Conville & Walsh

Ruth Padel‘s first novel, released on 4th February, is already gathering acclaim from national newspapers. WHERE THE SERPENT LIVES is a story of two families whose shared histories are all that is holding them together. But when terrorists try to bomb London, they are forced to look at each other, and themselves, as they really are…

As the Daily Mail explains, ‘At the novel’s centre is Rosamund, trapped in a “Gorgon spell” of inaction, unable to confront her husband, reach her son, or help herself. The novel spans a single, life-altering year, splicing Rosamund’s story with those of her friend Irena, Irena’s husband Richard, a snake expert in India, and Anka, a Croatian singer.’ Rosamund’s husband, the indomitable Tyler, is ‘a frightful and fascinating creation.’ (Times)

One of the most interesting aspects of the novel is its focus on nature, both in the jungle, where it envelopes you, and in modern London, where it is largely ignored. It is ‘a novel you will not lightly forget… Only Emily Brontë, to whom nature was “an inexplicable problem, existing on a principle of destruction,” has embraced Padel’s radical and sympathetic inclusiveness of creaturely life.’ (Guardian)

‘Padel’s poet’s eye lights on the way a fox’s coat “shines like conkers, fresh-split;” her sense of rhythm has her switching effortlessly between locations and perspectives… An intensely readeable parable of love and fear.’ (Daily Mail)

You can buy WHERE THE SERPENT LIVES from Amazon, Waterstones, Foyles and other good bookstores.