1. The book’s called Turtles All the Way Down.
2. It begins with a fugitive billionaire and a cash reward.
3. The story is about lifelong friendship, the intimacy of an unexpected reunion, and Star Wars fan fiction.
4. It’s also about Tuatara, which are reptiles that live in New Zealand. They look like lizards, but aren’t.
5. Its heroine is 16 year-old Aza Holmes.
6. Aza sets out to look for clues to find the missing billionaire, whilst grappling with mental illness.
7. Her story is partly inspired by some of John’s own experiences. He says:
“This is my first attempt to write directly about the kind of mental illness that has affected my life since childhood, so while the story is fictional, it is also quite personal."
8. John’s last book was published six years ago, and he’ s been working on this one for years. But that’s not unusual – The Fault in Our Stars took 10 years to write.
9. Readers should expect plenty of metaphors! In John’s words:
‘The great thing about figurative language and symbols and the like in novels is that you don’t have to be conscious of them for them to work.’
10. Turtles All the Way Down will be published at 3.01pm on 10 October, 2017 (AEDT).
