September Book Club Pick - The Sanatorium

As you know, I’ve recently started a book club, and it’s a highlight of the month for me. Our book club meeting was last week, and we’ve all been ready to discuss this month’s book club pick.

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

The Sanatorium is a mystery/thriller novel that takes place in the Swiss Alps, where Isaac and Laure are having their engagement party at an old Sanatorium turned modern five-star hotel. The Sanatorium’s twisted and dark history, and isolated location, make for an eerie setting, especially with an oncoming storm heading their way. Issac’s estranged sister, Elin, is a former detective on leave and immediately feels on edge as she arrives to Le Sommet. When Laure goes missing, her detective skills kick in and she’s forced to help when an avalanche closes all the roads leading to the hotel. Then, a body shows up. And that’s when she realizes the danger they are really in.

Happy Hour Book Club Meeting

We met at a local wine bar for a happy hour book club meeting, which was really fun! The weather was really nice, so we sat outside.

After we ordered some Happy Hour wines, I handed out the questions and we got right to it.

Warning, spoilers below this point!

What We Thought of The Sanatorium

We all felt the same way about this book. The setting was creepy (too scary for some of us) and the way the author described it was really vivid and great. It was clear to visualize where the hotel was located, with the mountains and snow, and how it was decorated. Where we felt it was lacking was in the character development. There wasn’t enough there to connect us to any of the characters in any meaningful way, so it left us feeling a bit emotionally detached from the story. Secondly, the plot was somewhat messy, with lots of unanswered questions. What started off as a serial killer on the loose with a really strong motive, ended up being a bit of an unbelievable plotline, making the ending a bit lackluster. We’d rate this one a 3 out of 5.

The Sanatorium Questions:

Here’s the questions we used for this book to kick start the conversations.

What was your favorite part of the book? What was your least favorite?
Which characters did you like best? Which did you like least?
What did you think about how the author described the setting—the Sanatorium and the location in the Swiss Alps? How did it help add to the creepy vibe of the story?
What are your thoughts about turning places like this into vacation destinations? Would you ever stay in a Sanatorium hotel?
Did you believe that Isaac had murdered Sam and possibly Laure?
Elin is on leave from her job as a detective after a case went wrong. But once Laure goes missing, she taps right back into her skills to try and solve the mystery. What did you think of Elin’s detective skills?
Who did you initially suspect was behind the murders?
Looking back, how do you think Elin’s past played a part in the decisions she made throughout the novel? How did learning the truth change everything for her?
What did you think about the reveal that Cecile was behind the murders and her reasoning for doing so?
Are there lingering questions from the book you’re still thinking about?
Who is stalking Elin in the epilogue? Would you read a sequel of this story?