The Serpent King

                                                           

Upon first glance The Serpent King by Jeff Zenter seems a little bit boring. And, to be honest it starts off like that too! Nevertheless, the book rises up to a breath taking read and end up an eye-opening book breaching many different topics from mental health to small town world problems.

The overall plot broaches a few difficult to read topics like cultish brainwashing, child abuse and depression. Jeff Zenter brings three main characters:

·         Dill – the son of the pastor who has been incarcerated in prison

·         Lydia – a famous fashion blogger aiming to succeed in the world and go off to university

·         Travis- an obsessive book nerd who pretends he is in the fantasy rather face reality

As a teen myself, hoping to go off to University in September it was a book I really needed to read without realising it. The Serpent King is a far cry from my usual fantasy world storylines. And yet, a lot of the feelings expressed by the characters represented my own and so it was interesting to see them tackle typical teenage problems (as well as more conundrums related to the story).

So, before we get cracking, I’m warning you this is a book review filled with spoilers!!

Overall, this book was artfully written in such a way that all topics were not too overpowering. I think this book was a great read because it’s a short novel with 372 pages and has a definite beginning, climax and ending.

The beginning of course is slow to represent the small town of Forrestville, Tennessee, and this time is used to introduce the world building aspect of “Forrestville” representing a confederate general in the civil war. Dill’s father is also introduced almost immediately from the offset as well to get the clear idea of cult brainwashing implemented into the novel’s theme of a life without much opportunity.

“I’m glad to hear that. Work hard. Pay off our debts, so I can rebuild my ministry when my time here is done. Perhaps you can join me if you’ve grown mighty in faith by then.” Dill’s father.

The climax is brought about by the death of Travis, it was so out of the blue for me that I honestly cried my heart out! As an avid reader I’m used to writers being too attached to ever kill them off without some sort of prophecy or sacrifice, which made me enjoy the book even more just because it was that much more unexpected. The writer also uses the backstory of Travis’ abuse from his father and his fangirl moment to emphasise how not everything in life can be foreseen. Sometimes, people have a whole life ahead of them but die to young to fulfil their potential.

“Some fall crawling in the dirt of Forrestville, Tennessee, in the dark, impossibly young and alone, for no good reason at all.”

“Rest O Knight, proud in victory, proud in death. Let your name evermore be a light to those who loved you. Let white flowers grow upon this place that you rest. Yours was a life well lived, and now you dine in the halls of the Elders at their eternal feast.”

The ending becomes more happy lesson learnt kind of thing. We see Dill overcome his family’s struggles and even fight against depression and suicidal issues,

“Everything seemed muted and colorless. Every sound reached his ears as though through a thick wool blanket. He had no music in him.”

“Food had no flavour. All he could taste was the pervasive and consuming despair, like soot on his tongue.”

and all by his side is Lydia pulling him out of the darkness with love.

“Promise me that if you ever feel like surrendering, you’ll tell me.” Lydia

All in all, we also learn that not every happy ending means not everything can change for the better. Dill’s mom still remains devoted to her husband and completely believes in scripture and her husband’s innocence when evidence clearly suggests that Dill’s father is a fraud and a danger to society. We also see the neighbourhood change as Travis’ mom leaves her husband behind after she too suffered abuse, a sad fact was that her children were what kept her with him.

“Mrs Bohannon started down the front walk. In the porch light, Dill noticed that her car was filled haphazardly with bags, clothes, and belongings. And he understood.

‘Mrs. Bohannon?’

She turned, tears streaming down her face.

‘I’m not going to see you again, am I?’ he asked.”

In conclusion, The Serpent King is a must read! My reasoning being is that there are so many complex issues discussed in this book with such a careful touch and becomes an educating read. I recommend it to all you readers out there because it can really offer a new perspective on the world and refresh your reading palette if your bored of the genre you like the most!