The Back of the Turtle is Thomas King’s first novel in 15 years. Unlike King’s previous work The Inconvenient Indian a non-fiction work of ruminating worldliness and wisdom this doesn’t feel like the sort of book that has been carefully crafted over a decade the prose chiseled into perfection. Though it weighs in at 500-plus pages The Back of the Turtle reads quick and breathlessly the chapters composed of clipped sentences the story mythic and blunt.
All of that is to the book’s credit. Like King’s classic Green Grass Running Water this new novel is full of the author’s indelible wisdom and humour luring readers into a serious tale through wit and perfect plotting that belies craft for casual readability. King is one of Canada’s greatest living writers and if you’re not already a fan The Back of the Turtle is a great introduction.
The book opens with one of King’s best images yet: Gabriel Quinn a disillusioned and depressed environmentalist has sequestered himself on a beach ready to commit suicide amongst the chilly sea water and crashing surf. As he wades into the waters he sees a naked young girl floating below the surface. As he pulls her to shore others like her figures naked and struggling rise to escape the sea. Gabriel has found a temporary reprieve from suicide a new saviour’s role and way of being.
It’s big poetic and earnestly beautiful — the sort of prose that only King at this stage of the game can get away with. The Back of the Turtle is totally refreshingly honest unafraid to revel in descriptive landscape and poetic imagery the sort of storytelling nerve it takes to craft an environmentalist screed buoyed by a reflexive character study yet somehow it feels wholly alive. It makes an interesting reading companion with Naomi Klein’s new book on climate change This Changes Everything. The time for halting centrist arguments has passed — it’s all or nothing now.
Not everyone is happy with Gabriel’s newly found lease on life however. His old boss Dorian head honcho at a bioengineering company wants to talk to Gabriel about some snooping around he did in the company archives. Gabriel is ruthless cool and richer than a king looking to keep environmental catastrophes off the balance sheet. It would all be a little on the nose if men and the companies that back them weren’t so comically evil and dangerous to begin with.
The Back of the Turtle is a magic-realist yarn threaded with poisonous social commentary at doorstopper length but never reading as such. All of King’s signifying touches and strengths are here — the relaxed wandering pace comical and mealy-mouthed characters and a sharp satirical bite. It’s just angry enough to avoid becoming a slovenly slapdash collection of homilies and easy political solecisms. What will be the main knock against the book a seemingly lackadaisical narrative control is true — this is a book to get lost in not necessarily solve. It’s King at his gutsiest playful best.
Wordfest presents Thomas King on October 17 at The Banff Centre; and October 18 at Theatre Junction Grand.
