Francesca Segal's cozy third novel, Welcome to Glorious Tuga, is the first in a trilogy set on a fictional South Atlantic island, and reflects on belonging through a conservationist's search for her father.
A British overseas territory and "the world's most remote inhabited island," Tuga de Ora seems more English than England itself, preserving wholesome 1950s culture: a red phone box, Cliff Richard on the radio, photographs of Queen Elizabeth II on display, and widespread disapproval of profanity. Yet there is a mixed heritage resulting from the island's early settlement: Sephardic Jews, British and Dutch sailors, enslaved Nigerians, and Eastern European refugees. Such influences are seen in islanders' surnames and Hebrew or Ladino slang; there is also a moshav (farming collective). Cross this with the tropical lassitude of jungle, beaches, bougainvillea, and extreme heat, and Tuga is truly one-of-a-kind.
Segal (The Awkward Age) opens the novel with a dichotomy that holds true for her two protagonists: "Islands are places you flee to, or places from which you flee." Charlotte Walker, a 29-year-old herpetologist, has been granted a year-long fellowship to study endangered Tugan gold coin tortoises. But she also is grasping onto the slimmest hope of finding her father, whom her mother said was "from the absolute ends of the earth." On the boat to Tuga, the seasick Charlotte meets Dan Zekri, who's returning after 15 years in London to take over as the island's chief medical officer.
Charlotte may be FFA ("Folk From Away"), but most are quick to make her feel at home. Besides tortoise tracking, she puts her veterinary training to use by lambing and treating pets--but also finds herself delivering a eulogy for a piglet and rescuing library manuscripts from a silverfish infestation. Islanders are almost more suspicious of Dan, resisting his health initiatives such as a "Couch to 5K" program. Sparks fly between these two, but several things hinder a fling--not least the arrival of Dan's physiotherapist fiancée, Katie.
Segal lovingly develops her quirky ensemble cast. Among the memorable characters are Taxi, the island's driver and radio announcer; Garrick, the pompous minister; Levi, the bartender at the Rockhopper pub--and Charlotte's lecherous landlord; Betsey, the cafe owner; and half-feral Annie and Alex, 11-year-old best friends raised like siblings.
Everyone knows each other in this small community, and the character interactions here are delightful. This gently tragicomic book is the first in a trilogy, so readers can look forward to more Tugan adventure and romance. --Rebecca Foster, freelance reviewer, proofreader and blogger at Bookish Beck
Shelf Talker: Set on a remote tropical island like no other, this cozy, romantic novel dramatizes a year of studying tortoises and investigating a paternity mystery.