The Turtle-Girl from East Pukapuka by Cole Alpaugh

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Judge a book by its cover and The Girl From East Pukapuka is what I randomly decide is worth checking out from the New Fiction section at the library. Dr. Dolittle meets Lost? Heck yes!

When a tsumani hits the small island of East Pukapuka’s shore it simultaneously tips the first domino in a hilarious, off-beat chain of events. The sole-survivor of the natural disaster is 10-year-old, Butter, who finds safety on the back of a sea turtle until a salvage boat appears. Halfway around the world Dante Wheeler is involved in a near death ski accident which results in a sudden fascination with island life.

This is one of the strangest novels I’ve ever read. Unfortunately, the prose was a little lack-luster at times, I found the repetitive descriptions to be a drag, and occasionally after re-reading numerous sentences came to the conclusion that they just didn’t read right. Editorial issues aside, the cast of quirky characters and zany villains in Alpaugh’s second novel take you on quite the bizarre adventure at sea. The story ended up being much more warped than I ever anticipated but the crazy circumstances worked well enough. I got the biggest kick out of the Dumb and Dumber like pirate duo who’s idiotic plans kept me reading through to the end.

A flawed, but entertaining read, I was ultimately okay with just being along for a funny twist-of-fate journey. 3/5 stars.