As in his other novels, Crews creates a severely limited world, then combines sharply detailed description, a freely shifting point of view, multiple narrative lines, and flexible chronology to explore its full breadth and depth.

Major narrative lines following the three Boss Snakes repeatedly diverge and converge, gathering minor characters and events, as they move toward the final excitement and resolution of the snake round-up. Within this scope, Crews shapes and unifies his material through parallels among characters and events, consistent themes and symbols, interwoven narrative lines, and a climactic final scene massing all significant characters and drawing together all major symbols and themes. The close parallels among the three main characters and the power and pervasiveness of the snake image combine with careful narrative control and a sharply limited world to create an especially tight unity in this novel.

Tonally, the excesses and distortions of the world...