In a battle between the powerful city of Los Angeles and a small community nestled near a beautiful lake in the Sierra Nevada, it seems that the big city wins. LA needs the life-sustaining water filling Lake Clarity to fill the needs of its burgeoning population. But Clarity is mother to much life and beauty of her own, all of which is threatened if the court sides with the well-funded big city lawyers. Ted Gables grew up among those that depend on Clarity, high in the rugged mountains. However, his rocky relationship with his father pushed him as far away from California as possible. These days Gables is a powerful New York city attorney with a sophisticated girlfriend and a promising career. When his mother calls him home, Ted finds that so much more than just his connection to his ailing father is at risk.
An ode to the natural world, Serpent at the Well is the convergence of past and present, wild and domesticated. The basic plot is nothing new, a young man running from his past and living an entirely new life, trying to shut out difficult memories by throwing himself into his work. Where Dick Franklin’s work shines, though, is the achingly gorgeous and mercilessly brutal landscape that flows through the pages, and the relationship nature has with the life it nurtures. While the dialogue feels too polished to be authentic, with lengthy exposition rather than realistic conversation, the story is certainly heartfelt. There are plenty of exciting courtroom scenes, but the action truly climaxes in the blowing snows on the Tioga Pass. Legal thriller collides with a beautiful reminder about the volatility and balance of nature in the captivating Serpent at the Well.
