SNAKE BITE

The funny and shocking coming-of-age story of a wild teenager growing up in Canberra, Australia’s conservative and sleepy capital.

Jez is seventeen and lives with her alcoholic single mum in a government rental in Canberra's outer-suburbs, with little money or future prospects. As well as suffering from terminal boredom, Jez has got epic First World Problems: where is her next pill coming from, what will her first tattoo be, and how will she ever lose her virginity? Recently Jez has been having weird feelings about her best friend, emo kid Lukey – is she just bored or does she really want him? And if she makes a move on him (how to make a move on him?), will that endanger their friendship? So when effervescent hipster Melbournite Laura moves to town and starts hooking up with Lukey, what is Jez to do but seek guidance from sexually experienced next-door-neighbour stripper, Casey? At the same time, Jez's mum starts going out with a local bartender, placing a strain on their already fragile relationship. Over the course of one blazing summer, Jez runs a gauntlet of new experiences and discovers the real meaning of home. Filled with humour, brilliant observations and raw revelations, Snake Bite is a contemporary coming-of-age story set in a Canberra you never dreamed existed. It will sink its fangs into, inject you with its intoxicating venom, and never let you go. Christie Thompson lives in Canberra where she teaches Creative Writing at the Canberra Institute of Technology. She has a Bachelor of Arts (English major) and is in her third year of a PhD at the Australian National University.