The Vines by Shelley Nolden is about the ethical dilemmas involved in curing diseases and fighting pandemics. The story has the perfect setting for that, namely North Brother Island, New York City.
Location: North Brother Island in New York City, USA
The Vines synopsis
In the shadows of New York City lies forbidden North Brother Island, where the remains of a shuttered hospital hide the haunting memories of century-old quarantines and human experiments. The ruins conceal the scarred and beautiful Cora, imprisoned by contagions and the doctors who torment her. When Finn, a young urban explorer, arrives on the island and glimpses an enigmatic beauty through the foliage, intrigue turns to obsession as he seeks to uncover her past—and his own family’s dark secrets. By unraveling these mysteries, will he be able to save Cora? Will Cora meet the same tragic ending as the thousands who’ve already perished on the island?
Book review
Finn’s family is looking for a cure while Cora is waiting on the island for the right virologists to figure out how to turn her blood into a miracle that can end a pandemic. Many interactions follow, leading to what can only be seen as a very haunted past for all those involved.
The Vines is both a work of historical fiction and a contemporary story discussing the value and rights of a single human being. Is one life – one person’s happiness – worth the deaths of many? Would you sacrifice yourself and give up your own life for the greater good?
The story takes place on North Brother Island, an island in New York City. You’ll learn a lot about the history of this island including the role it played in isolating asymptomatic carriers of diseases like Typhoid Mary. The setting adds to the graveness of the story. Yet even though it is a story about diseases, death, and suffering, The Vines is not a heavy read.
Shelley Nolden has a pleasant writing style and succeeds in alternating the past and the present in a very natural way. It is quite a feat to make all timelines equally interesting and have the reader curiously anticipating the time jump without feeling annoyed.
While Shelley Nolden writes acceptable contrasting characters – Cora’s hurt beyond repair and Finn’s hope and brightness, for example – the main characters of the story are not actually in the center of the attention. I was more focused on solving the problem the author presented to us, thinking about the ethical dilemmas that prevent people from finding cures. I didn’t care for any of the main characters, nor was I particularly interested in Finn and Lily’s relationship or Sylvia’s health. The more subtle struggles within the Gettler men of the past, Otto and Ulrich, were presented in a better way. These Mengele copycats felt more ‘human’ and real than the other characters.
I can’t wait for the sequel to this debut novel to find out if he will succeed! “Haha, nice ending,” is literally what I thought when I finished the book. Who is the ‘he’ I am talking about? You’ll know who I’m talking about when you read the book.
Interested?
Pre-order your copy of The Vines from Amazon (available 23 March 2021).
Many thanks to Freiling Publishing and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
