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The Shell of a Person
"Welcome to beautiful Costa Rica! Come and experience our diverse wildlife. Exhume nests of dead baby turtles and stay up all night while mosquitoes elicit blood from your very soul! Indulge in the local cuisine. Eat rice and beans until the malnutrition engenders hallucinations! Travel west to Guanacaste, to the peninsula that pokes into the Pacific like a fang. Lose yourself on the remote, cocoa-dust beaches, where rare sea turtles drag themselves from the seething ocean to nest. Camp beside the water to leave civilization and all its cheerfulness behind. Burn bucketfuls of used toilet paper, shiver in an infested bed and pump your bathing water from a putrid hole...every single day for weeks!"
Lance Pototschnik and his friends must have booked their trip with that agency. Their incredibly affordable "vacation" was meant to be a relaxing time to meditate on the direction of their languid, aimless lives. Instead, they are introduced to hell and the insane diversity of its tortures.
Marooned on a remote sea turtle conservancy with a handful of fellow unanchored souls, Pototschnik, in his hilarious debut memoir, ponders who he essentially is, and what he is likely to become. But he speaks to all of us. In Pototschnik, those who have fallen prey to the desolation of broken dreams, the young and the listless, finally find a voice with the talent to cast out demons and turn them into laughs. Through his own outrageous tale, Pototschnik offers the questions of the brooding, the concerns of the anxious and the hopes of the hopeless in a witty, irrepressible voice that will not shame them.
Beneath its shell, this rollicking, episodic story is also a treatise about finding your purpose, realizing your full potential and learning to love your own life. Pototschnik's very personal book happens to be the story we have all been hoping for. The Shell of a Person is one of the best works by an emerging this year.
Lance Pototschnik and his friends must have booked their trip with that agency. Their incredibly affordable "vacation" was meant to be a relaxing time to meditate on the direction of their languid, aimless lives. Instead, they are introduced to hell and the insane diversity of its tortures.
Marooned on a remote sea turtle conservancy with a handful of fellow unanchored souls, Pototschnik, in his hilarious debut memoir, ponders who he essentially is, and what he is likely to become. But he speaks to all of us. In Pototschnik, those who have fallen prey to the desolation of broken dreams, the young and the listless, finally find a voice with the talent to cast out demons and turn them into laughs. Through his own outrageous tale, Pototschnik offers the questions of the brooding, the concerns of the anxious and the hopes of the hopeless in a witty, irrepressible voice that will not shame them.
Beneath its shell, this rollicking, episodic story is also a treatise about finding your purpose, realizing your full potential and learning to love your own life. Pototschnik's very personal book happens to be the story we have all been hoping for. The Shell of a Person is one of the best works by an emerging this year.
- GenresHumor
201 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 3, 2014
135 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
About the author
Lance Pototschnik
3 books11 followersLance Pototschnik grew up in rural Maryland, in a house surrounded by farms. The last of his parents’ eight children, he was born with severe allergies and a debilitating skin disorder, which often confined him to the house, where he busied himself by drawing and painting. As a sick child born at the back of a large family, life positioned Pototschnik as an observer, and he learned to capitalize on that station through writing.
Pototschnik’s first book, The Shell of a Person, was touted as one of the best of 2013 by an emerging, self-published author. Shell revealed Pototschnik as a breakout talent, a writer with the rare power to make one laugh to and through the brink of undignified, maniacal, public cackling. His next books (Hollywood Ending - 2017, Golden Monkey - 2019) firmly established Pototschnik as a master memoirist who achieves poignancy in his writing by couching anguish inside of gut-busting humor
In addition to writing his books, Pototschnik also hand-paints the covers. Today, he lives in Shanghai.
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Pototschnik’s first book, The Shell of a Person, was touted as one of the best of 2013 by an emerging, self-published author. Shell revealed Pototschnik as a breakout talent, a writer with the rare power to make one laugh to and through the brink of undignified, maniacal, public cackling. His next books (Hollywood Ending - 2017, Golden Monkey - 2019) firmly established Pototschnik as a master memoirist who achieves poignancy in his writing by couching anguish inside of gut-busting humor
In addition to writing his books, Pototschnik also hand-paints the covers. Today, he lives in Shanghai.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 1, 2018
It was a suprising coincidence finding The Shell of a Person on my hand-me-down Kindle, as I, myself, am considering traveling to Costa Rica to volunteer at a turtle rescue camp. It has been a really informative read, providing insight into the turtle rescue life on the beach. It has opened my eyes to the reality of it all. It isn't just protecting and assisting hatchlings into the ocean, it will also entail hard heavy manuel labor, long boring hours without any outside contact, disposing of dead hatchlings, dealing with loneliness, hunger, sunburn, other types of waste disposal, etc. Something I will need to look more into before finalizing my decision to volunteer.
