Under the Belly of a Snake

Based on a true story, Under the Belly of a Snake paints a panoramic portrait of 20th Century American life as experienced by 4 members of the Garber-Vartanian family: Araxie Momigonian, a 14 year old picture postcard bride escaping the horrors of the Armenian Genocide into the arms of a 40 year old sociopath; Grant Garber, 38 year old husband and father of 4 sons, sentenced to 25 years at the Ohio State Pen for his role in a senseless, fatal robbery; Abraham Vartanian, imprisoned for shooting a renowned Cleveland alienist, the first of 2 armed attacks for which he would pay stiff legal and familial penalties; and Van Garber, the author and grandson of Araxie, Grant and Abraham.

Following the lives of these family members from 1917 to 1979, the novel uses historical research, creative invention, family lore and first-hand experience to move the narrative across a landscape that ranges from Asia Minor to Ellis Island, from the rubber factories of Akron, Ohio to the 30-foot high limestone walls of the Ohio State Penitentiary, from South Miami, Florida to the raisin fields of the San Joaquin Valley. The story weaves personal family tragedies and triumphs into the larger fabric of socio-economic, geo-political, and cultural events that helped shape the course of our country and its people during the last century.