A review by encounterswiththemoon
The Back Of The Turtle by Thomas King

3.0

I enjoyed reading this story. Though the book itself was long at around 500 pages, the way that the chapters were broken up helped ease the progression of the story so that it didn't feel treacherously long. In this same breath, I appreciated that the chapters were short. Though, there is something to be said for longer chapters & the way they allow for the inclusion of further thought & dialogue; these shorter chapters worked well with the story & the amount the reader was able to experience at any given time.

This is a strange aspect to try & explain but, I didn't feel as though the characters were very complex. The focus of this story was the events that transpired due to human decisions & explorations in science rather than the detailed experience of each character which meant that none of them were very complicated to understand or imagine.

For example, Gabriel is filled with guilt after having taken part in the scientific research & execution of a product that lead to the destruction of an entire community of people & wildlife. His desire to go to the land which he participated in destroying with the intention of burying himself along with his family, is not complicated to understand.

Though the characters might slightly appear to be acting in a random fashion, once you understand the basic gist of the storyline, none of their actions or reactions are very overwhelming or shocking. This is a factor that I did appreciate because it does ring true to so many aspects of our own lives & communities.

Overall, this book was well-written. It's not a complex story nor is it necessarily shocking. However, I do think the intention is partly for the reader to finish the book & reflect on all the ways that the destruction of nature in this story has also been present in our realities.

Life/nature does find a way to heal itself though it is constantly being stunted by the inabilities of the general populace. Perhaps someone might read this story & decide to be better; to pay closer attention to the earth that houses us & to the animals with whom we share this home & this life.