The Snakes

Bea and Dan, recently married, rent out their tiny flat to escape London for a few precious months. Driving through France they visit Bea’s dropout brother Alex at the hotel he runs in Burgundy. Disturbingly, they find him all alone and the ramshackle hotel deserted, apart from the nest of snakes in the attic.

When Alex and Bea’s parents make a surprise visit, Dan can’t understand why Bea is so appalled, or why she’s never wanted him to know them; Liv and Griff Adamson are charming, and rich. They are the richest people he has ever met. Maybe Bea’s ashamed of him, or maybe she regrets the secrets she’s been keeping.

Tragedy strikes suddenly, brutally, and in its aftermath the family is stripped back to its heart, and then its rotten core, and even Bea with all her strength and goodness can’t escape.Bea and Dan, recently married, rent out their tiny flat to escape London for a few precious months. Driving through France they visit Bea’s dropout brother Alex at the hotel he runs in Burgundy.

Disturbingly, they find him all alone and the ramshackle hotel deserted, apart from the nest of snakes in the attic.

When Alex and Bea’s parents make a surprise visit, Dan can’t understand why Bea is so appalled, or why she’s never wanted him to know them; Liv and Griff Adamson are charming, and rich. They are the richest people he has ever met. Maybe Bea’s ashamed of him, or maybe she regrets the secrets she’s been keeping.

Tragedy strikes suddenly, brutally, and in its aftermath the family is stripped back to its heart, and then its rotten core, and even Bea with all her strength and goodness can’t escape.


My Review

I had mixed feelings about this book. It is one that you kind of have to ponder on what you just read. Not that I am saying that this is a bad book but that the whole concept of the story is more then just skin deep. It has many layers like an onion.

There are the characters, their relationships, roles in the story, and the metaphysical aspect. Bea and her brother's relationship with their parents is what shaped them to be who their were now. Dan learned this the longer that he was around Bea's parents.

The metamorphic aspect of the "snakes" was a good one. It really fit with the story and getting the point across. Also, there is the seven deadly sins aspect as well. Woven within the pages of this book is the dynamics of family.

While, I liked this book; I struggled some with finding anything that engaging about any of the characters. They were just "fine" for me. However, if I had established a stronger bond with the, this story would have come alive more for me. There is a downfall that I will point out to this book.  This is the ending. I was not a fan of it. In fact, I was disappointed by it.