Turtleface and Beyond: Stories

Author: Arthur Bradford

Number of Pages: 208

Paddling down a remote, meandering river, Georgie’s friend Otto decides to do something both spectacular and stupid. As his friends look on, they watch something awful unfold: Otto jumps into the river from the edge of a sandy cliff and lands with an odd smack, knocking himself unconscious, blood spilling from his nose and mouth. Georgie arrives on the scene first and sees a small turtle, its shell cracked, floating just below the water’s surface. Otto and the turtle survive the collision, though both need help, and Georgie finds his compassions torn. This title story sets the tone for the rest of Arthur Bradford’s Turtleface and Beyond, a strangely funny collection featuring prosthetically limbed lovers, a snakebitten hitchhiker turned wedding crasher, a lawyer at the end of his rope, and a whole host of near disasters, narrow escapes, and complicated victories. The one thing they have in common is Georgie, who struggles with his poor decisions but finds redemption in the telling of each of his tales. . “Bradford will appeal to David Sedaris fans willing to visit the wrong side of the tracks” (Booklist).