A bestselling Norwegian debut already sold in thirteen territories,
Reptile Memoirs is a brilliantly twisty and unusual literary thriller
for fans of Gillian Flynn, Jo Nesbø, Kate Atkinson, and Tana French,
asking the question: Can you ever really shed your skin?
Liv has a lot of secrets. For her, home is the picturesque town of
Ålesund, perched on a fjord in western Norway. One night, in the
early-morning embers of a great party in the basement apartment she
shares with two friends, Liv is watching TV, high on weed, and sees a
python on an Australian nature show. She becomes obsessed with the idea
of buying a snake as a pet. Soon Nero, the baby Burmese python, becomes
the apartment's fourth roommate. As Liv bonds with Nero, she feels
extremely protective, like a caring mother, and 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, who
angers her mother by asking for a magazine one too many times. Mariam
storms off, leaving Iben in the shop and, expecting her young daughter
to find her own way home, heads off on a long calming drive. When she
returns home in the evening, her husband is relieved to see her but
terrified that Iben isn't also there. Detective Roe Olsvik is assigned
to the case of Iben's disappearance; he has just turned sixty and is new
to the Kristiansund police department. 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, and the struggle to mend broken lives
and families.