Going further into the literary style of the book, I approciated that the main character of the book the protagonist (Lance) is reading plays such an important role to him while at the camp, especially after considering the issues with turtle rescue life listed above, but I personally found her presence and vocalization in the book distracting. I would have enjoyed the read a lot more without her consent appearances.
Going further into the literary style of the book, I approciated that the main character of the book the protagonist (Lance) is reading plays such an important role to him while at the camp, especially after considering the issues with turtle rescue life listed above, but I personally found her presence and vocalization in the book distracting. I would have enjoyed the read a lot more without her consent appearances.
July 6, 2017
Best thing I've read for a long time
I rarely laugh out loud for either books or TV shows but this book had my kids coming in my room looking at me strangely and asking what was so funny. This novel, about a young man looking for the meaning in his life at a turtle rescue facility in Costa Rica, is both funny and touching. I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves the comedy of the human condition. Be prepared to laugh like a loon! Thanks, Lance, this was a joy to read!
I rarely laugh out loud for either books or TV shows but this book had my kids coming in my room looking at me strangely and asking what was so funny. This novel, about a young man looking for the meaning in his life at a turtle rescue facility in Costa Rica, is both funny and touching. I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves the comedy of the human condition. Be prepared to laugh like a loon! Thanks, Lance, this was a joy to read!
September 7, 2019
Well done. I lost sleep reading into the night.
I read for the vicarious thrill of discovering new and exciting adventures. This did not leave me at the airport, rather i found myself scratching at Costa Rican mosquito bites.
I read for the vicarious thrill of discovering new and exciting adventures. This did not leave me at the airport, rather i found myself scratching at Costa Rican mosquito bites.
December 29, 2018
Brilliant read!
Soul searching and finding life's lessons made this book stand out in my head. Animated characters made it a the more heartfelt.
Soul searching and finding life's lessons made this book stand out in my head. Animated characters made it a the more heartfelt.
January 1, 2019
Awesome
Great rendition of a delightful passage of rites. Love the turtles and theme of eternal life. How wonderful to enjoy the misery of uncivilized dwelling.
Great rendition of a delightful passage of rites. Love the turtles and theme of eternal life. How wonderful to enjoy the misery of uncivilized dwelling.
April 2, 2014
This is a book that is like a Tardis. It is bigger inside than it is outside. By that I mean that there is on the surface of this young man's memoir of a month spent in primitive conditions at a turtle conservancy in Costa Rica, and then there is interwoven an introspective reflection on his life, and then there is this overlay (or maybe it is an underlayment) of a philosophical examination of life and life's purpose.
I liked it. I did not find it LOL funny, as the plot description and other reviewers have found it. That is because I don't find serious explorations of our internal angst couched in humorous tones funny. I mostly find them poignant. So I am probably the only reader who comes away from this book feeling it is emotional and touching, and (from the great heights of my [cough cough]age), most of all, heartbreakingly young.
The fellow volunteers are all improbably strange and outlandish, his two companions who traveled with him are odd as well, and the whole story is of a world off kilter and "out of joint", and Hamlet would have felt right at home there along the crocodile-infested waters of the local river, trying to get his bearings.
Throughout his stay in Costa Rica, our author was reading Zora Neale Huston's 1937 classic "Their Eyes Were Watching God", whose opening line is
"Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in."
"Their Eyes Were Watching God" was a seminal work in the canon of African-American literature, and as the time progresses at the conservancy, the protagonist of "Their Eyes" begins to speak to our author, and is a running thread through the book as a voice in his head.
I am not sure just how much of this is straight fact, and how much has been fictionalized, but life in the turtle camp was as surreal as I find Mexico (where I live) to be at times, so it is hard to say with any certainty. You will have to read it for yourself, and maybe you might find it lighter and funnier than I did. Maybe I read too much into it. But that's what books are for -- you bring yourself to every volume you read.
