No woman is an island. Especially if she lives on one.
鈥淣o man from an island is an island,鈥� Francesca Segal writes in 鈥淲elcome to Glorious Tuga,鈥� a delightful heart-warmer set on a fictional tropical isle in the South Atlantic, where the closely related residents are all entangled in each other鈥檚 business. 鈥淪mall islands are drama factories. It鈥檚 one of our major industries,鈥� one of the islanders explains to a new arrival.聽
鈥淕lorious Tuga鈥� is a perfect vacation book 鈥� even if you鈥檙e not going anywhere. Segal transports readers to Tuga de Oro, a tiny, steamy British territory nearly 7,000 miles from England and 2,000 miles from the nearest landmass. Tuga isn鈥檛 exactly a paradise, but it has its enchantments. Founded on 鈥渢he principles of compassionate collectivism,鈥� the community is largely made up of the descendants of diverse refugees who fled 鈥渕urderous European colonialism鈥� over the centuries.聽聽
Segal highlights another characteristic of islands: They are 鈥減laces you flee to, or places from which you flee.鈥� They are also places that attract runners or searchers. Charlotte Walker, a London veterinarian and herpetologist in her late 20s, admits to being both. The official reason for her journey to Tuga is a one-year fellowship to study endangered gold coin turtles, but she also hopes to discover the identity of her father, who she has reason to believe 鈥� after a recent slip by her mother, a wealthy, high-powered, queen鈥檚 counsel barrister 鈥� may be from Tuga.
Charlotte arrives on the last cargo ship before hurricane season, which will further isolate the remote island for the next six months. While these ships transport a few passengers to and from England for jobs and schools, their more pressing task is to supply the island with necessities, which include flour, chocolate, tools, tractors, medical supplies, contracted specialists like dentists and opticians, and much more.
Desperately seasick on the voyage, Charlotte is tended by fellow passenger Dan Zekri, a doctor in his late 30s. He鈥檚 returning to the island after 15 years in England to take over as chief medical officer, a job his uncle has held for 40 years. Dan and Charlotte hit it off so well that Segal seduces us into thinking that this is going to be a nice, happy love story. Not so fast.聽
With a veterinarian at its center, a cast of distinctive local characters, and an immersive plot filled with twists and turns, 鈥淲elcome to Glorious Tuga鈥� evokes 鈥淎ll Creatures Great and Small鈥� with a touch of 鈥淪outh Pacific.鈥� Instead of motorcars and overindulged house pets, there are free-roaming donkeys that can be hopped on and off for local transport like rideshare bicycles, and lumbering, ancient turtles.聽
Although Charlotte is trained as a theoretician rather than a clinical practitioner, she comes to realize that to really help the islanders, she needs to tend to their precious goats, sheep, pigs, and other farm animals, along with an ailing pet tortoise named Martha. With the exception of working animals, most non-native mammals are no longer allowed on Tuga, in order to protect the island鈥檚 fragile ecosystems. (Cats, a major threat to birds, have been banned altogether.)聽
Charlotte has a hard time convincing the islanders 鈥� and readers 鈥� why the endangered gold coin turtles, commonly known as聽 Chinese three-striped box turtles, are important. It鈥檚 the eccentric characters who steal the show here.
Among the complicated web of interrelated islanders, who are thankfully listed in the book鈥檚 dramatis personae, is Garrick Williams, the pompous local pastor who harbors a shameful secret. His sister, Moz, a teacher who has influenced generations of students, is married to Dan鈥檚 uncle, Saul Gabbai, the overtaxed, outgoing doctor whom no one wants to see replaced, especially by Dan. After being off-island for so long, Dan is considered FFA 鈥� Folk From Away 鈥� which raises questions about what constitutes a home, and whether one can go home again. Dan is committed to improving local medical care, but his cause isn鈥檛 helped by a serious misstep in his personal life.聽聽
Segal, the author, is a British American writer (and daughter of Erich Segal of 鈥淟ove Story鈥� fame) whose previous novels, 鈥淭he Awkward Age鈥� and 鈥淭he Innocents,鈥� offered nods to Henry James and Edith Wharton. With 鈥淲elcome to Glorious Tuga,鈥� she has spun a pleasurable tale about the tantamount importance of finding 鈥� or creating 鈥� a sense of community and belonging, wherever you are.聽
