Excerpt from Blue Skies by T.C. Boyle, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

"So what's the difference, if I take one of these four here—they're all the same, right? I mean, is one healthier than another or different to your eye? Which one would you pick?" "Your choice. They're all from the same mother."

It took her a moment. "You mean the one in the window?"

"As I say, they get big. You keep it for its life span—and you're going to want to, I promise you, because it's a trip and you're really going to get attached to it—but say that's twenty years, or even twenty-five at the outer limit? This little guy here"—he tapped the near case with a forefinger—"could wind up nineteen, twenty feet long, though they average out at something like twelve or thirteen." He paused, gave her a steady look. For some reason, an image of that mojito she'd been looking for appeared dead center in her mind, frosted and festive. She could feel the sweat on her scalp. Her throat was dry. Her shorts clung to her as if she were dancing a slow dance with an invisible partner. "The balls are smaller," he said. "Which, truthfully, is why they're more popular right now. That and the really cool morphs people've been creating."

Todd was going to be surprised. Todd was going to smile and say, "Cool," but underneath it he was going to resist. Or maybe not, maybe he'd get into it with her, maybe she'd buy him one too and he'd wear it along with her when they went out, just to show off a little, and why not? Why not be different for a change? There was more to life than work and takeout for dinner and Netflix and sitting out on the deck watching the tide carry the beach away as if they were already a hundred years old. But she was getting ahead of herself. And really, Todd didn't need the attention—he got that at work. She tapped the case in front of her. "That's the price here, in Magic Marker? Three-fifty?" The snake seemed to glance up at her then, though its eyes were so opaque she really couldn't tell.

"Yeah. And these are a real bargain. Compared to the balls."

"You're willing to go down, right?"

"Make it an even three," he said.

Excerpted from Blue Skies by T.C. Boyle. Copyright © 2023 by T.C. Boyle. Excerpted by permission of Liveright/W.W. Norton. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.