by
Jessica Grant
Before you ask-yes, this novel contains a tortoise,called Winifred.Who gets her own narrative voice. But fear not,this book isn't drowning in whimsy but is an entertaining read written with a light and deft touch.
This is mostly a book about families, the stories they tell each other and how each family builds its own myths and rituals to protect and cherish each other.
The setup of "Come Thou Tortoise" is in many ways a conventional coming of age story: Audrey Flowers gets a phone call that her father is in a coma and flies back to Newfoundland (leaving her tortoise behind) where she was raised by her father and uncle. The novel is both the story of what happens after this and a recounting of events that led up to this point. Audrey, nicknamed Oddly, is a quirky and likeable narrator with her own unique outlook on life and a lot of anxiety about almost everything.
There are mysteries in Audrey's life- things she hasn't quite figured out about her past, and while she reaches some conclusions by the end of the book, one of the great strenghts of this novel is that not everything is spelled out for the reader. There are clues scattered throughout the book about various characters and their history-you may find yourself going back and rereading some sections in light of various plot developments.
There's also an immortal mouse!!
Jessica
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