Tina’s review of Snake Road by Sue Peebles

I requested a copy of Snake Road by Sue Peebles to review not knowing that the book was from a UK author. I believe that I have only read books written by American authors, so this was a new experience for me.

Snake Road takes place in Scotland, and is the story of three generations of women in the Copella family. The main character, Aggie, has suffered a recent miscarriage that she is having trouble coming to terms with. The miscarriage has also caused quite a strain on her marriage as both her and her husband are each overwhelmed with their own grief. Instead of making them closer, it is pushing them further apart. Aggie decides to leave and go stay with her parents for awhile. Her Grandmother, Peggy, lives with her parents, and is fighting her own battle as well…..with Dementia. With memories that only come in bits and pieces, her past is a mystery to her granddaughter, who feels compelled to discover the secrets that are becoming more and more obscure to Peggy due to her dementia.

This is an emotional story that deals with very heavy topics – miscarriage and dementia. The author handles this topics with a gentleness that the reader can appreciate. Such topics make for difficult reading, and I felt like Sue Peebles did an excellent job of portraying how they come to affect the family. Snake Road is not only a tale of loss, but also of hope. It is the story of a girl’s quest to uncover the secret past of her grandmother, while working through her own grief.

While I can’t say this was an enjoyable story due to the subject matter, I do feel it was well-written and offered a poignant presentation of the subject matter.

I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

3 out of 5

This book is available from Chatto & Windus.  You can buy it here in e-format.