The Serpent's Skin

(Paperback)

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Its a cold and wintery night in 1968 and ten-year-old JJs mother isnt home. The cows are milked, the pigs fed, and her dad wont answer any questions. The four children survive as best they can in a cloud of their fathers lies and clear misery, dealing with their mothers absence in their own ways. But its always been JJs 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 fathers 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 Serpents Skin is a gripping, literary crime novel about male power and the secrets that can haunt a family. Most of all, its about the many ways we prove our love. This novel ushers in Erina Reddan as a brilliant new voice in Australian fiction. The Serpents Skinis a deeply satisfying book of quiet power and dignity. I loved the sparse poetry of the writing, and the punchiness and strength of this novels voice. CHRISTOS TSIOLKAS, Damascus With The Serpents Skin, Erina Reddan has lovingly crafted a fast-paced and timely novel tracing the consequences of a family suffocated by mystery, unquestioned power and grief. Erina pays tribute to women who refuse to bow to the secrets of the past by gifting us JJ, a tenacious spirit who not only seeks the truth no matter the cost, but uncompromisingly searches for the depth and bravery of her mothers love, of women and their truth, over any ties to patriarchal expectation. This is powerful storytelling. SARAH SCHMIDT, See What I Have Done The Serpents Skinis a powerful, gripping read, with a cast of complex, satisfyingly original characters. Erina Reddan has written a rich, memorable Australian novel. GRAEME SIMSION, The Rosie Project A powerful and insightful novel that illuminates how secrets stay buried within families, and the bombs, sheer strength and bravery required to stand up to male power. SARAH MACDONALD, Holy Cow

Author Bio

Erina Reddan is a writer, a strategist, a public speaker and author. She has been awarded the prestigious Walkley Award for her work as an ABC foreign correspondent, and won the Screen Producers Association of Australias pitching award (Holding Redlich) for the documentary concept, Ghosts in the Machine. Erina has a Masters Degree in Professional Writing (University of Technology Sydney) and is currently undertaking a PhD in Creative Writing (La Trobe University). Erina is Executive Director of a media messaging business and has lectured in international politics at The University Of Melbourne, tutored in creative writing at La Trobe University and taught at Writers Victoria. Erinas latest novel The Serpents Skin will be published in June, 2020.