The Back of the Turtle by Thomas King

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The Back of the Turtle is such a cool novel.

Set some vague time in the future, it follows several key characters in their interactions with an environmental disaster that killed the majority of an Indigenous community in a remote area of British Columbia.

We learn about the disaster through the pov of the CEO of the company responsible, a scientist directly connected, a descendant of those in the community who returned home, a young boy who was living there the whole time, and a mystical man that seems to transcend the reality of the story itself.

The novel plays with fact and fiction, myth and reality, while commenting on the impact of technology on Indigenous communities and the world as a whole. It places technology in a space of clear destruction, and uses it in several ways. Not only does advancement in technology completely destroy the land and an Indigenous community connected to it, but it is destroying the marriage, mental health, and physical health of a man whose work is directly tied to it.

What is healthy? What is enough? What makes us worthy? What makes us feel valuable? 

With an unconventional love story, some fun twists, and deep commentary on the state of capitalism, The Back of the Turtle is a really unique novel that I highly recommend.

Reading Journal Questions

• Why does King not reveal that the protagonist is Indigenous until later in the novel? How does that change your view of him?

• What do you think of the CEO?

• Why do you think King includes the creation story?

• Do you think that Crisp is real? What is his role in the story?

• An overall theme of the novel is 'coming home.' What does that mean to you?