The Snakes: A Novel - Hardcover

“A creepy, scary novel about the corrosive effects of money and power and parenthood... Jones...has an Ian McEwan-esque ability to provoke tension and anxiety... I would walk a long distance to procure one of Jones’s daring, interesting, beautifully written, atmospheric books.” (New York Times Book Review)

“Deliciously wicked...The novel’s contemporary setting exhibits the markings of Gothic terror, with wry allusions to Frankenstein, Edgar Allan Poe and even Stephen King. But Jones coils all these old elements around new anxieties involving race and class...She’s pursuing a wholly original story about the repercussions of trauma...The criminal story that emerges grows more shocking because of the rare quality of brutality in Jones’s prose...She excels at drawing us into tender sympathy with her characters even as she coolly subjects them to the most monstrous treatment. The result is hypnotic—like staring into the serpent’s eyes just before it strikes.” (Ron Charles, Washington Post)

“A provocative and astute writer...The Snakes asks serious questions about human nature, avarice and justice, wrapped in the fast-paced rhythms of a thriller. It is written with Jones’s trademark economy and a fierce attention to the nuances of familial cruelty...I finished The Snakes with a juddering heart, strangely close to tears.” (Guardian)

“Jones’ portrayal of a dysfunctional family is as powerful as her depiction of  provincial France in all its ‘tasteful narrowness’ and her merciless examination of greed, class and corruption...The book’s desperate last act may constitute a jolting change of gear and direction, but that matters little because the events that unfold are so electrifying.” (Malcom Forbes, Book Street USA)

“Ever since her debut, The Outcast, Jones has peopled her propulsive plots with nuanced, dimensional creations, imbued with human failings and graces. The Snakes is no exception...Jones crafts a pitiless shock ending; a denouement that refuses closure and resonates long after the book is set aside, because of its appalling implications...  [The ending is] bound to become a talking point.” (Financial Times)

“Sadie Jones has composed a fast-paced story, a reflection on the dysfunctional family of origin that questions principles/values and the sins that are committed in the wake of their disregard. Like the sound of the snakes moving across the hotel attic floor, ‘The Snakes’ will haunt you long after you’ve finished this book.” (Missourian)

“Corrosive secrets are slowly revealed as the story comes to a heart-pounding conclusion...Don’t be misled by the title. Although a few creepy reptiles make an appearance, the real snakes in this twisty story are human ones. Another memorable novel from the versatile Jones.” (Library Journal, Starred Review)

“Jones’s propulsive yet thoughtful fifth novel grips readers from the first page...a tightly crafted, deeply moving, and thrilling story about how money corrupts and all the myriad ways members of a family can ruin each other.” (Publishers Weekly)

“All families are dysfunctional in some way, but some, like Bea’s family, ratchet dysfunction to dizzying heights... An understated, yet page-turning story.” (Booklist)

“Snakes as temptation, snakes as untrustworthy people, snakes as dangerous reptiles—all present and accounted for in this suspenseful drama of an ultrarich, dysfunctional British family... A well-executed, character-driven cross between domestic drama and crime thriller.” (Kirkus Reviews)