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Shine
ŷ Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Young Adult Fiction (2011)When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice.
Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author.
Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author.
350 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2011
240 people are currently reading
22.8k people want to read
About the author
Lauren Myracle
96books2,006followersLauren Myracle is the author of numerous young adult novels. She was born in 1969 in North Carolina. Lauren Myracle holds an MA in English from Colorado State University and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College. she has written many novels, including the famous IM books, ttyl, ttfn, and l8r, g8r.
Her first novel, Kissing Kate, was selected as one of ALA's "Best Books for Young Adults" for the year 2004. It was named by Booklist as one of the "Top Ten Youth Romances" of the year, as well as one of the "Top Ten Books by New Writers." Her middle-grade novel, Eleven, came out 2004, followed by its YA sequels (Twelve, Thirteen, Thirteen Plus One) .
Her first novel, Kissing Kate, was selected as one of ALA's "Best Books for Young Adults" for the year 2004. It was named by Booklist as one of the "Top Ten Youth Romances" of the year, as well as one of the "Top Ten Books by New Writers." Her middle-grade novel, Eleven, came out 2004, followed by its YA sequels (Twelve, Thirteen, Thirteen Plus One) .
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,678 reviews
February 22, 2011
3.5 stars
I only know 's name in connection with her books. I haven't read that series, but it's pretty safe to say is nothing like those stories about girls texting each other (or whatever they do).
is most and foremost a story about small-town bigotry. Cat's childhood gay friend Patrick is brutally assaulted - hit with a baseball bat, tied to a gas pump with a fuel nozzle stuffed in his mouth, with words Suck this, faggot written on his bare chest in blood. Small town of Black Creek, NC, is shaken by this crime, but no one seems to be interested much in solving it. Nobody that is, except Cat. She undertakes this quest because she thinks she owes it to Patrick for her earlier betrayal of him. Cat's amateur investigation not only results in solving the crime, but helps her overcome demons of her own - demons that forced her to end her friendship with Patrick and detach herself from the community years prior.
I remember laughing and rolling my eyes at reviews praising 's portrayal of South. Not so here. Myracle writes Black Creek in a way that I believe - it's beautiful and it's ugly. You have a tightly knit community, but you also have judgment, prejudice, narrow-mindedness, church gossip, sweeping serious stuff under the rug, bowing to the richest, poverty and, of course, meth. Meth is a major player here. Which is probably not such a big surprise. Black Creek is a backward town.
is full of colorful and colorfully troubled characters. Each comes with a powerful and often heartbreaking story of her/his own. I will remember many of them, but one wackiest kid ever named Robert I will remember best.
The mystery of Patrick's assault is one of the strongest I've read in YA fiction. It is sufficiently complex and the investigation itself is not absurd like that one performed by our homegirl Nora in , for instance. The mystery did keep me guessing until the very end, even though I admit, I am a pretty dense mystery solver.
is not without its laws however. There are some rough spots in the story that could have been done better. For instance, the story line concerning Cat's "incident" that forced her to turn away from her friends, when elaborated on, turns out to be a little convoluted and underwhelming, especially when you read how exactly the event unfolded and how people involved reacted to it. I also thought that the romantic element in the novel was completely tacked on. Not only Cat's meeting with her love interest is too convenient and coincidental to be believed, but this person's presence is the story is unnecessary. I felt like Myracle put it in just to follow some unspoken rules of YA fiction which probably state that there has to be some romance, otherwise a teen book is a no-go.
All in all, is an emotional, intense, hard-to-put-down story that explores sexuality, violence, addiction and hate in a meaningful way. It is definitely worth checking out.
I only know 's name in connection with her books. I haven't read that series, but it's pretty safe to say is nothing like those stories about girls texting each other (or whatever they do).
is most and foremost a story about small-town bigotry. Cat's childhood gay friend Patrick is brutally assaulted - hit with a baseball bat, tied to a gas pump with a fuel nozzle stuffed in his mouth, with words Suck this, faggot written on his bare chest in blood. Small town of Black Creek, NC, is shaken by this crime, but no one seems to be interested much in solving it. Nobody that is, except Cat. She undertakes this quest because she thinks she owes it to Patrick for her earlier betrayal of him. Cat's amateur investigation not only results in solving the crime, but helps her overcome demons of her own - demons that forced her to end her friendship with Patrick and detach herself from the community years prior.
I remember laughing and rolling my eyes at reviews praising 's portrayal of South. Not so here. Myracle writes Black Creek in a way that I believe - it's beautiful and it's ugly. You have a tightly knit community, but you also have judgment, prejudice, narrow-mindedness, church gossip, sweeping serious stuff under the rug, bowing to the richest, poverty and, of course, meth. Meth is a major player here. Which is probably not such a big surprise. Black Creek is a backward town.
is full of colorful and colorfully troubled characters. Each comes with a powerful and often heartbreaking story of her/his own. I will remember many of them, but one wackiest kid ever named Robert I will remember best.
The mystery of Patrick's assault is one of the strongest I've read in YA fiction. It is sufficiently complex and the investigation itself is not absurd like that one performed by our homegirl Nora in , for instance. The mystery did keep me guessing until the very end, even though I admit, I am a pretty dense mystery solver.
is not without its laws however. There are some rough spots in the story that could have been done better. For instance, the story line concerning Cat's "incident" that forced her to turn away from her friends, when elaborated on, turns out to be a little convoluted and underwhelming, especially when you read how exactly the event unfolded and how people involved reacted to it. I also thought that the romantic element in the novel was completely tacked on. Not only Cat's meeting with her love interest is too convenient and coincidental to be believed, but this person's presence is the story is unnecessary. I felt like Myracle put it in just to follow some unspoken rules of YA fiction which probably state that there has to be some romance, otherwise a teen book is a no-go.
