Turtles All The Way Down

What a strange title. I had never heard the phrase until my niece recommended the book to me. Before reading, I Googled the phrase and discovered that there is a mythological idea of a turtle that supports a flat Earth on its back. That turtle rests on the back of an even larger turtle, which is part of a column of increasingly larger turtles that continues forever.

The author, John Green, who also penned another amazing bestseller, Fault in Our Stars, uses this head-scratching idea as a metaphor for the main character, Aza Holmes, who suffers from anxiety. She regularly finds herself caught in thought spirals that never end.

While the thread of Aza’s anxiety ties the plot together, the main action centers around the disappearance of the super-rich father of her childhood friend, Davis Pickett. When she and her best friend, Daisy Ramirez, decide to help Davis and his younger brother, Noah, find their father, they learn more than they want to know about his business dealings and his self-centeredness. Along the way, Aza and Daisy realize they don’t have as much in common as they thought, and they must address the disparity in their current living situations and life goals.

Green deserves a shout out for character development. I could feel Aza’s anxiety, Davis’s hopelessness, and Daisy’s push for cheerfulness. He also created brilliant character arcs for Aza’s helicopter mom and Davis’s non-stop gaming brother.

In typical Green fashion, the author pulls in famous quotes and poetry. Kudos to Penguin Radom House for adding discussion questions and a bold interview with Green at the end. A movie adaptation is now streaming on HBO MAX.

Be aware that Green gets real with teenage angst and mild self-harm. He doesn’t shy away from a few colorful words, but there are no sex scenes or violence. I recommend the book to older teens and their parents. The story could spark some great discussion about handling anxiety.