Two turtle obsessed Londoners go on a quest of freedom. Two middle-aged London misfits, Neaera and William, become obsessed with the turtles kept at the London Aquarium. Neaera is a children's book illustrator, and William works as an assistant bookseller. Neither know each other, but their similar concerns with freeing the the turtles brings them into contact. They had both independently hatched a plan to free the turtles, and so when they meet, their quest feels pre-ordained. It's almost as if a force larger than themselves drives their actions. They make friends with George, who is in charge with the turtles, who surreptitiously help with the project. A long road trip in a van will cause these two deeply introverted oddballs to come a little more out of their shells and find some personal solace. Russell Hoban (1925 – 2011) was an American author who moved to London in 1969 and lived there until his death. Despite Hoban's American background, Turtle Diary (1975) reads like a quintessentially English novel. William the bookseller lives in a squalid rooming house with a host of other sad and lonely cases, while Neaera ekes out a living in her little flat, worrying over whether she should take on extra work to make ends meet. Both characters exist in an existential fug, unsure of their place in the world, or what they even mean to themselves. As Neaera and William describe their troubled states of mind in alternating chapters (diary entries, hence the novel's title) the reader is given two very candid psychological profiles. Few novels are as intimate and humane as Turtle Diary. In the end, as they emancipate the turtles, they also free a little of themselves. A story both unusual and deeply affecting. Turtle Diary, by Russell Hoban. Penguin Modern Classics. $22.99 Review by Chris Saliba Comments are closed.
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