Season of the Snake
A Novel
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The new novel by the award-winning author of Winter Range
When tragedy leaves her life in shambles, Nance flees her Wisconsin hometown and its reminders of grief, creating a new life in the West. She is a scientist, specializing in rattlesnakes and attrition rates in dens, believing that "you can overcome fear, control the level of risk by being prepared, by knowing your subject." Now with a home in Lewiston, Idaho, overlooking the Snake River, and her marriage to Ned Able, a grade school principal, Nance finally feels at peace.
Then an unexpected visit from her wayward sister Meredith revives old family conflicts, and resurrects a secret life that has long lain dormant in Ned. While Nance and Meredith mend their relationship, Ned's other nature begins to emerge, transforming him in ways that Nance denies, until, with the help of her sister, she is made to see what lies beneath the skin. But neither can predict how far Ned will go to hide his past, or where his frightening memories will lead him as he searches out an object for his obsession.
Claire Davis's debut novel, Winter Range, established her as a powerful voice in American writing. Season of the Snake extends her scope with a dramatic story, a vividly evoked setting, and an unforgettable group of characters.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A naturalist's difficult relationship with her sister collides with her second husband's hidden violent streak in Davis's second novel, an entertaining albeit predictable thriller set in eastern Washington near the Idaho border. Herpetologist Nance Able lives a seemingly quiet, stable existence with her second husband, Ned, a pleasant but aloof school principal. The fly in the family ointment appears to be Nance's sister, Meredith, who has a flair for attracting abusive boyfriends and lovers, a tendency that helped get Nance's first husband, Joe, killed. But trouble begins when the uneasy truce between Ned and Meredith begins to fray and the tension affects Nance and Ned's marriage. As the couple becomes increasingly distant, Nance notices Ned's increasingly lengthy forays away from home, and she is horrified when she discovers his shady second life. Davis does a solid job of generating suspense and tension, although the initial chapters that flash back to Joe's death are underdeveloped and the final confrontation between the three protagonists isn't really a surprise. But the biggest problem with the novel is Ned, whose character never develops enough dimension and depth to make his violent side truly terrifying. The result is a decent read that could have been much more intriguing with a few small improvements.