I liked it. I did not find it LOL funny, as the plot description and other reviewers have found it. That is because I don't find serious explorations of our internal angst couched in humorous tones funny. I mostly find them poignant. So I am probably the only reader who comes away from this book feeling it is emotional and touching, and (from the great heights of my [cough cough]age), most of all, heartbreakingly young.
The fellow volunteers are all improbably strange and outlandish, his two companions who traveled with him are odd as well, and the whole story is of a world off kilter and "out of joint", and Hamlet would have felt right at home there along the crocodile-infested waters of the local river, trying to get his bearings.
Throughout his stay in Costa Rica, our author was reading Zora Neale Huston's 1937 classic "Their Eyes Were Watching God", whose opening line is
"Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in."
"Their Eyes Were Watching God" was a seminal work in the canon of African-American literature, and as the time progresses at the conservancy, the protagonist of "Their Eyes" begins to speak to our author, and is a running thread through the book as a voice in his head.
I am not sure just how much of this is straight fact, and how much has been fictionalized, but life in the turtle camp was as surreal as I find Mexico (where I live) to be at times, so it is hard to say with any certainty. You will have to read it for yourself, and maybe you might find it lighter and funnier than I did. Maybe I read too much into it. But that's what books are for -- you bring yourself to every volume you read.
July 25, 2016
My favorite thing about this book was the characterization. Pototschnik did a fantastic job at describing the unique attributes of everyone he interacted with on his journey to the turtle rescue in Costa Rica. (He's got quite a gift for creating accents in dialogue.) I also enjoyed the author's sense of humor and his unique perspective on life.
What I didn't care for was how much of the memoir was spent rehashing the events from Their Eyes Were Watching God. Yes, the plot of the novel and the significance of his reading it while in Costa Rica make a good analogy for the epiphany he had at the end of his volunteer work; but it was overkill at times and I don't think as much of the novel needed to be included verbatim. It tended to detract and distract.
I did enjoy the memoir enough that I'd be happy to read any of his future works.
What I didn't care for was how much of the memoir was spent rehashing the events from Their Eyes Were Watching God. Yes, the plot of the novel and the significance of his reading it while in Costa Rica make a good analogy for the epiphany he had at the end of his volunteer work; but it was overkill at times and I don't think as much of the novel needed to be included verbatim. It tended to detract and distract.
I did enjoy the memoir enough that I'd be happy to read any of his future works.
December 21, 2016
Funny short book about a young man out of college looking for the meaning of life at a turtle rescue refuge in Costa Rica. In sheer boredom and starvation, your mind can play some weird and unusual tricks on you.
The writing is strong in general. I appreciated the unique descriptions and the unexpected analogies and metaphors. Lance spends many hours searching for the meaning of life, and he comes up with a few possibilities.
The unfortunate part of the book is the editing. There are spacing issues that detract from the storytelling. There are missing words and misspellings. There is a case of illusive vs. elusive.
Overall, the idea was good, but the ending fell flat. It's just a shell of the meaning of life.
The writing is strong in general. I appreciated the unique descriptions and the unexpected analogies and metaphors. Lance spends many hours searching for the meaning of life, and he comes up with a few possibilities.
The unfortunate part of the book is the editing. There are spacing issues that detract from the storytelling. There are missing words and misspellings. There is a case of illusive vs. elusive.
Overall, the idea was good, but the ending fell flat. It's just a shell of the meaning of life.
Read
February 4, 2014Spectacularly moving and amazingly thought provoking
I found myself laughing and or close to tears (not always as a result of the laughter) nearly every other page. Maybe it is because I can relate with the author's struggles and quest for purpose. or maybe it is because I strongly identify with one of the characters; whatever the reason, this book touched me in a deeply personal and profound way.
I found myself laughing and or close to tears (not always as a result of the laughter) nearly every other page. Maybe it is because I can relate with the author's struggles and quest for purpose. or maybe it is because I strongly identify with one of the characters; whatever the reason, this book touched me in a deeply personal and profound way.
April 28, 2014
Very good
I chose a 3 star rating because this was an interesting concept for a novel.... but I'm not sure if it is a true story or not.... a good quick read.... about growing and learning to be an ordinary person.
I chose a 3 star rating because this was an interesting concept for a novel.... but I'm not sure if it is a true story or not.... a good quick read.... about growing and learning to be an ordinary person.
Want to read
February 25, 2016kindle 141 (travel stories)
Want to read
February 5, 2019author gift through bookfunnel
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews