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The Serpent's Skin
It's a cold and wintery night in 1968 and ten-year-old JJ's mother isn't home. The cows are milked, the pigs fed, and her dad won't answer any questions.
The four children survive as best they can in a cloud of their father's lies and clear misery, dealing with their mother's absence in their own ways. But it's always been JJ's job to cause trouble, and her sleuthing wreaks havoc in their tight-knit community.
Fourteen years on, JJ has a new life, a loving partner and a good job, but she finds herself being pulled back in to the unsolved mystery of her childhood. While pretending to have made peace with her father's dishonesty, she organises a final farewell for her mother so they can all put the past behind them. Will the tragic truth finally set them all free?
The Serpent's Skin is a gripping, literary crime novel about male power and the secrets that can haunt a family. Most of all, it's about the many ways we prove our love.
This novel ushers in Erina Reddan as a brilliant new voice in Australian fiction.
The four children survive as best they can in a cloud of their father's lies and clear misery, dealing with their mother's absence in their own ways. But it's always been JJ's job to cause trouble, and her sleuthing wreaks havoc in their tight-knit community.
Fourteen years on, JJ has a new life, a loving partner and a good job, but she finds herself being pulled back in to the unsolved mystery of her childhood. While pretending to have made peace with her father's dishonesty, she organises a final farewell for her mother so they can all put the past behind them. Will the tragic truth finally set them all free?
The Serpent's Skin is a gripping, literary crime novel about male power and the secrets that can haunt a family. Most of all, it's about the many ways we prove our love.
This novel ushers in Erina Reddan as a brilliant new voice in Australian fiction.
357 pages, Paperback
First published March 2, 2021
22 people are currently reading
249 people want to read
About the author
Erina Reddan
4 books12 followersErina writes adult mystery crime books and young adult novels. She’s worked with words, ideas and stories all her life, winning a Walkley Award for her work as an ABC foreign correspondent. She has a PhD in creative writing from La Trobe University on girl warriors and ball gowns and has taught writing at Latrobe University and Writers Victoria. Her family claims she can glamorise a handful of facts beyond recognition in the service of an entertaining story, sometimes at the expense of truth but always in favour of wonder.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
March 2, 2021
This book was a little hard to get into as the dialogue was a little hard for me to interpret and understand. The pacing of this book was so slow though it was hard to get invested in. The story just wasn't there....it dragged and there was no thrill to the story. It was a disappointment.
March 1, 2021
Free eARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Trigger warning: mention of parental death, mention of disappearance.
The Serpent's Skin by Erina Reddan is the story of JJ and her three siblings and the mysterious disappearance and death of their mother. The story takes place in the late 60s and early 80s in Australia and centers on a family of four children to Catholic and poor parents, growing up on a farm. One day the mother goes away and after some days the news of her death reached the family home. All of this happens when the children are still young and have no way of finding out the truth.
The story picks up again 14 years later, the children have grown up and are trying to build their own lives. But this unsolved mystery has left their scars and they are dealing with them each in their own way. And it is JJ who takes matters in her hands and goes to find the truth.
If there's any word I would use to describe the premise of this book, I would say that it was interesting. Unfortunately, I was let down by it.
To start with, the pacing was awfully slow and a much as I can handle slow, I would have liked it to be a little faster. The writing was okay, I guess? And the story itself only really got interesting in that very last scene, where it felt like everything was simply too much.
I could have let all of that slide if I found the characters interesting, but they really weren't. I spent the entire book hoping the author would go deeper into the characters and the relationships each of them had, but that never happened.
I don't have any real feelings about this book. It was a fairly easy read, but it did bog down a little. There was never any real sense of excitement or build-up. It was more as though JJ's outrage fueled the book and once it petered out, the book was over.
Trigger warning: mention of parental death, mention of disappearance.
The Serpent's Skin by Erina Reddan is the story of JJ and her three siblings and the mysterious disappearance and death of their mother. The story takes place in the late 60s and early 80s in Australia and centers on a family of four children to Catholic and poor parents, growing up on a farm. One day the mother goes away and after some days the news of her death reached the family home. All of this happens when the children are still young and have no way of finding out the truth.
The story picks up again 14 years later, the children have grown up and are trying to build their own lives. But this unsolved mystery has left their scars and they are dealing with them each in their own way. And it is JJ who takes matters in her hands and goes to find the truth.
If there's any word I would use to describe the premise of this book, I would say that it was interesting. Unfortunately, I was let down by it.
To start with, the pacing was awfully slow and a much as I can handle slow, I would have liked it to be a little faster. The writing was okay, I guess? And the story itself only really got interesting in that very last scene, where it felt like everything was simply too much.
I could have let all of that slide if I found the characters interesting, but they really weren't. I spent the entire book hoping the author would go deeper into the characters and the relationships each of them had, but that never happened.
I don't have any real feelings about this book. It was a fairly easy read, but it did bog down a little. There was never any real sense of excitement or build-up. It was more as though JJ's outrage fueled the book and once it petered out, the book was over.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2021
This book wasn't great for me. Slow. Hard to get immersed in. Boring. I honestly kept putting it aside to read other things. Can't enjoy every book, right? 🤷
**Arc Via NetGalley**
**Arc Via NetGalley**
January 31, 2021
[digital arc provided via netgalley]
actual rating: 2.5
i was intrigued by this book's set-up and premise, but unfortunately i was let down by it. the pacing was slower than what i would've liked it to be, i felt like everything exploded at the end in that one scene. the revelation wasn't well-done. the writing was ok, i guess. there were some phrases i liked here and there but overall didn't catch my attention with overdoing it at some parts. also, we didn't get to dive deep into the characters and their dynamics and relationships. it all just felt very flat for me, i would've liked it more with better execution. it wasn't horrible but it wasn't great either.
actual rating: 2.5
i was intrigued by this book's set-up and premise, but unfortunately i was let down by it. the pacing was slower than what i would've liked it to be, i felt like everything exploded at the end in that one scene. the revelation wasn't well-done. the writing was ok, i guess. there were some phrases i liked here and there but overall didn't catch my attention with overdoing it at some parts. also, we didn't get to dive deep into the characters and their dynamics and relationships. it all just felt very flat for me, i would've liked it more with better execution. it wasn't horrible but it wasn't great either.
February 16, 2021
I was lucky to get an early copy of this - but also saw the first chapter years ago. It has transformed into a novel that brings the pain and beauty of childhood and how it shapes us as adults into something gritty and real that is hard to put down. JJ comes alive on the page and we feel for her, as her parents let her down and then as she makes sense of all that happened before she knew enough to make sense of it. A novel of poverty and hardship and the human spirit that overcomes.
February 19, 2021
This was a wonderful read! I was captivated by the voice of the main character JJ, who interacted with her world in such a deep feeling way. In few words, she could convey the sensations of her pain, love, grief and anger. I love the way this novel engaged with the farm land upon which they depended, intertwining the lives of the family with the ebb, flows and demands of the environment. It felt earthy, like I too felt a primal connection to the farm.
I think this novel is a very fascinating exploration into the unquestionable power of fatherhood within a family, and the confusing mix of love and anger this dynamic produces, which is particularly telling of a few generation ago where the father was considered the head of the household.
The relationship and interplay between the siblings was a source of pleasure, as the novel gave words to the ineffable feelings of what it’s like to grow up alongside people that you love, hate at times, tease, have fun with and unquestionably support, particularly when making sense of shared unresolved trauma.
I definitely recommend this book, it was a compelling, easy to digest story that absorbs you into the affective world of JJ.
I think this novel is a very fascinating exploration into the unquestionable power of fatherhood within a family, and the confusing mix of love and anger this dynamic produces, which is particularly telling of a few generation ago where the father was considered the head of the household.
The relationship and interplay between the siblings was a source of pleasure, as the novel gave words to the ineffable feelings of what it’s like to grow up alongside people that you love, hate at times, tease, have fun with and unquestionably support, particularly when making sense of shared unresolved trauma.
I definitely recommend this book, it was a compelling, easy to digest story that absorbs you into the affective world of JJ.
January 29, 2021
I really enjoyed Erina Reddan's book. I was hooked from the moment I read her letter to the reader prior to commencing.
The characters were great and I felt compelled to keep reading to discover the answer to all the family lies and truths.
The characters were great and I felt compelled to keep reading to discover the answer to all the family lies and truths.
March 14, 2021
An amazing read
The story resonated with me, having had a poor childhood though I didn’t know it. I expect that many of the strongest and brightest women emerge from hardship. A wonderful story.
The story resonated with me, having had a poor childhood though I didn’t know it. I expect that many of the strongest and brightest women emerge from hardship. A wonderful story.
March 16, 2021
A simmering, sustained, slow-burning tension that really held me to the page. The book is driven by a mystery, but it was the emotional impact on the characters of living with that sustained sense of not-knowing that really interested me. A unique and original book.
January 20, 2021
It took me a bit to get into this book as I was unfamiliar with certain terms, idioms, slang, etc. Once I figured them out, it was easier to read. I couldn't relate to any of the characters or their situation. It was all right, nothing spectacular for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
March 15, 2021
The book was a great read. I loved it from start to the finish. I felt like I was there. Part of the family. Thank you Erina for writing such a story
March 19, 2021
I liked the strongly drawn characters. The mystery of what happened to the mother kept me hooked to the end.
June 23, 2021
Classic story of Catholicism taking the reigns in an Australian setting. Well written. Possibly a little strangely paced in the middle but an intriguing all the same. Nice to read an Australian author that’s not a romantic writer! Well done Erina Reddan!
February 24, 2021
4 stars - a tale of the impact of terrible secrets in a family
I received a digital copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you!
The Serpent's Skin by Erina Reddan is the story of JJ and her three siblings and the mysterious diappearing and death of their mother. The story takes place in the late 60s and early 80s in Australia and centers on a family of four children to Catholic and poor parents, growing up on a farm. One day the mother goes away and after some days the news of her death reach the family home.
But why are the adults telling all sorts of different and changing stories about where mom went and how long she stayed?
All of this happens when the children are still young and have no way of finding out the truth.
The story picks up again 14 years later, the children have grown up and are trying to build their own lives. But this unsolved mystery, the shaken trust in their father and the other grown-ups have left their scars and they are dealing with them each in their own way - but they are all struggling. And it is JJ who takes matters in her hands and goes to find the truth. It may not be pretty but it might help the family to finally move on.
This book may be a crime story on the surface but what it really is about is the dynamics of relationships in a family. The trust that children put in the grown-ups and the impact of having to question or losing that trust. It also deals with the morals or lack thereof of "good Catholics" and that growing up can mean realizing that your parents are flawed.
JJ's narrative voice is very distinct and her own. The first half of the book was a bit slow for me, but once the mystery started unravelling it became a page-turner. You really connect to the characters, their struggles and hopes.
Definitely recommended for fans of literary fiction mixed with a mystery.
I received a digital copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you!
The Serpent's Skin by Erina Reddan is the story of JJ and her three siblings and the mysterious diappearing and death of their mother. The story takes place in the late 60s and early 80s in Australia and centers on a family of four children to Catholic and poor parents, growing up on a farm. One day the mother goes away and after some days the news of her death reach the family home.
But why are the adults telling all sorts of different and changing stories about where mom went and how long she stayed?
All of this happens when the children are still young and have no way of finding out the truth.
The story picks up again 14 years later, the children have grown up and are trying to build their own lives. But this unsolved mystery, the shaken trust in their father and the other grown-ups have left their scars and they are dealing with them each in their own way - but they are all struggling. And it is JJ who takes matters in her hands and goes to find the truth. It may not be pretty but it might help the family to finally move on.
This book may be a crime story on the surface but what it really is about is the dynamics of relationships in a family. The trust that children put in the grown-ups and the impact of having to question or losing that trust. It also deals with the morals or lack thereof of "good Catholics" and that growing up can mean realizing that your parents are flawed.
JJ's narrative voice is very distinct and her own. The first half of the book was a bit slow for me, but once the mystery started unravelling it became a page-turner. You really connect to the characters, their struggles and hopes.
Definitely recommended for fans of literary fiction mixed with a mystery.
April 21, 2021
This is a sad tale. It is a tale about a crime, loss, including the loss of trust and respect. It is about not wanting to believe the truth. JJ tries very hard to fight all of this. She loses both her mother and father in the process of grappling with her life changing in an instant moment. She is shielded from the truth, as are her brothers and sisters, because they are too young to know, and in the late 1960s, children are seen and not heard.
