THE VINES (2021)

The Vines by Shelley Nolden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The idea of a mystery set on abandoned North Brother Island in New York City's East River, immediately caught my imagination. At one time people were quarantined there for contagious diseases, but now nature has reclaimed the island and designated it as a bird sanctuary. It's the perfect setting for Shelley Nolden's elaborate debut, part historical, part medical, and part supernatural story about a family who discover a woman with extraordinary immunity living on the island and perform invasive experiments over decades to learn her secret.

FIRST LINE: "A thick keloid encircled the young woman's throat like a noose, ready to seize her last breath."

THE STORY: Finn has always been excluded from his family's involvement with Riverside Hospital on North Brother Island. Home from the Peace Corps, he decides to do a little urban exploration of the now abandoned hospital and discovers Cora, scarred and living alone amid the ruins. Their meeting is not a peaceful meeting and Finn begins to feel responsible for his family's past transgressions. Moving back and forth between 1902 and 2007 and years in between, the cruelty and horrors are slowly revealed.

WHAT I THOUGHT: Does the end justify the means? In "The Vines", every character lies and every character keeps secrets. The majority of characters are of questionable morality. Although the chapters were labelled to help the reader navigate, it took me a while to get comfortable with the Gettler genealogy. The author does a good job of describing the over-grown island and the tragic episode of the General Slocum, which burned off shore, brought that event alive.

Halfway through the story got bogged down. Sections focused on descriptions which didn't move the story forward. The ending didn't tie up loose ends no doubt because a sequel will be available soon.

In the meantime, Shelley Nolden's fantastic website has an extensive list of sources including photographs, websites, books, videos, and articles for those who are as fascinated as the author is with North Brother Island's history.

DISCLAIMER: A copy of "The Vines" was provided to me by Freiling Publishing/NetGalley for an honest review.

Publisher : Freiling Publishing (March 23, 2021)
Hardcover : 412 pages
ISBN-10 : 1950948404
ISBN-13 : 978-1950948406

THE AUTHOR: Shelley Nolden is an American author and entrepreneur, who was born in Wisconsin, where she now lives.  Her fascination with North Brother Island in New York, as well as her battle with Leukemia inspired her to write her debut novel, "The Vines".  

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