My life is about to begin. This is the only thought in Irene's head on the day she marries a handsome Second World War veteran. But Irene is restless and rebellious, dangerously bored by her life as a farmer's wife. As they raise children and crops, watch the sky for rain and dream of other lives, the tension between them builds and builds. Meanwhile, Girlie, their watchful, thoughtful, fish-out-of-water daughter, is hatching escape plans of her own. Kate Jennings's black humour and pared-back prose, at once understated and rich in startling imagery, resonate long after the final unnerving chapter. Set within a parched, uniquely Australian landscape, Snake is a modern classic.