Viper’s Tangle

The masterpiece of one of the twentieth century’s greatest Catholic writers, Vipers’ Tangle tells the story of Monsieur Louis, an embittered aging lawyer who has spread his misery to his entire estranged family. Louis writes a journal to explain to them—and to himself—why his soul has been deformed, why his heart seems like a foul nest of twisted serpents.

Mauriac’s novel masterfully explores the corruption caused by pride, avarice, and hatred, and its opposite—the divine grace that remains available to each of us until the very moment of our deaths. It is the unforgettable tale of the battle for one man’s soul.

“a modern masterpiece.”—St. Louis Star-Times

“It is a magnificent novel, beautifully and skilfully written.”—Integrity

“Mauriac is one of the few who can touch the supernatural and write superb fiction simultaneously...Perhaps no one reader will see all that is taught in this book. But that is the nature of great literature. We are satisfied in knowing that any serious reader of mature intelligence will find the story profound and yet exciting in a tense, still sort of way. Few novels bring one so close to the soul of man; fewer have such a profound grasp of basic supernatural values.”—Rev. Demetrius Manousos, O.F.M.Cap. The Cowl

“extraordinary Catholic novel”—Commonwealth

“Both as a novelist in the tradition of Dostoevsky and as a poet in that of Baudelaire, Mauriac deserves his present position as one of the world’s greatest writers.”—The New York Times

“One of the most human and Catholic of Mauriac’s works, Vipers’ Tangle could well be his greatest.”—Best Sellers