The Vines

Written by Shelley Nolden

Narrated by Jess Nahikian

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 this enigmatic woman 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? The Vines intertwines North Brother Island's horrific and elusive history with a captivating tale of love, betrayal, survival, and loss.

Praise for The Vines:

"The Vines weaves beautiful writing around an unsettling mystery: Who is the strange, scarred woman living on a seemingly uninhabitable island? Shelley Nolden's debut seems not just prescient - given the world's current focus on virology and immunizations - but also timeless, as it illustrates in painful detail how mankind seems destined to repeat our cruelest mistakes. Luckily for us readers, there's a bright thread of hope running through this book - as well as the promise of a sequel."  

—Sarah Pekkanen, #1 NYT bestselling co-author of You Are Not Alone

 “Drawing on both the dark history of North Brother Island and today’s painfully immediate worries about immunity and transmission of deadly disease, this debut transcends genre to combine history, thrills, obsession, medical ethics, and more into the compelling story of three generations of doctors and one remarkable woman.”

— Greer Macallister, bestselling author of The Magician’s Lie and The Arctic Fury 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Freiling Publishing
• Release date: Mar 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664958098

Reviews for The Vines

[Jennifer Adams · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There are reviews stating the book was hard to get into or slow in parts.

At first, I felt some of the above. Thank goodness my interest was more than piqued. The fluctuations in time frames felt confusing, not quite defined. Ah, then I got it!

Had I not had the patience to restart the book from the beginning, I would have missed a true jewel.

Shocking, gut wrenching, heart rendering, The Vines intertwined in the crevices of my mind.

I did not want to allow the characters in The Vines to drift and fade away, these people I came to know. Cora and Sylvia’s strength made my heart ache. I both despised and was fascinated by the unrelenting, unconscionable medical procedures inflicted on Cora, by generations of Gettler men.

[Joyce Harout · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I just spent 13.5 hours listening to this book only to find out that there is a sequel THAT IS NOT OUT YET!!!!!!!! Ugggggg!!!!!

[Jessica Kopchik · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I just can’t stay interested in this book. Except for Cora everyone else is boring, even the ‘bad guys’ eh, I’m giving up halfway

[mohsin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good story. but middle part is quite slow or one might also consider dull in some part.

Only character you feel for is Cory.

Hope in its sequel there is something nice for that character but the way author is trying to justifying the FAMILY seems 'IDK'