Karen Dionne of The Wicked Sister Join's Shelf Indulgence Book Club - Meeting Recap

Lions, and tigers, and bears. Oh, my! Well, actually, just bears.

 

Karen Dionne showed up at our discussion of her book, The Wicked Sister, with an entire semester of how a writer is inspired. Somehow, she managed to squeeze all this information into less than 90 minutes.

 

Included in her informative presentation, if you’re going to write about bears, hold an adorable bear cub. Then, try to talk black bear rescue expert Dean Oswald into letting you behind the fenced area with the adult bears. (As persuasive as we know Karen can be, she failed at this request).

 

The result of this research? Well, you’ll need to read the book. I will tell you, empathy with animals is a major theme in Dionne’s psychological thrillers. Special thanks to Natalie (like the author, a Michigan girl) for her insight into how Rachel’s interior conservations with animals show how a vulnerable person gains strength and clarity through bonding with the inhabitants of our natural world.

 

Haven’t we all been having discussions with our pets during this pandemic? Let’s hear it for Gretchen, another of our Michigan girls, who joined us from the road. Unlike most of us, Gretchen knows the Upper Peninsula well, her mother is from the area. The setting was authentic for Gretchen, always important, who also appreciated the book’s magical realism. (Or, as Karen mentioned, one review referred to the book as “magical realism dusted”).

 

Sometimes in our discussions, we learn details about our fellow members we would never have learned without the book discussion. Meryl shared a family situation, very pertinent to the story, that added even more depth. So, thank you for that, Meryl.

 

Can’t we all picture our Amy soaking up Grimm’s fairytales as a young girl? Yes, they’re dark. Younger Amy handled it. She mentioned how this fascination increased her enjoyment of the book. And, Amy, we know you’ve been mother/teacher/everything this past year and a half. Our hope for you is that you do have more time for your writing.

 

Welcome to Shelf Indulgence’s newest member, Jessie. You and Bailey were rather quiet this session. But we know you’re both biding your time. 

 

So, thanks again, Brittany, for all of the work you’ve done to organize our discussions. Having the author attend is such a treat for all of us. You’ve truly made our club special.

Posted by book lover: Phyllis T.