GRAYSON LOVES LILY. LILY IS DEPRESSED. GRAYSON IS ALSO DEPRESSED, BUT HE'S BEEN IGNORING IT. LILY LOVES GRAYSON TOO, BUT SHE KNOWS THEY CAN'T BUILD A RELATIONSHIP FROM EACH OTHER'S BROKEN PIECES. GRAYSON TRIES TO HOLD ON.

THEY'RE BOTH ANTHROPOMORPHIC TERRAPINS, AND THEY BARELY FEATURE IN THIS BOOK.

FAST ASLEEP IN TERRAPIN SOUP WANDERS DREAMILY BETWEEN THE COMICALLY ABSURD AND THE ACHINGLY SINCERE, SWERVING FROM THE SURREAL TO THE MUNDANE. IT DISGUISES VULNERABILITY ON ONE PAGE ONLY TO CAUTIOUSLY UNCOVER HONEST REFLECTIONS ON THE NEXT, BEFORE SCURRYING AWAY TO THE SAFETY OF THE LUDICROUS, JUST AS ONE HAND ON REALITY IS FIRMLY ESTABLISHED.

THESE VIGNETTES ARE DIVIDED INTO FIVE STAGES, TELLING THE STORY OF HOW THE AUTHOR CAME TO UNDERSTAND LOVE, GRIEF, AND OTHER NONSENSE.

Grayson loves Lily. Lily is depressed. Grayson is also depressed, but he's been ignoring it. Lily loves Grayson too, but she knows they can't build a relationship from each other's broken pieces. Grayson tries to hold on.

They're both anthropomorphic terrapins, and they barely feature in this book.

Fast Asleep in Terrapin Soup drifts between the comically absurd and the achingly sincere, swerving from the surreal to the mundane. It disguises vulnerability on one page only to cautiously reveal honest reflections on the next, before scurrying back to the safety of the ludicrous, just as one hand on reality is firmly established.

These vignettes unfold in five stages, telling the story of how the author came to understand love, grief, and other nonsense.