Play Book Tag discussion

Vine is a Cherokee girl who marries Saul, a sawyer, and they have a child named Birdie. Saul is the older brother of Aaron, a character I found enigmatic and, ultimately, a bad man. His relationship with Vine is responsible for much of the action of the story. (view spoiler)[ Aaron, who turns out not to be Saul’s biologic brother (never revealed to Saul) is fixated on Vine, making her very uncomfortable, especially while Saul is away for an extended time working for the War effort. She tells Saul of her discomfort but he has a blind spot when it comes to his little brother. Ultimately, Aaron attacks and rapes Vine, and when he turns his attention to Birdie, Vine stabs and kills him. She’s conflicted and guilt ridden over this for most of the remainder of the book and ultimately tells Saul what she did. After his initial anger, Saul forgives her. (hide spoiler)]. I thought the characters were reasonably well developed but I was impatient with Vine for the guilt she felt over her actions with Aaron. I suppose she was a product of her time but I wondered if a woman would really feel this way in her situation -- I’m sure I wouldn’t. In fact, I realized when I finished the book that the author was a man. Not saying that explains it, but I think it’s relevant. Nonetheless, I mostly enjoyed the slow-paced story with its idyllic descriptions of nature.