Reptile Memoirs: A twisted, cold-blooded thriller
Mar 2022 · Atlantic Books
4.8star
4 reviewsreport
Ebook
400
Pages
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About this ebook
Dark, disturbing and deliciously twisty, Reptile Memoirs is a biting and brilliant exploration of the cold-bloodedness of humanity - perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, Jo Nesbø and Tana French.
What readers are saying about Reptile Memoirs
'Truly unusual and terrifying'
'Dark, heart-wrenching and creepy'
'Graphic'
'Dark, challenging and unforgettable'
'Chilling'
'Not for the faint hearted'
'Unique, dark and disturbing, gripping and very, very clever'
Liv has a lot of secrets. Late one night, in the aftermath of a party in the apartment she shares with two friends in Ålesund, she sees a python on a TV nature show and becomes obsessed with the idea of buying a snake as a pet. Soon Nero, a baby Burmese python, becomes the apartment's fourth roommate. As Liv bonds with Nero, she is struck by a desire that surprises her with its intensity. Finally she is safe.
Thirteen years later, in the nearby town of Kristiansund, Mariam Lind goes on a shopping trip with her eleven-year-old daughter, Iben. Following an argument Mariam storms off, expecting her young daughter to make her own way home . . . but she never does. Detective Roe Olsvik, new to the Kristiansund police department, is assigned to the case of Iben's disappearance. As he interrogates Mariam, he instantly suspects her - but there is much more to this case and these characters than their outer appearances would suggest.
A biting and constantly shifting tale of family secrets, rebirth and the legacy of trauma, Reptile Memoirs is a brilliant exploration of the cold-bloodedness of humanity.
What readers are saying about Reptile Memoirs
'Truly unusual and terrifying'
'Dark, heart-wrenching and creepy'
'Graphic'
'Dark, challenging and unforgettable'
'Chilling'
'Not for the faint hearted'
'Unique, dark and disturbing, gripping and very, very clever'
Liv has a lot of secrets. Late one night, in the aftermath of a party in the apartment she shares with two friends in Ålesund, she sees a python on a TV nature show and becomes obsessed with the idea of buying a snake as a pet. Soon Nero, a baby Burmese python, becomes the apartment's fourth roommate. As Liv bonds with Nero, she is struck by a desire that surprises her with its intensity. Finally she is safe.
Thirteen years later, in the nearby town of Kristiansund, Mariam Lind goes on a shopping trip with her eleven-year-old daughter, Iben. Following an argument Mariam storms off, expecting her young daughter to make her own way home . . . but she never does. Detective Roe Olsvik, new to the Kristiansund police department, is assigned to the case of Iben's disappearance. As he interrogates Mariam, he instantly suspects her - but there is much more to this case and these characters than their outer appearances would suggest.
A biting and constantly shifting tale of family secrets, rebirth and the legacy of trauma, Reptile Memoirs is a brilliant exploration of the cold-bloodedness of humanity.
Ratings and reviews
4.8
4 reviews
Claudete Takahashi
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March 20, 2022
Reptile Memoirs is not easy reading, it has multiple timelines and narrators and the story jumps back and forth, but as you keep on reading it, you can see quite a few social themes in the background: dissociated family lives, inconsequential relationships laced with drugs, too many hidden truth in order to make the reality a little more palatable, bad parenting, strange addictions. The snake is the connecting point for all the characters and acts more like a conscience for them all. It also shows the natural need for animals (man included) to hunt and get fed, and have some kind of normalcy in life. It's a strange, dark story, but well put together with great descriptions of sensations, feelings, and places. Reptile Memoirs falls out of the commonplace and should be a must-read for those who enjoy darker mysteries.
About the author
Silje Ulstein has a masters degree in Literature from the University of Oslo and studied creative writing at the Bergen Writing Academy. Her debut novel Reptile Memoirs was a bestseller in Norway. She lives in Oslo.
Alison McCullough is a Norwegian to English translator and writer. She was awarded a National Centre for Writing Emerging Translator Mentorship in 2017. She lives in Stavanger, Norway.
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