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A review by ashley_elizabeth
The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
My expectations were quite low for this considering the degree of negative reviews I've seen. Color me surprised! While the pace was on the slower side for the majority of the book, I still found the story engaging and interesting enough to keep me invested. I was tasting flavors of Joe Hill's "NOS4A2" with the House and some characteristics of both Harper and Kirby, which I mean as a compliment as I absolutely adore Joe Hill.
I found myself a bit confused by Harper and how he came to be This Person doing These Things. We get a decent bit of his history and how he came to be in the House, but it doesn't quite feel like enough. I understand from the blurb by the author that the story was meant to focus much more on the victims rather than the perpetrator, but I think I would have liked a bit more of this backstory/character development.
I found myself a bit confused by Harper and how he came to be This Person doing These Things. We get a decent bit of his history and how he came to be in the House, but it doesn't quite feel like enough. I understand from the blurb by the author that the story was meant to focus much more on the victims rather than the perpetrator, but I think I would have liked a bit more of this backstory/character development.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Homophobia and Transphobia