THE TORTOISE'S TALE, Kendra Coulter's promising debut novel

THE TORTOISE'S TALE
KENDRA COULTER
Simon & Schuster (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$14.99 ebook, available now

Rating: 3.75* of five

The Publisher Says: A century of American history unfolds through the eyes of a giant tortoise with a heightened awareness for live music, the location of edible flowers, and the nuances of human behavior in this spellbinding debut novel.

Snatched from her ancestral lands, a giant tortoise finds herself in an exclusive estate in southern California where she becomes an astute observer of societal change. Her journey is one of discovery, as she learns to embrace the music of jazz and the warmth of human connection.

The tortoise’s story is enriched by her bond with Takeo, the estate’s gardener, who sees her as a being with thoughts and feelings, not just a creature to be observed. The tortoise’s mind and heart are further expanded by Lucy, a young girl who names the tortoise Magic and shares a friendship that transcends species. Together, they witness the estate’s transformation into a haven for industry titans, politicians, and rock stars, each leaving their mark on the world and on Magic’s heart.

The tortoise embraces her role as a muse with gusto and witnesses how diverse human harmonies and the mighty winds of social change both uplift people and tear them apart. Over the course of her lifetime, the estate changes ownership, bringing raucous Hollywood parties, and animals both familiar and unexpected. There are also threats, as the estate’s idyll is not immune to the ravages of a damaged planet. Through each era, the tortoise remains a refreshingly honest, humble, and endearing narrator whose unique vantage point illuminates the transcendent power of compassion, the unexpected connections that shape how we see ourselves and each other, and the wide-reaching effects of choice—or the lack thereof.

The Tortoise’s Tale is a whimsical yet profound exploration of humanity’s entangled journey, a call to recognize the interconnectedness of all life, and the potential for healing. Kendra Coulter’s debut novel is a moving portrait of resilience and hope, perfect for fans of Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: I enjoyed Remarkably Bright Creatures, follow the link to see why. I'm glad to say this iteration of what could be a cutesy-poo little tropey read was instead fun, funny, and involving.

The fun for me comes from being inside a long-lived animal's head...I think it behooves us all to at least contemplate a moment how the world might look to the truly Other, like animals. No, we can't know with certainty we're remotely correct. No there's little likelihood we'll ever hear another's inner monologue. There's a reason it's called fiction. Making an attempt to exit your cage, imposed by biology, culture, and sheer cussedness, is worthwhile anyway.

A major trope in the story is how the author imparts a sense of time passing to a creature whose life, and pace of living, are at such variance with our own. The tortoise, who has multiple "names" that are really labels imposed by the humans that surround her, notices human music with greater or lesser pleasure, so we have time-signposts in our reading. I was interested in this because I am really tickled by the idea of a musically inclined tortoise for some reason.

The sharp observations of time as it passes aren't really believable, to be honest; I don't imagine a tortoise notices us too much. I went with it because it made really good points about the rate of change occurring in the world, without being focused on the causes of them...guaranteed to light off a flare of angry outrage in some. Missing that element, we just see how it feels to a creature with different perceptions, more ground-level ones. It worked well as a technique.

The flipside of that narrative choice is a, well, contemplative pace. We're moving at a tortoise's pace of attention, in a tortoise's cone of perception. People, animals, the world all move much faster than her attention. It means we're seeing out of sync, out of stereo vision, like we're used to. I found that slightly off-putting as a reader, and very well-deployed to slow my rushing mind as a reviewer. I saw the point, I get the joke, and still it felt like I needed to make an investment that I was not always in the mood to make. I couldn't quite justify a full fourth star because of it.

A very good read, but be aware of its stately pace when deciding about its place on your TBR. I will say I think it deserves one.