Review: The Back of the Turtle, by Thomas King
The Back of the Turtle by Thomas King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
As always, Thomas King makes no apologies to his readers. I think he must write entirely for himself, because his stories are so full of imagery and metaphor, allusion and metaphor. He is, quite frankly, brilliant, and to read his work is to be immersed not only in the magic of a supremely good storyteller, but to come away with a new window on the universe.
The Back of the Turtle chronicles the intersecting lives of people in search of new hope, new beginnings, exploring the facets of what it means to be a refugee. There is very much an undercurrent of redemption here, grace granted not so much in receiving forgiveness from others, but rather finding the ability to recognize past actions for what they were, attempt reparation, and thereby make peace with oneself.
This is a multi-layered tale, told from seemingly disparate viewpoints, but as always Thomas King draws the threads of his narrative together into a cohesive unit that leaves the reader illuminated.
The Back of the Turtle is high on my recommended list.
