he Turtle House is a debut novel inspired by author Amanda Churchill's grandmother. The plot traces the life of Mineko (Minnie) in a nonlinear fashion from her girlhood in Japan, her marriage to an American GI and living on a military base in Japan, leaving the Army and adjusting to civilian life in Texas, and eventually life as a widow with a son and daughter.
A secondary storyline features Lia, Minne's 25-year-old granddaughter, who's struggling to find a way forward after an incident disrupts her personal and professional lives. The only positive thing about living with her parents is the opportunity to strengthen her relationship with Grandminnie and capture audio recordings of her memories.
I was deeply invested in Minnie's story with its many heartaches and transitions, less so with Lia's until the final quarter of the book; I loved how their lives intertwined in the final chapters.
The Turtle House reminded me of Banyan Moon by Thao Thai in several ways (debut novel, character driven, strong grandmother-granddaughter bond, immigrant story, house fire). Each tells its own story, but they could certainly be in conversation with each other.
Thank you to Harper and the Thoughts From a Page podcast (patron perk) for a review copy of this novel.
A secondary storyline features Lia, Minne's 25-year-old granddaughter, who's struggling to find a way forward after an incident disrupts her personal and professional lives. The only positive thing about living with her parents is the opportunity to strengthen her relationship with Grandminnie and capture audio recordings of her memories.
I was deeply invested in Minnie's story with its many heartaches and transitions, less so with Lia's until the final quarter of the book; I loved how their lives intertwined in the final chapters.
The Turtle House reminded me of Banyan Moon by Thao Thai in several ways (debut novel, character driven, strong grandmother-granddaughter bond, immigrant story, house fire). Each tells its own story, but they could certainly be in conversation with each other.
Thank you to Harper and the Thoughts From a Page podcast (patron perk) for a review copy of this novel.