The title is apt: there is not just evil and darkness in this story but there is a balance of good vs evil. The shedding of old wounds, and being strong enough to come out at the other end knowing the steps undertaken were right and just is revealed to the reader. The story is also about relationships and the dynamics of parents and children in families. Questioning the trust that children must have and should have in their parents is very strong in this book. The challenge of this was how far JJ accepted the flaws of both her mother and her father and how well she applied this to her own life as a young adult. Was JJ was created to look like she had so many flaws herself? The own gossip about her was that as a child, she was too hard to handle. The key to understanding JJ was not getting caught up in those perceptions, otherwise you end up questioning the thoughts and actions of a child, and then criticizing her as a younger adult for acting in the same way. But was that exactly what was required in order for the truth to be exposed?
The title is apt: there is not just evil and darkness in this story but there is a balance of good vs evil. The shedding of old wounds, and being strong enough to come out at the other end knowing the steps undertaken were right and just is revealed to the reader. The story is also about relationships and the dynamics of parents and children in families. Questioning the trust that children must have and should have in their parents is very strong in this book. The challenge of this was how far JJ accepted the flaws of both her mother and her father and how well she applied this to her own life as a young adult. Was JJ was created to look like she had so many flaws herself? The own gossip about her was that as a child, she was too hard to handle. The key to understanding JJ was not getting caught up in those perceptions, otherwise you end up questioning the thoughts and actions of a child, and then criticizing her as a younger adult for acting in the same way. But was that exactly what was required in order for the truth to be exposed?
November 26, 2022
There was a lot I liked about this book - the characters, the setting, and the setting up of the story. Familiar with rural Australia in the 1960's thanks to stories from my dad, I enjoyed reading the childhood part, but was ready for the story to transition to '14 years later' when it did. While there were enough little nuggets dropped to keep me reading, unfortunately there was no wow factor for me in how it all played out. I kept waiting for the big reveal that never came.
March 26, 2021
I loved this book - the sparse writing style clicked with me, the portrayal of a rural Australian family certainly struck a chord. The relationships between JJ, Philly, Tessa and Tim kept me intrigued from start to finish, along with the mystery of the intertwined Mum, Dad and Peg. So many great Australian-isms peppered throughout - spot on references to simple things like jarmies, vegemite, and milo gave this book such an edge of realism. Hit the sweet spot time and again. Excellent.
June 28, 2021
To be honest I was not as impressed by this book as I expected to be. It had a great plot, but somehow it turned out to be quite slow. To the point where I had to drop it and pick it up again much later. Somehow The Serpent's Skin was not a good read for me.
April 28, 2025
I found this book easy and compelling to read. A story of the messed up things being Catholic caused some people to do. As an Australian the slang was easy enough to follow (or guess at) and thinned out after the start. Expected a bit more from the ending. It seems to drag out in a way that suggested a greater secret such as a long lost living sibling. So I was a bit let down as I'd guessed to gist of it well before the 'big reveal'. The premise itself is interesting, however something didn't quite sit right with how it all came together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2021
Great page turner! Very real characters and raw emotion.
January 19, 2023
I just couldn’t get into this book. It felt poorly written and just… boring. I noticed a few weird errors (“were” instead of “where”, etc) and although I assume the dialogue was supposed to reflect the times and places in which this book was set, it was just annoying and hard to follow.
I had to skip to the end to find out what happened and when I did I was glad I hadn’t bothered with the rest of the book.
I had to skip to the end to find out what happened and when I did I was glad I hadn’t bothered with the rest of the book.
March 9, 2021
I absolutely loved this engaging tale filled with fascinating family dynamics and a central mystery that kept me turning the pages to a satisfying end. The writing is lush and lyrical, and the characters are both complex and compelling, especially the main character, JJ. I also enjoyed the rural Australian setting- the dialect and description really drew me into the world. My favorite read of 2021!
April 29, 2021
There was a lot to like about this book. The central premise of what happened to JJ's mother and the inconsistencies of the facts were good, as was the country setting, the neighbours and the lifestyle. But gosh it took a long time to get anywhere, and the impact on the siblings was partially explored. I should have felt more at the end that what I did, hence was a bit disappointed in this book. It had a lot to say, but it didn’t resonate with me.
March 23, 2021
Thank you to Pantera Press and Net Galley for this ARC.
Some of my favourite stories are quiet ones about desperate people in isolated locations. So reading the synopsis for The Serpent's Skin it sounded very up my alley.
It's 1968: Where did JJ's mom go? It's a cold wintery night and no one knows where she is. The freezer is stocked with a week of dinners, but there is no note, and she hasn't called, so where did she go and why?
JJ is a volatile and precocious child, blaming herself for her mother leaving. They fought the day her mother disappeared, so it must be her fault. But as the days pass things just aren't making sense. Why didn't she say where she was going? Why hasn't she called to check in? Why is JJ's father acting so strangely and why is his story constantly changing?
This book unfortunately, is impossibly slow and repetitive. The reader ends up being miles ahead of JJ as she's unraveling the story of what happened the week before her mother died.
I was hoping it would pick up speed when it switched to their adult lives, but it didn't.
JJ is a character that is impossible to root for, as she makes every situation she's in harder than it ever has to be. It was absolutely infuriating.
Not for me.
Some of my favourite stories are quiet ones about desperate people in isolated locations. So reading the synopsis for The Serpent's Skin it sounded very up my alley.
It's 1968: Where did JJ's mom go? It's a cold wintery night and no one knows where she is. The freezer is stocked with a week of dinners, but there is no note, and she hasn't called, so where did she go and why?
JJ is a volatile and precocious child, blaming herself for her mother leaving. They fought the day her mother disappeared, so it must be her fault. But as the days pass things just aren't making sense. Why didn't she say where she was going? Why hasn't she called to check in? Why is JJ's father acting so strangely and why is his story constantly changing?
This book unfortunately, is impossibly slow and repetitive. The reader ends up being miles ahead of JJ as she's unraveling the story of what happened the week before her mother died.
I was hoping it would pick up speed when it switched to their adult lives, but it didn't.
JJ is a character that is impossible to root for, as she makes every situation she's in harder than it ever has to be. It was absolutely infuriating.
Not for me.
January 17, 2021
The set-up is intriguing: A young mother of four dies just days after mysteriously leaving her family, leaving the children to cope and, instigated by the narrator, uncover the circumstances of her death. The Australia setting also attracted me, and the evocation of subsistence farming kept my attention. But the pacing was so slow; it was all I could do not to skip ahead to the end, where everything comes out in the open in one explosive, implausible scene. At times the writing was overwrought, with clever turns of phrase that drew attention to themselves but didn't really clarify anything. If this had been tightened up in parts, with the relationships among the siblings explored in greater depth—especially during the 14-year gap between the two sections of the novel—I'd have given this four stars. As it is, I'm glad I read it, but I doubt I'll recall it months from now.
Thank you, NetGalley and Pantera Press, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you, NetGalley and Pantera Press, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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April 14, 2021Writing flawed characters with a fresh vvoice
Wow, what a voice!
This strikes me when I read the first few pages of Erina Reddan’s novel The Serpent’s Skin.
Reddan’s voice is distinctly Australian, using true vernacular, such as gunna and em (for ‘them’) and adopting a fresh take on simple words, like: ‘A bit of new came up in me…’ and soon after ‘The big of it scared me.’ The words ‘new’ and ‘big’ take on fresh roles here. Similarly, she ‘backhanded a pile of clothes and they flew through the air and landed in a tumble on the floor.’ There’s such energy in this description, and it’s just one example of the energetic tone throughout the story.
Occasionally, this new style jarred slightly for me when specific phrases were repeated, particularly with the words ‘of’ and/or ‘fill’ (the big of it, full of it, etc.). This is a minor point in an otherwise brilliant voice. Other readers may find the effect on cadence to their liking, because equally there are many exquisite variations of these phrases: ‘the empty all filled up red’ and ‘when he was filled up mean’.
Like Tim Winton’s laconic writing of dusty families in rural Australia, Reddan is not afraid to tell it how it is and use raw language to do so. This is entirely appropriate. In The Serpent’s Skin, each family member is grieving their missing mother and the protagonist, JJ, is suspicious about what happened to her, so raw is spot on. Like Winton’s ‘white-anting’, perhaps some of Reddan’s fresh takes on verbs (Tessa ‘panic-signing’, being ‘parceled’ out the door or ‘clattering’ frozen scones onto a tray’) could make it to the next edition of the Macquarie Dictionary?
To make a story that has every character scared, sad and suffering, while ensuring readers don’t shy away from these big issues is no mean feat. These are flawed people that we recognise. Their hearts are in the right place, but their hearts have been broken, and they’re fighting to stay connected, find meaning, make sense of life.
In storytelling, there’s a lot of talk about writing ‘likable’ characters, which limits the writers’ scope for creating real, imaginative or simply less-than-perfect ones. Reddan has written her characters with a clear vision of their flaws as well as their redeeming features, while ensuring that the latter doesn’t make them saccharine. I felt compassion for even the least likeable character, which helped me understand his ‘type’. The way each member of the cast interacts and affects the other feels real yet fresh.
Finally, the setting is immediate and compelling. At her Melbourne book launch, Reddan said she based the story’s farm and house on where she was raised. I feel this. The landscape—physical, social, emotional—are so solid, feeding and driving the action, as well as always present in the background. The living effort, the sticking together, the poverty, are visceral on this marginal farm, as pigs are fed, cows milked and Max the cantankerous stud bull is tolerated.
The unbending hand of religion—and its inherent patriarchy—underwrite the setting, voice, characterisation and, ultimately, the page-turning plot. In response, the narrative is driven by the unrelenting motivation of the protagonist to learn the truth, to not sit back and be good, but wrestle with all of the lies until she understands her ‘unwashed past’.
Wow, what a voice!
This strikes me when I read the first few pages of Erina Reddan’s novel The Serpent’s Skin.
Reddan’s voice is distinctly Australian, using true vernacular, such as gunna and em (for ‘them’) and adopting a fresh take on simple words, like: ‘A bit of new came up in me…’ and soon after ‘The big of it scared me.’ The words ‘new’ and ‘big’ take on fresh roles here. Similarly, she ‘backhanded a pile of clothes and they flew through the air and landed in a tumble on the floor.’ There’s such energy in this description, and it’s just one example of the energetic tone throughout the story.
Occasionally, this new style jarred slightly for me when specific phrases were repeated, particularly with the words ‘of’ and/or ‘fill’ (the big of it, full of it, etc.). This is a minor point in an otherwise brilliant voice. Other readers may find the effect on cadence to their liking, because equally there are many exquisite variations of these phrases: ‘the empty all filled up red’ and ‘when he was filled up mean’.
Like Tim Winton’s laconic writing of dusty families in rural Australia, Reddan is not afraid to tell it how it is and use raw language to do so. This is entirely appropriate. In The Serpent’s Skin, each family member is grieving their missing mother and the protagonist, JJ, is suspicious about what happened to her, so raw is spot on. Like Winton’s ‘white-anting’, perhaps some of Reddan’s fresh takes on verbs (Tessa ‘panic-signing’, being ‘parceled’ out the door or ‘clattering’ frozen scones onto a tray’) could make it to the next edition of the Macquarie Dictionary?
To make a story that has every character scared, sad and suffering, while ensuring readers don’t shy away from these big issues is no mean feat. These are flawed people that we recognise. Their hearts are in the right place, but their hearts have been broken, and they’re fighting to stay connected, find meaning, make sense of life.
In storytelling, there’s a lot of talk about writing ‘likable’ characters, which limits the writers’ scope for creating real, imaginative or simply less-than-perfect ones. Reddan has written her characters with a clear vision of their flaws as well as their redeeming features, while ensuring that the latter doesn’t make them saccharine. I felt compassion for even the least likeable character, which helped me understand his ‘type’. The way each member of the cast interacts and affects the other feels real yet fresh.
Finally, the setting is immediate and compelling. At her Melbourne book launch, Reddan said she based the story’s farm and house on where she was raised. I feel this. The landscape—physical, social, emotional—are so solid, feeding and driving the action, as well as always present in the background. The living effort, the sticking together, the poverty, are visceral on this marginal farm, as pigs are fed, cows milked and Max the cantankerous stud bull is tolerated.
The unbending hand of religion—and its inherent patriarchy—underwrite the setting, voice, characterisation and, ultimately, the page-turning plot. In response, the narrative is driven by the unrelenting motivation of the protagonist to learn the truth, to not sit back and be good, but wrestle with all of the lies until she understands her ‘unwashed past’.
April 13, 2021
Started and finished this one the other day. I couldn’t put it down to be honest.
The first half of the novel is set in 1968 in a small Australian town where we discover a mother has walked out on her four children, leaving them with their father, who doesn’t know or won’t say where mother has gone or why. Sarah, the mother, is the one who holds the family together and in her absence everyone starts to come undone, none more so than the narrator, JJ, who can’t leave it alone - where did Sarah go, why, when? Then something happens that forces her to bury it. Fourteen years later, JJ dredges up the past and picks up her trail of questions and no answers until she finally discovers the truth.
The writing is amazing. It’s poetic and evocative and charming and JJ is the most compelling narrator, both as a child and an adult. Erina Reddan writes convincingly - not once did I have to stop and think, hang on, this kid is meant to be ten. The spaces and the messes inside JJ’s head are beautifully unveiled as the novel follows this family and the secrets that surround them. It’s a haunting story - the poverty and the rigid Catholicism that runs through their lives is very real. As a farm kid, I could relate to a lot of the farming scenes and as a small town kid, a lot of the writings about men and women and the workings of small towns also struck a chord.
A great read and one I thoroughly recommend.
The first half of the novel is set in 1968 in a small Australian town where we discover a mother has walked out on her four children, leaving them with their father, who doesn’t know or won’t say where mother has gone or why. Sarah, the mother, is the one who holds the family together and in her absence everyone starts to come undone, none more so than the narrator, JJ, who can’t leave it alone - where did Sarah go, why, when? Then something happens that forces her to bury it. Fourteen years later, JJ dredges up the past and picks up her trail of questions and no answers until she finally discovers the truth.
The writing is amazing. It’s poetic and evocative and charming and JJ is the most compelling narrator, both as a child and an adult. Erina Reddan writes convincingly - not once did I have to stop and think, hang on, this kid is meant to be ten. The spaces and the messes inside JJ’s head are beautifully unveiled as the novel follows this family and the secrets that surround them. It’s a haunting story - the poverty and the rigid Catholicism that runs through their lives is very real. As a farm kid, I could relate to a lot of the farming scenes and as a small town kid, a lot of the writings about men and women and the workings of small towns also struck a chord.
A great read and one I thoroughly recommend.
October 8, 2023
"The Serpent's Skin" by Erina Reddan is a haunting and evocative literary crime novel that skillfully weaves together the past and present, exploring the lasting impact of family secrets and the ways love can both heal and harm.
Set in 1968, the story begins on a cold winter night with the mysterious absence of JJ's mother and her father's unexplained silence. Reddan's narrative unfolds through the eyes of ten-year-old JJ and her three siblings, as they navigate their father's lies and emotional turmoil. The atmosphere of the tight-knit community and the palpable tension within the family create a sense of unease that lingers throughout the book.
Fourteen years later, as JJ tries to move on with her life, the unsolved mystery of her childhood resurfaces, compelling her to confront her past. Reddan's exploration of male power dynamics and the weight of long-buried secrets is both gripping and thought-provoking.
Erina Reddan's writing is eloquent and emotionally resonant, capturing the complexities of family relationships and the enduring effects of trauma. "The Serpent's Skin" is a testament to the power of storytelling and the ways in which we grapple with our pasts to find closure and redemption. Erina Reddan emerges as a remarkable new voice in Australian fiction with this compelling and beautifully crafted novel.
Set in 1968, the story begins on a cold winter night with the mysterious absence of JJ's mother and her father's unexplained silence. Reddan's narrative unfolds through the eyes of ten-year-old JJ and her three siblings, as they navigate their father's lies and emotional turmoil. The atmosphere of the tight-knit community and the palpable tension within the family create a sense of unease that lingers throughout the book.
Fourteen years later, as JJ tries to move on with her life, the unsolved mystery of her childhood resurfaces, compelling her to confront her past. Reddan's exploration of male power dynamics and the weight of long-buried secrets is both gripping and thought-provoking.
Erina Reddan's writing is eloquent and emotionally resonant, capturing the complexities of family relationships and the enduring effects of trauma. "The Serpent's Skin" is a testament to the power of storytelling and the ways in which we grapple with our pasts to find closure and redemption. Erina Reddan emerges as a remarkable new voice in Australian fiction with this compelling and beautifully crafted novel.
March 1, 2021
I received an advanced reader copy of The Serpent’s Skin from Pantera Press via NetGalley, in return for my honest opinion.
The Serpent’s Skin by Erina Reddan is a story about long buried family secrets. In 1968, 10 year old JJ McBride’s mother leaves home without saying goodbye. As the days go by, JJ spots inconsistencies in her father’s answers to her questions about her mother’s disappearance, ultimately destroying their relationship.
Fourteen years later, JJ returns home for her Aunt Peg’s funeral and is confronted with the past that she thought she left behind. As JJ and her siblings clean out Peg’s home, JJ will have to decide how far she’ll push for answers about the past without further damaging her relationships with her siblings.
Overall this was a great story, but it took some time to get into. There’s a lot of Australian jargon that slowed the pace some, but everything was tied up in the end. The Serpent’s Skin is available Tuesday, March 2, 2021.
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For more of my reviews visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/Whatt... or http://whatthebook-reviews.tumblr.com/ or follow me on Instagram @whatthebook__.
The Serpent’s Skin by Erina Reddan is a story about long buried family secrets. In 1968, 10 year old JJ McBride’s mother leaves home without saying goodbye. As the days go by, JJ spots inconsistencies in her father’s answers to her questions about her mother’s disappearance, ultimately destroying their relationship.
Fourteen years later, JJ returns home for her Aunt Peg’s funeral and is confronted with the past that she thought she left behind. As JJ and her siblings clean out Peg’s home, JJ will have to decide how far she’ll push for answers about the past without further damaging her relationships with her siblings.
Overall this was a great story, but it took some time to get into. There’s a lot of Australian jargon that slowed the pace some, but everything was tied up in the end. The Serpent’s Skin is available Tuesday, March 2, 2021.
#erinareddan #theserpentsskin #netgalley #arcs #advancedreadercopy #fiction #fictionbooks #mystery #mysterybooks #readin2021 #panterapress #whatthebook #bookreviews #readersofinstagram #bookaholic
For more of my reviews visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/Whatt... or http://whatthebook-reviews.tumblr.com/ or follow me on Instagram @whatthebook__.
August 2, 2022
Erina Reddan's 2 page note to her readers left me in no doubt that this book- pulled off the shelf in a whim would be one that I pass through my circles.
Oh the Australian-ness of it. 'We grew up in a dirt patch of a farm that we kids loved'. The outside dunny, long dirt driveways and larrikin children. The magpies and the landscape... the reality of their childhood in the authors note viewed with a scathing eye by the siblings years later, as adults, no doubt with families of their own-'how could the old man let us live in that'.
Yes this is fiction but like all great fiction it feels real, draws on the real. The familiar language and the memories of the children that trigger your own memories growing up in country oz. The booming voice of their father that you can almost feel wash over you.
Peggy. Half mad. Then the beauty in the words that she puts it on bigger and better to antagonize their father. Women. The strength of women in this time, to soldier on and get it done. This is a work of art in a story that comes full circle with a very satisfying ending. The lies that are not left alone. Revisited and revisited until it all makes sense.
Oh the Australian-ness of it. 'We grew up in a dirt patch of a farm that we kids loved'. The outside dunny, long dirt driveways and larrikin children. The magpies and the landscape... the reality of their childhood in the authors note viewed with a scathing eye by the siblings years later, as adults, no doubt with families of their own-'how could the old man let us live in that'.
Yes this is fiction but like all great fiction it feels real, draws on the real. The familiar language and the memories of the children that trigger your own memories growing up in country oz. The booming voice of their father that you can almost feel wash over you.
Peggy. Half mad. Then the beauty in the words that she puts it on bigger and better to antagonize their father. Women. The strength of women in this time, to soldier on and get it done. This is a work of art in a story that comes full circle with a very satisfying ending. The lies that are not left alone. Revisited and revisited until it all makes sense.
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