Sister Snake - A Novel

A glittering, bold, darkly funny novel about two sisters--one in New York, one in Singapore--who are bound by an ancient secret Sisterhood is difficult for Su and Emerald. Su leads a sheltered, moneyed life as the picture-perfect wife of a conservative politician in Singapore. Emerald is a nihilistic sugar baby in New York, living from whim to whim and using her charms to make ends meet. But they share a secret: once, they were snakes, basking under a full moon in Tang dynasty China. A thousand years later, their mysterious history is the only thing still binding them together. When Emerald experiences a violent encounter in Central Park and Su boards the next flight to New York, the two reach a tenuous reconciliation for the first time in decades. Su convinces Emerald to move to Singapore so she can keep an eye on her--but she soon begins to worry that Emerald''s irrepressible behavior will out them both, in a sparkling, affluent city where everything runs like clockwork and any deviation from the norm is automatically suspect. Razor-sharp, hilarious, and raw in emotion, Sister Snake explores chosen family, queerness, passing, and the struggle against conformity. Reimagining the Chinese folktale "The Legend of the White Snake," this is a novel about being seen for who you are--and, ultimately, how to live free.

Product details

• Authors: Amanda Lee Koe
• Publisher: Ecco Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 23.09.2025
• EAN: 9780063355071
• ISBN: 978-0-06-335507-1
• No. of pages: 272
• Dimensions: 135 mm x 203 mm x 15 mm
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Sociological theories; Contemporary Fantasy, Humorous fiction, Historical fantasy, Feminism and feminist theory, FICTION: Literary, FICTION: Family Life / Siblings, FICTION: Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology, LITERATURE: GENERAL FICTION, FICTION: Humorous / General, FICTION: Feminist, FICTION: LGBTQ+ / General, LITERATURE: ASIAN & ASIAN-AMERICAN, FICTION: City Life, Fiction: Traditional stories, myths and fairy tales, FICTION: Asian American & Pacific Islander, Literature / General Fiction, Literature / Asian & Asian-American