Vipers' Tangle Author:Francois Mauriac The 1932 novel is of an old man who reflects on a life without love, without letting one's guard down even to one's family. His life's work seems to have been evading love. He has plotted to disinherit his wife and children from his considerable fortune. He explains the events and thoughts that led him to such a narrow, spiteful life in a series... more » of letters to his wife, which are never shared with her. Mauriac creates Louis as a miserable old miser devoured by bitterness. In a quest to untangle the roots of his wretchedness, Louis begins writing his life story. As he tries to explain and to justify himself, his introspection leads him to see beyond his bitterness to a more profound, deeper understanding. Make no mistakes, there is no happy ending here. Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1952, Mauriac develops a character from the inside out, so to speak.« less