Fiction. TORTOISE enacts a kind of prodigal son story gone bad. Having received a mysterious telephone call summoning him home, the protagonist flies half-way around the world to hear what he believes will be the final words of his "accursed progenitor" (as Beckett would have it). Somewhat in the manner of W. G. Sebald, the narrative is driven simultaneously by the journey and the protagonist's increasingly urgent ruminations on the facts of his life and current predicament.

Author Hometown: Abu Dhabi UAE



About the author: James Lewelling has been writing fiction since 1988. To that end, he has made a living in every menial position available in the food service industry, tended bar at the second smallest pub in London, The Swan, lost and found files for the Bank of Paris, taught Berbers the Beatles on the edge of the Sahara, taught immigrants of all stripes the present perfect in Chicago and Milwaukee, been mistaken for a computer whilst conducting phone surveys, been mistaken for an asshole whilst answering complaint letters for an insurance company, taught writing, creative writing, business writing, developmental writing, reading, Russian literature and on one occasion, algebra. Most recently, he has been trying to persuade young basketball-playing Emirati women to proofread in the United Arab Emirates. Lewelling's work has appeared in FENCE, Word Riot, The Evergreen Review, Café Irreal, The Stranger and elsewhere. He is the author of the books TORTOISE (Calamari Press, 2008) and THIS GUY (Spuyten Duyvil, 2006). He lives in Abu Dhabi with his wife, the poet Lisa Isaacson, and their two lovely daughters, Frances and Cecily.

Reviews:
Matt Everett @ The Brooklyn Rail
J. A. Tyler @ Big Other