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A review by sevenswanz
The Back of the Turtle by Thomas King
emotional
funny
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
King leads the reader through a tale as old of time with his lyrical writing style and immense capacity for embracing an unknowing that goes hand in hand with the familiarity of what it means for a community and life in a place to wash out with the tide and struggle, belatedly and exhausted, back to shore, even if forever changed.
This book shows the ugly, hard parts of being a person - a person who feels lost, adrift, searching for somewhere to make sense of themselves - and says "Wait, come back. Sit down. Stay awhile, and maybe we can figure it out together."
Suicidal and maybe just tired, Gabriel has no desire to save himself, but operates on instinct when it comes to pulling people, one after another, out of the tide he meant to drown in.
Mara is a closed off woman as vulnerable to the desire for belonging as the rest of us.
What does it mean to accept guilt and carry it? How does it bend our backs and change the lock on the door?
This book shows the ugly, hard parts of being a person - a person who feels lost, adrift, searching for somewhere to make sense of themselves - and says "Wait, come back. Sit down. Stay awhile, and maybe we can figure it out together."
Suicidal and maybe just tired, Gabriel has no desire to save himself, but operates on instinct when it comes to pulling people, one after another, out of the tide he meant to drown in.
Mara is a closed off woman as vulnerable to the desire for belonging as the rest of us.
What does it mean to accept guilt and carry it? How does it bend our backs and change the lock on the door?