statement to The Observer, she had said, “The Salt Path lays bare the physical and spiritual journey Moth and I shared, an experience that transformed us completely and altered the course of our lives. This is the true story of our journey.”In a statement provided to The Bookseller, a British magazine that reports on the world of publishing, Penguin, the publisher of The Salt Path, said: “Penguin undertook all the necessary pre-publication due diligence, including a contract with an author warranty about factual accuracy, and a legal read, as is standard with most works of nonfiction. Prior to The Observer inquiry, we had not received any concerns about the book’s content.”PSPA, a charity that supports people with CBD and has worked with Raynor and Moth Winn, said that it was “shocked and disappointed” about the allegations, which had “taken everyone by surprise”.