The Shape of Snakes

Walters goes her own way when it comes to constructing psychological thrillers. This one is presented as a woman trying to right a wrong from 20 years ago and all of the frustrations with trying to find the witnesses, evidence and lies. It’s a difficult book to read because it concerns all that is most wicked about the human species. Racism is at its heart, but there’s misogyny, cruelty (to humans and animals), torture, alienation and betrayal. Our narrator, only known as M, tried to get justice for her neighbor Annie when she was killed in the 1980s, but everyone turned on her, even those who should have protected and championed her most. If it was her husband Sam who was determined to get Annie’s death called a murder, he would show more have been listened to as would any man. Because it was a woman though; she must be crazy, hysterical and delusional. Of course. M doesn’t wallow in it anymore and instead pursues the crime with obsession that can only fuel revenge. The thing is, I don’t know if her revenge was worth it or if she just ended up hurting herself more. show less

When the young Mrs. Ranelagh finds an older black woman dying in the street in 1978, the event sears itself into her soul. The death is deemed an accident but there are aspects of it that don't fit. Mrs. Ranelagh almost loses her marriage because of her quest for the truth. Instead, she goes abroad with her husband for the next twenty years.

Her bond with her husband healed, she returns to take up the case again, pursuing leads the police did not.

The story is told in fits and breaks, with the current time (late 90s) alternating with 1978, and with the discoveries and suspicions found and repeated. It seemed to me that many questions were asked again and again, sometimes with different answers. It's jerky and unsettling. Toward the end I show more was in a hurry for it to wrap up, honestly.

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Read a second time in March 2023:

I read this before, another edition, but I went ahead and read it again.

In 1978 in West London a black woman dies in the gutter. She was the only black person on the block and had been subjected to ill treatment by her neighbors for years. Her Tourette's Syndrome was misunderstood and led to her being considered crazy.

M. Ranelagh finds her body. She knows how the woman had been treated and she believes, from what she saw, that Annie was murdered. She presses for an investigation but is rebuffed by the local constabulary and later the coroner, who insist she fell into the road and was hit by a passing lorry.

Mrs. Ranelagh becomes strident and demanding, and her husband, Sam, is convinced by others that she needs psychiatric care. Not long after an evaluation is done the couple move. They travel to different countries for twenty years. And then, when they return to England, we find that Mrs. Ranelagh has not forgotten Annie. She continues correspondence with involved persons and institutions and even gets some of her family to help her. Her doggedness makes a lot of people mad, while some start to see her point.

Mrs. Ranelagh unearths many hidden secrets and she is not quiet about any of them. She is unapologetic. She says what she thinks, not caring how her words might affect others. And she won't let it go. It was a pleasure getting to know her! show less

A knockout psychological thriller. In November 1978 a spinster black woman with Tourette's syndrome, Mad Annie, was murdered in the shabby West London terrace where she lived and where she was habitually persecuted by the neighbourhood kids and adults alike. Only Margaret Ranelagh, the young local wife who discovered her, seemed interested in doing anything more about the crime than sweeping it under the carpet as swiftly as possible . . . and for her persistence she has paid with social, mental and marital upheavals, having had to spend the past couple of decades abroad. But now she's back, and she wants to extract justice for Mad Annie by, despite the fierce hostility of others involved, raking over the near-dead coals of the case show more and bringing uncomfortable truths to light. The title refers to that fact that, deliciously, all through the telling of this longish and complex tale, the shape of this history's plot (i.e., what we think was the real story behind Mad Annie's death) is, like that of a snake, constantly changing as we discover more and more about the characters involved, being put in the position of frequently having to reevaluate them as we uncover further details of their nature and past behaviour. This is a beautifully told story, with strong characterization, impeccable pacing, and a powerful narrative drive. show less

Awesome, but hard to read. Ms. Walters covers all the bases of families in trouble and disfunctional families. We have murder, rape, assault, family violence, robbery and racial hatred. That by no means covers all the things that are uncovered with the death of a mentally handicapped negro woman in 1978 in London. The woman who found Annie Butts is the one whose point of view this book is written from and it shows the terrible price that she paid for pursuing the truth about Annie's story. The woman we know as Mrs. Ranleigh sacrifices everything in her life because of her ardent desire to see justice done for Annie. She spends 20 years, both in and out of the country trying to untangle what happened. It appeared that the police were no show more longer interested, and weren't even that interested when Annie was found dead. Mrs. Ranleigh suspects police corruption and racism were at play with this death. This book is powerfully and honestly written by an author who is at the top of her game. I have learned to expect the unexpected with Ms. Walters and this book was no different. I absolutely loved this book and it's my favourite so far of all of hers that I've read. show less

I read this book until 2.30 am one night because I wanted to find out who did it. Like with other Minette WAlters books I was way off until very late and I just couldn't put it down. Unlike other books by the author this one affected me personally, though. I enjoyed everything I've read by her so far as mystery fiction that entertains - a little unusual, scary, creepy and a fairly graphical sometimes.

This book however affected me in a way none of the others did. I don't know if this is because it's written in first person. Or maybe because I can't bear the feeling of helplessness that sometimes overcomes me when confronted with injustice, racism, or sexism. Maybe it's a combination of those.

Not half as good as the corker I finished recently! Characters are unpleasant, but it was interesting to follow how a woman, still obsessed after 20 years, with the death of a black woman with Tourette's goes about finding the murderer, through sheer doggedness and persistence. Letters, police reports, medical findings add to the authenticity. Ghastly animal cruelty turned my stomach. I may try others by this author since her novel [The Sculptress] was so good. I hope this was just a fluke and her other novels are more enjoyable.

I listened to the abridged version of The Shape of Snakes and was impressed by the how Minette Walters brought the people in that section of town to life. I was amazed at how well she was able to capture the raw nerve emotion of coming back to the death by misadventure decades later. So many people were involved yet none knew of the others. It was such a good book about a sad story.