the title’s pronunciation
Most readers would assume, at first look, that the title is pronounced zin sinz, with the latter word a reference to what is defined as “transgressions of a divine law.” There are even wines labelled using a play on the word, including Alexander Valley Vineyards’ luscious Sin Zin and the Phillips brothers of Lodi’s big Seven Deadly Zins (both excellent zinfandels, BTW.) But the title of this novel is pronounced zin since, for it is the shortened version of the two words, zinfandel and sinsemilla, since the bastard grape and the at-one-time illegal weed both figure prominently in the novel. As a minor double entendre, the sins, of which there are three deadly ones in this novel, are represented by the parts in which the book is divided – editor’s note.
