New edition of Turtle Diary released in US

A new edition of Russell Hoban's classic 1975 novel Turtle Diary has been released in print and e-book in the US.

The edition has been published by the New York Review of Books, with cover art by street artist Roa and an introduction by Ed Park, who writes: "Turtle Diary is a disquisition on loneliness as perfect and inexhaustible as the Beatles' 'Eleanor Rigby' or Chekhov's 'Lady with the Little Dog,' a work of art that vibrates on a new frequency each time you read it, depending on the weather in your life."

Turtle Diary is arguably the most naturalistic and accessible of Russell Hoban's many novels. The book is narrated alternately by two lonely people, bookshop manager William and children's writer Neaera, who become obsessed with the captivity of two turtles at London Zoo. While they ponder crisis points in their lives, they resolve to rescue the turtles and release them into the sea. Their "diaries" tell the story of how they achieve the turtles' freedom, and in the process re-define their own lives.

To celebrate the new edition, the New York Review of Books is holding a Tribute to Russell Hoban event in New York on 8th July, featuring Ed Park and others including Michael Miller, senior editor at Bookforum, and John Wray, author of Lowboy.

Also, a blog called Ivebeenreadinglately is offering a copy of the new Turtle Diary as a prize for the best "turtle story" posted as a comment by 20th June.