53 pages • 1 hour read
Thomas KingThe Back of the Turtle
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 56-67Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapters 56-67 Summary
Dorian finally reveals what Gabriel wrote on the door of his rented house: “Kali Creek,” in reference to a disaster that occurred several years earlier while Domidion was building a pipeline through British Columbia. They encountered resistance from environmental groups, First Nations communities, and the thick flora in their way. Hoping to expedite the removal of the underbrush, someone at Domidion okayed the use of GreenSweep. Though the bacterium was designed to be diluted at a 1000:1 ratio, the GreenSweep used for the pipeline, never meant to leave Domidion’s laboratories, was only diluted at a 10:1 ratio.
The highly concentrated GreenSweep was dumped near the mouth of the Kali Creek and later washed into the creek by a rainstorm. The contaminated water carved out a path of destruction, killing every plant, animal, and human it touched. The creek eventually made its way into the Smoke River and then to Samaritan Bay, “[pushing] the kill zone out into the ocean some twenty kilometers” (324). Fortunately for Domidion, the Fukushima quake and subsequent nuclear meltdown occurred soon after, taking heat off of the company.
Mara borrows Crisp’s truck and loads up the contents of her rented house. She recalls how after graduating high school, she left for Toronto and fell in love with the city’s art scene. Despite her family’s requests that she come back to the reserve, she stayed in Toronto for 15 years.
Gabriel contemplates his regrets. He feels immense guilt for failing to reunite with Rose and Little after Joe’s death, and he regrets not telling Mara that he is “the author of all that destruction” (337), the man responsible for the deaths of her friends and family. He feels like a monster.
Crisp walks on the beach, pleased to note “signs of resurrection at the edge of the desolation” (344). Life is returning to Samaritan Bay, and he hopes that the turtles will come back. Crisp comes across Sonny’s tower but is distracted by the sound of Mara trying to start his truck.
Dorian watches coverage of the Athabasca River spill and tries to call Olivia, but her phone repeatedly goes to voicemail.
Mara visits Gabriel at the trailer, where she finds the photo of Lilly on the fridge. Gabriel explains that he’s Lilly’s brother, mentioning that when she was small, she couldn’t say his name, so she would call him “Riel.” Mara tells him that Lilly named her child after him, news that is difficult for Gabriel to process.
Mara asks for Gabriel’s help in moving back to the reserve, into the house where her family lived. As they load her belongings into Crisp’s truck, Gabriel wants to ask if Rose ever mentioned him, but he knows the answer will be no. He suspects that after he left with Joe, she tried to erase him from her memory entirely.
Dorian wakes in the early hours of the morning to a call from Olivia, who informs him that she is back in Toronto and wants a divorce.
Mara moves into her mother’s house on the reserve. Gabriel meets Crisp at the Samaritan Bay food co-op to return the truck, and Crisp offers to show him “where it all began […] and where it came to an end” (378).
Chapters 56-67 Analysis
Chapter 56 finally reveals the entirety of Gabriel’s secret. Like Oppenheimer, he was architected something that wreaked havoc on humanity. He helped make the chemical compound GreenSweep, and by the time he realized his mistake and tried to halt the project, it was too late. Domidion’s lack of adequate safety checks allowed GreenSweep to be sprayed close to the Kali Creek, where it entered and made its way to Samaritan Bay. Though Dorian frames this as a series of terrible mistakes, he has a track record of willingness to hurt and destroy humans in the service of corporate goals. The fact that GreenSweep cleared out a community of Indigenous people who were vocally against the building of an oil pipeline on their land suggests that the safety oversights were not entirely accidental. Moreover, Domidion continues to push for the construction of the same pipeline in Samaritan Bay.
Gabriel’s willing participation in the creation of GreenSweep challenges the idea that he has a strong moral compass. Even before the project went awry, GreenSweep was meant to be a commercial herbicide. Earlier, Dorian defended Domidion’s mistakes by arguing that its inventions were saving the world. Yet GreenSweep, by design, could serve no purpose besides destruction and the enrichment of Domidion. This raises the question of whether there can be an ethical explanation for the creation of such a product.
As awful as the Kali Creek incident was, its moment in the public eye was short-lived due to the Fukushima meltdown occurring shortly afterward. Media coverage moved on to the newer and more titillating event, allowing Domidion to escape the court of public opinion. This history contextualizes Dorian’s absolute confidence that Domidion can weather the bad press from the Athabasca River incident. He has gotten away with large-scale destruction before and knows he can do it again, so long as he can stave off negative press until a new event pushes Domidion out of the news.
The theme of eternal recurrence continues with the revelation that the Kali Creek disaster happened during the building on an oil pipeline, the same pipeline that is once again being pitched to Samaritan Bay. The fact that even large-scale death and destruction weren’t enough to stop the project from continuing makes this second pitch seem more like a formality. Domidion has the power to remove anything and anyone that stands in their way, and their apparent efforts to negotiate with First Nations communities are just a PR smokescreen.
Mara and Gabriel’s growing connection distracts Gabriel from his plans of suicide. He sees the possibility of a new beginning in a relationship with her but knows he will eventually have to ruin it by telling her what he’s done.
Mara’s decision to move back into her grandmother’s long-abandoned house is an important moment in her character arc and in the larger story of Samaritan Bay’s resurrection. Her willingness to move out of her peripheral existence at the edge of town represents her willingness to face up to her grief and move forward with her life despite it. Gabriel is an important part of this development, as he helps her open up about her memories and physically aids her in the move.
Gabriel’s character arc displays his duality. He bears partial responsibility for the Kali Creek incident as one of the primary creators of GreenSweep, yet he also becomes a key player in the effort to rebuild the town. When Crisp offers to take Gabriel to “where it all began […] and where it came to an end” (378), this quote also holds a mirror up to Gabriel’s character. Gabriel holds both the cause of destruction and the key to renewal within himself.
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