Serpent Box: A Novel (P.S.)

By Vincent Louis Carrella

Book Overview

In the deep mountains of Appalachia, the Flints of Leatherwood, Tennessee, spread the word of the gospels by handling deadly serpents and drinking lye in front of large gatherings of the faithful. Believing his ten-year-old son Jacob--called Toad or Spud--to be a prophet, Charles, the patriarch, takes the boy down a long and arduous path as they travel the back roads of the postwar Deep South in search of God and plumb the depths of their unorthodox brand of faith. But sudden, shocking tragedy will shatter Charles's cherished dream of building a ministry and a permanent church--and set young Jacob on a dramatically different course.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061126268
• ISBN13: 9780061126260
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 496 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A vacation for your soul

Reading Vincent Carrella's book is like taking your soul on a mystical backwoods appalachian retreat. The "Holiness" people have a religious schema that includes drinking poison and handling deadly snakes. It is hard to imagine a life where religion permeates all aspects of life. Carrella paints a picture of rural life where magic can be found in everyday things and faith is part of everything. The characters are vivid and enlivened with a lyrical voice that leaves you thinking about them throughout the day. In the end I didn't know whether to feel sorry for them or envy their pure faith. The story and the writing are filled with grace, power, and beauty.

Gifted author

Bored by the mass-produced, witness protection, insert-sex-scene-here thrilllers, and just when I was losing faith that a unique novel existed that would keep me enthralled (and not read like an author's self-indulgent exercise to impress himelf and the "literati"), I read "Serpent Box". Interestingly enough, a "thriller" about faith. Author Carella's vocabulary,tone and descriptions are carefully sewn together, not unlike a richly detailed Appalachian quilt. The writing style and vivid descriptions of the landscape, so completely genuine to the era and the region, combined with the bizarre and riveting subject matter, absolutely engrossed me. I never would have believed that the lifestyle and tribulations of a family of snake handlers in Tennessee would keep me utterly fascinated but, in this instance, they certainly did. I hope Carella keeps writing, his "Serpent Box" hero Jacob Flint isn't the only one with a gift.

A Redemptive Novel

Vincent Carrella's first novel is lucid. Anyone who cares about the nature of faith, the redemptive powers of love, and the mysterious call toward God that some experience will find this book compelling. It is not a novel "about" religion. It is a mystical (and nearly mythical) tale of family, love, tolerance, beauty--with characters who feel genuinely called to God. Indeed, not only do the characters think they are called to God, they ARE called--the main character especially. Jacob Flint is described as a true "holiness" child--and Carrella brings this ten year old boy to vivid life. With wonderful descriptions of the natural world mingling with a sharp ear for dialogue, the book is at once a part of our world and also somehow not of this world--full of people who rise up out of love to handle snakes and drink poison to prove the power of the divine. In my opinion, many contemporary novels start off with a "bang" and then slowly sputter toward the end--perhaps because of the market pressures of the bottom line publishing world--but Carrella's book avoids this trap. Indeed, one of the things that struck me most about this book is its structure. The author obviously cared as much about the rising action and tension as he did character, detail, and the vividness of his "dream." The last hundred and fifty pages are tense, heartbreaking, and redemptive. I laid awake for a long time after I finished reading, the last few sentences ringing in my head. I highly recommend the book.

Amazing!

Serpent Box: A Novel (P.S.) This is an artfully written tale with glimpses of Brothers Grimm and Wm Faulkner and Stephen King hidden amidst the carefully crafted words. Several times, I found myself lost in the Applachian Mountains, peering through the midst...or trembling in a cave deep in those mountains. At other times, I found myself caught up in the chaotic excitement of a revival. This is a travelogue through a seldom traveled part of American, of an historic period seldom visited and an encounter with fascinating characters whom I will long remember. Those who helped the author to find his voice have done an admirable job!