OutReaders:2021-02
2/20/21 2-4 pm
Zoom
The Vines by Christopher Rice
Robert Allen was the coordinator. Six people attended: Robert, Wendy, DeVon, Bil, Ed, and Leah.
We went over these items:
- Next meeting is March 20. The book is Middlegame by Seanan McGuire. Sophie is the discussion leader.
NOTE: The Zoom link required a passcode, and most people did not know how to find the code. Recommend not requiring a passcode to enter the Zoom meeting.
Book discussion recap:
This was Christopher Rice’s second horror novel. (The first was The Snow Garden.) Bil has read it and said it had many interesting elements but he was ultimately disappointed in it. He was curious to see how Rice’s second horror novel would be.
The Vines is a short novel. It’s suspense, so keeping it short and leaving out much of the backstory and details keeps the suspenseful pace moving, but some think more backstory and details would have made it better. The "monsters" are frightening but ultimately not that threatening and not that malevolent. Structurally it’s good. Some of the character portrayals are problematic.
Verdict: Mostly thumbs sideways
April Book Nominations (winner in boldface):
- The Dark Beyond the Stars by Frank M. Robinson - Robert
- The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin - Leah
- Hero by Perry Moore - DeVon
