First published 1965
Flem Snopes has clawed his way to the top of Jefferson, Mississippi, transforming from poor white trash into the town's most powerful man. But his ruthless climb has left a trail of enemies and broken lives. The violence begins with Jack Houston's murder, setting in motion events that will ultimately destroy the Snopes empire. As old grudges surface and family loyalties fracture, Flem discovers that the same cunning and cruelty that built his fortune now threaten to consume him. In Yoknapatawpha County, where memory runs deep and revenge runs deeper, every betrayal eventually comes home. The Snopes dynasty that seized control of Jefferson in a single generation faces its final reckoning in blood and bullets.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, crime, southern-gothic, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Jefferson, Mississippi, Yoknapatawpha County
Period: 20th Century
436 pages · Library Binding · Bt Bound
Content warnings: violence