Two middle-aged people – William and Neaera – both lead lonely, quietly miserable lives. They both happen to visit the aquarium at London Zoo, and feel sorry for the sea turtles there. They keep visiting the turtles and, independently of each other, discreetly ask the head keeper how one would go about kidnapping and freeing the turtles. Somehow, without really ever deciding, they decide to rescue and free the turtles together.
You might perhaps expect this to end in romance of some sort, but Hoban is better than that. The two are so used to being lonely that they’re bothered by each other’s company. Neither does their adventure change their lives. The world doesn’t even notice; there are no news stories and no police investigations. But their little project does give each one a tiny little kick, launching them on what might become a new path in their lives.
The tone of the book very much reflects the lives of the two people. It is quiet and melancholy, through and through.
I have mixed feelings about the book. On the one hand, it is delicately written, and the two lives really come to life. But at the same time I couldn’t help finding these lonely lives depressing and dull. I didn’t exactly find it riveting, but I enjoyed reading it, yet I’m not sure I’d want to re-read it.
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