The Vines by Shelley Nolden

 "It is in the power of man to make parasitic maladies disappear from the globe."

There's a 22-acre island in the East River known as North Brother Island. Uniquely situated to the
South Bronx and nearby Riker's Island, this place now contains decaying buildings and is overgrown with ivy and kudzu. From the late 1880s and until about 1963, those structures were used to house quarantine patients, GIs and their families after the world wars, and lastly, teenage heroin addicts. Closed permanently in 1963, visitors are prohibited and it has been designated as a bird sanctuary.  In this unique blend of history and fiction, one person has been on the island since she was brought to Riverside Hospital on North Brother in 1902 at the age of 18 due to a measles outbreak.

This is the story of a very unique young woman, Coraline McSorley, doomed to spend forever in isolation due to her unusual physical characteristics. Forced to submit to continuous tests and experiments performed in the name of the greater good, Cora has dealt with several generations of the same family of doctors who seek to use her to find a cure for the viruses and diseases that plague mankind. Isolated and abused, Cora's tale of betrayal and resilience is deeply affecting. NO SPOILERS.

An incredibly poignant story that reminds me a bit of the wonderful MOLOKA'I by Alan Brennert, I experienced so many different feelings as I read this today. Stunned when I got to the end and saw there was to be a sequel, I almost had to knock of a star because I like conclusions, but couldn't because I really enjoyed this. Of course I will now have to read the sequel. I spent time on google reading more about the history of this island and enjoyed several videos of the island as it looks today and illustrations of the way it was set up in the past. What a place! Home to "Typhoid Mary" for many years, this island holds so many secrets and tears, and it seemed like a really timely read considering the COVID-19 pandemic we are currently experiencing. I hope you like it as much as I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and  Freiling Publishing Independent Book Publishers Association for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

Although I thought this was a standalone, it is clearly going to have a sequel. Cliffhanger ending.

Genre - historical fiction, mystery, medical