Sy Montgomery (Mariner Books)
CONSIDER the tortoise: dating back to the first dinosaurs, routinely outliving all but the oldest humans, a symbol since Aesop’s time of stability and consistency. Amid widespread complaints about the pace of modern life, what do these ancient beings have to teach us? That is the question posed by Sy Montgomery in her new book, Of Time and Turtles: Mending the world, shell by shattered shell, a colourful, compassionate and often inspiring mix of nature writing, on-the-ground reporting and philosophic reflection.
Montgomery is a well-regarded and prolific chronicler of animals, in particular those that are often overlooked or undersung, such as hummingbirds, hyenas and the pink river dolphin of the Amazon. With seemingly boundless curiosity, she approaches her subjects as opportunities to learn about the natural world and our part within it. Her 2015 book The Soul of an Octopus was a bestseller and preempted mainstream fascination with the otherness of cephalopods, published five years before the Oscar-winning documentary My Octopus Teacher. Now, she turns her interest to turtles (inclusive of tortoises and terrapins, though used interchangeably in the book, as is typical in North America) to uncover what we can learn from these “ancient, unhurried and long-lived” reptiles.
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Montgomery’s study begins in early 2020, when she embedded with the Turtle Rescue League (TRL), a small non-profit organisation based in Massachusetts with the stated mission of keeping turtles “a part of the future, not a thing of the past”. The operation is a labour of love, with demand – from reptiles struck by cars, mauled by dogs or otherwise in crisis – far exceeding resources. Montgomery’s portraits of the people who have dedicated their lives (not to mention their homes) to turtles in peril are testament to the impact that a handful of individuals can have on thousands of lives.
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She likewise captures the great charm of these creatures. The 150-odd reptiles residing at the TRL’s sanctuary are as much a part of the book’s cast of characters as their human helpers, with Montgomery skilfully representing many of them as individuals without undue anthropomorphism (though her occasional reveries on the spiritual symbolism of slow-moving “turtle time” may test the limits of some readers’ patience).
Fire Chief – a gigantic snapping turtle in his seventh or eighth decade, weighing close to 20 kilograms (44 pounds) – stands out for his own rewarding narrative arc, as Montgomery tracks his recovery from a broken spine, complete with a stint in a wheelchair.
What makes Of Time and Turtles more broadly resonant, and perhaps the most timely entry into Montgomery’s extensive body of work, is the context in which it has been published. Since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, many of us have reported changes in our experience of time, from the monotonous blur of the lockdowns to the sense, as evinced by the so-called “Great Resignation” of stressed-out workers reassessing what they want from life, that we must make the most of the days we have. Turtles – having existed on Earth for around 250 million years, with many individuals routinely living past 100 years old – are an unexpected but apt way into questions about pace of life versus peace of mind that may be of concern for many of us.
As Montgomery demonstrates in a series of set pieces (two words: turtle CPR), turtles can recover from more or less any setback or injury given sufficient time, suitable conditions and appropriate care. They are slow even to die, their brains and hearts continuing to function even after being deprived of oxygen. For that reason, the TRL only ever declares a tortoise dead once there is evidence of rigor mortis or decomposition. “We never give up on a turtle,” declares its co-founder and president, Alexxia Bell.
In Montgomery’s inspiring, moving book, set against a backdrop of civil rights protests, democratic disarray and climate crisis, turtles and those who protect them emerge as a symbol of the healing that is possible with persistence, perspicacity and patience – as well as of what might be lost if we continue hurtling down our current path.
Elle Hunt is a writer based in Norwich, UK
