Our Book Of The Month for November is Pine by Francine Toon. For our online Book Clubbers we have some questions below for you to get involved with. Either answer in the comments section or use as discussion points at your next Book Club. If you haven’t read the book check out our Lowdown all about it here.
Pine – the blurb
Lauren and her father Niall live alone in the Highlands, in a small village surrounded by pine forest. When a woman stumbles out onto the road one Halloween night, Niall drives her back to their house in his pickup. In the morning, she’s gone.
In a community where daughters rebel, men quietly rage, and drinking is a means of forgetting, mysteries like these are not out of the ordinary. The trapper found hanging with the dead animals for two weeks. Locked doors and stone circles. The disappearance of Lauren’s mother a decade ago.
Lauren looks for answers in her tarot cards, hoping she might one day be able to read her father’s turbulent mind. Neighbours know more than they let on, but when local teenager Ann-Marie goes missing it’s no longer clear who she can trust.
Discussion Points
The following are written with the presumption you have read Pine. If you haven’t, bookmark the post and come back to answer the questions later.
- The book contains numerous references to the word ‘Pine’ – the forest that surrounds the village, Laurens actual name – to which particular Pine reference do you think the title relates? Why?
- The cover is a stag with a forest on its back, a buzzard is frequently seen outside Lauren’s house and a rabbit’s body is used by Maisie to bully Lauren. What part do the animals/birds play in the book? Do they all represent different things?
- Have you ever had your tarot cards read? Or your palm? Do you believe in any of the things mentioned in the book? Did this affect how much you enjoyed the book?
- Lauren’s mom has been missing for 10 years when Pine begins. Why does Christine reappear when she did?
- Were you scared at any point when reading the book?
Get Involved
Feel free to answer as many of the questions as you want. Post your replies below, discuss with us on social media using @BookSocialUK, or pose some questions of your own. If you enjoyed the questions, have a go at last month’s Get Involved: The Mothers.
And come back tomorrow to read our #BigReview of Pine.
