Tale of a Tortoise

What to say about a novel whose point of view alternates between a so-called “IQ-challenged” narrator and a sentient tortoise? Such devices can be instant turn-offs for serious readers—they can smack of gimmickry and saccharine cuteness. Anthropomorphized animals and naive girls solving mysteries have so long been the province of children’s literature that it is difficult not to confront the text with prejudice. But in the case of Jessica Grant’s Come, Thou Tortoise these fears are groundless: she enters the territory with great charm, and with few of the missteps that might have foiled a less talented writer.

If the fact remains that the novel will appeal to both young adults and their parents, the book is no poorer for it. Our heroine is Audrey Flowers, a simple young woman who is summoned back home to St. John’s from Portland, Oregon, because her father is in a coma, the victim of a freak accident. An early scene on her plane gives a strong taste of what...