A review by megtristao
The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Wow. There's a lot to say about this book. It would actually be a great book for discussion, but it is pretty disturbing and graphic, even as someone who reads a fair amount of graphic content. I recommend reading the author's additional info at the end for a good explanation of why the murder scenes were so visceral. I especially appreciated the historical settings throughout this book. You get to see Chicago in so many points in history: the Red Scare, pre-war and post-war society, the weeks leading up to Roe v. Wade, and more. 

This book is being adapted to a series with Elisabeth Moss (and Phillipa Soo as one of the Shining Girls), and I am definitely intrigued to see how deep they get into the different characters. Would make a very interesting series.