#WelcometoGloriousTuga #NetGalley
It is not easy to get to glorious Tuga. This fictional island is far from anywhere, takes a long sea (sick) journey to get to, and is often not accessible. It is a very distant (fictional) British outpost.
The islanders are descended from several families. Many have distinctive dimples. Some want to stay there, a few want to leave (and come back) and once in a while an incomer arrives.
In this story readers meet Charlotte Walker, a vet, who has traveled to Tuga where she plans to live for a year while studying a particular tortoise. She is escaping her London life and her demanding mother while hoping that, in Tuga, she may discover her father, advance her career and enjoy a new experience.
On the trip to Tuga, Charlotte meets Dan. He is a physician who has studied abroad and is returning to Tuga to take over his uncle’s practice. He and Charlotte spend a lot of time together on the trip out. Will they have a future?
These are only two of the many, many characters who populate this warm hearted story. It takes a bit to sort them all out but there is a helpful character list at the start of the novel. Get to know them, their stories, their interconnections, challenges and loves in these pages.
Many have already declared this to be a special book. I agree. I have read that it is the first in a trilogy.
It seems to me that one of the joys of being an author is that the writer can create an entire world, populate it how they want and decide the fates of their characters. Segal has done all of this in creating Tuga. I recommend enjoying a (virtual) visit there.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for this title. All opinions are my own.
Pub date: 02 July 2024
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 