The Turtle Catcher

Book excerpt: A young woman’s secret may tear her rural Minnesota community apart, in this “emotional tale of star-crossed love, vengeance and regret” (Publishers Weekly). In the tumultuous days after World War I, Herman Richter returns from the front to find his only sister, Liesel, allied with Lester Sutter, the “slow” son of a rival clan who spends his days expertly trapping lake turtles. Liesel has sought Lester’s friendship in the wake of her parents’ deaths and in the shadow of her own dark secret. But what begins as yearning for a human touch quickly unwinds into a shocking, suspenseful tragedy that will haunt the rural town of New Germany, Minnesota, for generations. Woven into this “great, rattling, breathless mystery” (NPR’s Weekend Edition) are the intense, illuminating experiences of German immigrants in America during the war and the terrible choices they were forced to make in service of their new country or in honor of the old. It is a vibrant, beautifully wrought look at a fascinating piece of American history—and the echoing dangers of family secrets. “Historical fiction with a slight touch of magical realism, The Turtle Catcher is a moving portrait of difficult times and vividly realized characters” (Booklist) from “the most promising Minnesota writer in a generation” (Minneapolis Star Tribune). “One mark of a good book is that it keeps you up all night reading it. But if it’s nearly dawn and the book is closed and you still can’t sleep, the book’s either brilliant or scary as hell. Nicole Helget’s first novel, The Turtle Catcher, is both.” —MinnPost