I’ve never been a big fantasy reader, but you don’t grow up a reader and not devour at least a few titles about kids being transported to magical worlds. The Wizard of Oz, The Phantom Toolbooth, Peter Pan, and Alice in Wonderland are famous examples of this trope. And A Place of Turquoise by Karina Salfeld falls right into this category. Below is my review of A Place of Turquoise followed by an interview with Salfeld about her book and writing career.
A Place of Turquoise plot summary
A Place of Turquoise introduces us readers to a boy named Robert and his best friend, a talking dog named Fartie who was taken in by Robert’s parents years before and has since been adopted into the family as their secret talking dog. One day, Robert’s parents are kidnapped and taken to a turquoise world where everything is similar to our world but with some very obvious differences.
Robert and Fartie head into this world to rescue their parents. Along the way, they experience many misadventures featuring a collection of both friendly and villainous characters. It all leads to an enchanted castle where Robert’s parents are being held hostage. There, an epic battle ensues that requires bravery, cunning, sacrifice, and a little help from some new friends.
The story
A Place of Turquoise is a fast-paced, plot-driven, imaginative story that serves as an engaging addition to the classic middle grade fish out of water story. As a non-fantasy reader, I gave this book a chance because I liked the grounded relationships and cozy atmosphere of the opening pages that give our heroes something to fight for: their family.
As I read on, I was relieved to find that the fantasy world was very easy to picture. There were no made up creatures to imagine, no new vocabulary words to learn and retain, the things that usually turn me away from the genre. Everything’s the same, just embellished a bit, whether it’s a white rhino, a flying whale, or the fact that morning is evening and evening is morning.
The characters
Robert and Fartie are two great literary companions. They’re alike in many ways and different in others. Robert is calm and controlled while Fartie is hyper emotional and constantly hungry. But they both love boating on the lake, hanging out together drinking hot chocolate, and most of all, their parents. It’s one of those perfect sibling and best friend relationships that you can only find in fiction.
Salfeld does a great job of varying her characters, not only in appearance but in personality. She gives every character not only a memorable look but also attitude ranging from creepy to fun to caring. Each helps to further Robert and Fartie’s journey in a series of mini adventures that lead up to the final battle.
My recommendation
I recommend A Place of Turquoise to any traditional middle grade fantasy reader who likes to be transported to new and vivid yet familiar worlds. I would have liked to have seen a little more back story and character development and maybe a little more instability in the two heroes who have to navigate through a strange world without the security of their parents.
But the phrase “It’s clear that nothing is clear” is echoed throughout the story. The story teaches you to embrace the weird and go with the flow. After all, as adults, we know that the real world doesn’t become any clearer as we age. And spending a few hours in a fantasy world can be a much more fun – and colorful – experience.
My rating
An interview with Karina Salfeld
Was A Place of Turquoise inspired by any books that you read as a kid?
Not that I’m aware of, but then sometimes we don’t even realise what was the source of inspiration. My driving force was my strong belief that I could write a book (this is so cliché but that’s how I’ve always felt), plus I wanted to create an adventure my son would love to read. And the final impulse was: I didn’t feel fulfilled by my job anymore, although I still like what I do and am quite good at it.
In general I get inspired by many things: music, movies, art, traveling.
How did you come up with the character of Fartie as a Robert’s sidekick/pet/brother?
I didn’t 🙂 Fartie has been by my side for about 16 years now. He is a super cool looking toy: black, chubby, with an attitude. As soon as I saw him, I had to get him. And as soon as I got him I knew he was more than a toy. So, his attitude started shining right away.
He talks sometimes (meaning I or other family members help him talk). But he definitely has his authentic voice. He is not very gentle and quite straightforward but also hilarious.
I don’t remember why I named him Fartie, but I found it funny back then, and now my son does too.
Initially Fartie was supposed to be the main character, but then came Robert. And stayed. I see both as main heroes.
And of course, the wonderful illustrator Dorota Rewerenda created an amazing version of Fartie (since we couldn’t use his actual looks for legal reasons).
Do you have a favorite character?
Yes, Fartie. And I get the same vibe from my readers.
Fartie is not shy; he knows what he wants and is not afraid to express his opinion. He is a complex character: he likes opera but farts in front of others, is quite selfish but has a big heart. In a way Robert has to learn a lot from Fartie. But we’ll see how Robert evolves in the next books.
And of course, I really like Cooper, but this is for personal reasons: Cooper is my late dog and the best friend who passed away 2.5 years ago.
Water plays a big part in the book. Are you a fan of water? Is there anything in particular that you wanted water to represent in this story?
I’ve always been a fan of water. I used to spend lots of time swimming. Nothing was better. But recently I realised that sometimes I’m scared of it, of what could be underneath.
A couple of years ago on an island Fuerteventura I stood in front of the ocean, on big rocks, waves splashing, and I looked at the horizon thinking: the ocean is vast, and deep, and endless. It has so much power and I’m so small. This gave me chills.
Maybe I started this series with water because I was trying to conquer something within myself. The idea of water came out of nowhere, and I caught it like a fish (as David Lynch describes catching the ideas). Now I know how it fits in the whole world of the series. But back then I didn’t.
How closely did you work with illustrator Dorota Rewerenda to develop the illustrations that are spread throughout the book?
Dorota is absolutely amazing! I showed her the works out of her portfolio that I liked the most, she read the manuscript, sent me her ideas written down, we agreed upon them and she did her magic.
She got the atmosphere and the characters right away. I didn’t even have any major comments. It was perfect. And she is a wonderful person. I got really lucky with her. 🙂
The quote “It’s clear that nothing is clear,” is spoken throughout the story. What do you want readers to take away from that line?
Sometimes things are not what they seem. Or should I say: most of the time.
Let’s take quantum physics. As soon as I try to grasp it just a little (from my “ordinary person’s” perspective), I realise that we have no clue how the universe is functioning. And it’s ok: clearly, nothing is clear. Wouldn’t it be boring to know everything? And we would have to say good-bye to the sci-fi genre.
There are many opportunities hidden in the unknown.
You wrote in your author bio. that you’re a big movie fan. Do you have any dream casting choices if your book becomes a movie?
Rumundus was written with Adrien Brody in mind. Francis was based on a real perfume maker, but Robert Pattinson would be excellent!
I think the most important person would be the film director. I’d say Taika Waititi is pretty cool.
Are you able to explain why the color turquoise is significant without spoiling this or future books?
The world where Robert and Fartie find themselves on their journey to save their parents is dominated by turquoise color – the color of water, which is a big part of the story. That’s about it in terms of not spoiling the story.
Also, turquoise is my favorite color – so I started with that. Next book will be A Place of Yellow, and yellow is the color I try to avoid by all means. So that’ll be interesting. I like challenges.
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