I happened upon a few reviews of this book, many saying it is a modern masterpiece and a must-read. Among those praising the book is Stephen King who compares it to such classics as To Kill a Mockingbird, Catch-22, and The Night of the Hunter. Well, based on all the hype, I decided to see for myself. This was definitely a dark and disturbing read about a 14-year old girl, Turtle, who is growing up in the shadow of her father's abuse -- both physical and sexual. The father is a renegade survivalist living in the wilds of the Mendocino coast, who seems to live for his daughter but who heaps all kinds of demands on her, many of which are very hard to read about. Turtle has a love/hate relationship with him but can she survive in this dark and foreboding world? Along the way, she meets Jacob, a high-school boy who makes friends with her and who Turtle sees possibly as a means of escape. The novel is very well written with beautiful descriptions of the Mendocino area and the narrative pulls the reader along to its shattering conclusion. Overall, I would recommend this if you have the stomach for a very emotional, shocking, and heartrending story. Is it a masterpiece? I guess time will tell...
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