The Serpent King

 1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Zentner, Jeff. 2016. The Serpent King. (N. Crouch, M., Meyers, A., & Sawyer, E.) [Audiobook]. Books on Tape. ISBN: 9780147521330

2.      PLOT SUMMARY

Three misfit friends in the small town of Forrestville Tennessee, navigate their senior year together. Dill is the son of a snake-handling, poison-drinking preacher that winds up in jail for the possession of child porn. This leaves the family with a lot of debt and few funds to live off of. On top of that, his mother, and other people in town blame him for his dad’s conviction. Lydia on the other hand, has been raised by two loving and successful parents that have set her up to have a successful fashion blog and the opportunity to get into a top university. The third friend, Travis, lived with the grief of losing a brother and the difficulties of having a father that drank and became violent on a regular basis. He, in turn, frequently escaped his reality with fantasy novels. In their last year of high school these friends grow together and find the courage to live outside of what is expected of them. Told from alternating perspectives, we get an inside look into the lives of three very different teens that battle the troubles of life.

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

 The characters each get an opportunity to share their emotions and the events of their lives intimately. That’s a great aspect of the shifting perspective through the chapters. The characters develop and grow. They go through many different struggles and come out different. It’s easy to relate to their struggles and root for their success. They have weaknesses. Dill is jealous and Lydia calls him out for it. Lydia wants to feel better about her success and opportunities and doesn’t always consider the difficulties of the situation that her friends are in, and Travis frequently laments his lack of courage. The love they share and the joy they bring to each other and the readers guides the characters to their final paths. The climax is clearly the death of Travis because it marks a new way of thinking and a completely new path for Dill that he hadn’t even thought possible. The events flow logically and most are believable in the context of the story. The role each person plays in the context of their friends, family, and romantic relationships is explored extensively.

The language that Zentner uses is conversational in many parts, but the third-person narrative lends itself nicely to the added symbolism and allusions dispersed throughout. The descriptions of nature and the small-town setting are remarkable. It helps to paint a picture that make it easy to get lost in the story. It’s often humorous and serious when it should be.

4.      REVIEW EXCERPTS

Starred review in Kirkus Reviews: “Characters, incidents, dialogue, the poverty of the rural South, enduring friendship, a desperate clinging to strange faiths, fear of the unknown, and an awareness of the courage it takes to survive, let alone thrive, are among this fine novel's strengths. Zentner writes with understanding and grace--a new voice to savor.”

Reviewed in Booklist: “Refreshingly, this novel isn’t driven by romance—though it rears its head—but by the importance of pursuing individual passions and forging one’s own path. A promising new voice in YA.”

Reviewed in Horn Book Magazine: “However, Zentner rarely takes the easy way out thematically, instead vigorously wrestling with issues of Christian faith, family history, poverty, and mental health. In the end, readers will, like Dill, be left pondering where salvation lies: with God, with oneself, or with one another.”

Reviewed in School Library Journal: “Zentner offers a contemporary young adult novel that explores many issues common with teenagers today-bullying, life after high school, and the coming together and breaking apart of high school friendships. Thorough characterization and artful prose allow readers to intimately experience the highs and lows of these three friends.”

Starred review in Publishers Weekly: “Zentner explores difficult themes head on-including the desire to escape the sins of the father and the fragility of happiness-while tempering them with the saving grace of enduring friendship.”

 

5.      CONNECTIONS

*Invite students to write a letter to either one of the main characters asking them a question they still have or telling them their favorite part.

*This book can be used to initiate discussions about what students hope to do after they graduate high school and help them create a plan to accomplish their goals.

*Other books written by Jeff Zentner:

Zentner, Jeff. In the wild light. ISBN: 9781524720278

Zentner, Jeff. Goodbye days: a novel. ISBN: 9780553524093

Zentner, Jeff. Rayne & Delilah's midnite matinee. ISBN: 9781524720230