All in all, is an emotional, intense, hard-to-put-down story that explores sexuality, violence, addiction and hate in a meaningful way. It is definitely worth checking out.
May 20, 2016
Cross-posted at and at
I became curious about this book after it was mistakenly nominated as a finalist for the National Book Awards, instead of another similar-sounding title. It also appealed to me because it is about teenagers growing up in the rural south, the problems kids normally deal with, and the bigotry, poverty, drug addiction, and provincialism that affects everyone.
17-year-old openly gay Patrick lies comatose in a hospital bed after a brutal beating that occurred at the convenience store where he works. Though the evidence proves this is a hate crime, the town sheriff is quick to write it off and blame outsiders. Patrick’s friend, Cat, feels the truth is a lot closer to home and sets out to investigate despite admonitions to “leave it be�.
Living in a large city comes with its own set of problems, but after reading this story I’m really glad I didn’t grow up in the rural south. I hate the well-meaning, but too inquisitive people, and the fact that anything you do can become the subject of gossip, never to be forgotten. I hate the insular society that does not welcome change or embrace differences, the suspicious people who judge others, yet keep their own shameful secrets well hidden.
This is a gripping, realistic story with deeply flawed characters and a vivid setting. Cat’s own past has kept her from fully engaging with the people in her life, but Patrick’s savage attack breaks her out of her shell and forces her to peel back layers of the town’s façade to learn the truth about others and herself.
It is a grim story with many wounded souls, many problems, and few solutions. Patrick may be the most obvious victim, but he is far from the only one. And that just makes me sad.
I became curious about this book after it was mistakenly nominated as a finalist for the National Book Awards, instead of another similar-sounding title. It also appealed to me because it is about teenagers growing up in the rural south, the problems kids normally deal with, and the bigotry, poverty, drug addiction, and provincialism that affects everyone.
17-year-old openly gay Patrick lies comatose in a hospital bed after a brutal beating that occurred at the convenience store where he works. Though the evidence proves this is a hate crime, the town sheriff is quick to write it off and blame outsiders. Patrick’s friend, Cat, feels the truth is a lot closer to home and sets out to investigate despite admonitions to “leave it be�.
Living in a large city comes with its own set of problems, but after reading this story I’m really glad I didn’t grow up in the rural south. I hate the well-meaning, but too inquisitive people, and the fact that anything you do can become the subject of gossip, never to be forgotten. I hate the insular society that does not welcome change or embrace differences, the suspicious people who judge others, yet keep their own shameful secrets well hidden.
This is a gripping, realistic story with deeply flawed characters and a vivid setting. Cat’s own past has kept her from fully engaging with the people in her life, but Patrick’s savage attack breaks her out of her shell and forces her to peel back layers of the town’s façade to learn the truth about others and herself.
It is a grim story with many wounded souls, many problems, and few solutions. Patrick may be the most obvious victim, but he is far from the only one. And that just makes me sad.
March 18, 2011
3.5 stars
I'm always a little guilty and anxious when I give books a lower rating than all my friends. I'll be wondering, why didn't I like it, did I miss something there? With Shine, it was double the anxiety, since both Ceilidh and Tatiana loved it, and I respect their opinions quite a bit! But somehow, this book fell short for me, maybe because I expected too much of it.
Shine is about sixteen year old Cat, a girl from a small Southern town whose friend falls victim to a hate crime. When it becomes obvious that the local authorities are going to do nothing to bring the perpetrators to book, Cat decides to solve the mystery of the gay-basher herself.
This book has a lot going for it. I loved how atmospheric the writing was; it pulled me right in, so much so that I could almost envision the darkness of the forest, the squalor of an almost-ghost town, the small town folk rigidly holding on to the remnants of their life. It's a bleak portrayal, but not entirely depressing.
Cat is a great character, for the most part. I loved the way she was portrayed, as a flawed, scared girl who slowly emerges from her shell to realize her potential. Her abuse and her subsequent withdrawal from her friends was realistic and heart-breaking. I like the fact that she's not an all-guns-firing crusader who is super-human and impervious to fear and hurt. She is a surprisingly introspective character, and Myracle does a great job in chronicling her growth.
I also liked the portrayal of the secondary characters in this book. What I really liked about Shine is that there is no good guy or bad guy. They are all very human, trapped by circumstances and their own desires, with good sides and bad sides to all of their personalities. From Christian, who is still friends with Cat's worst enemy, to her aunt, who likes to ignore reality, to Tommy, who is a Class A jerk, they all have flaws, but Myracle shows us that things are not always what they seem, and sometimes, redemption is possible.
There are so many things I liked and admired about this book, that I almost feel bad giving it a 3-star rating. But two things really bugged me about this novel. The first was the pacing. Over half the book passes with next to no plot development. I guess this is part of what contributes to the atmosphere I mentioned before, but I had to positively slog my way through some sections because of the meandering style of Cat's narration.
The second was the mystery. It took me about one-tenth the time it did Cat to figure out perpetrator and motive. And I didn't do this because of my awesome telepathic superpowers, or my Holmes-like detective skills, but simply because the answer was so obvious. I don't like mysteries that fizzle out like that. Perhaps the hate crime was only a vehicle for an exposition on life in a small Southern town, but that is still no excuse for not handling it with a little élan. Also, Cat was very slow to arrive at the same conclusion, which annoyed me because I was jumping up and down on my bed screaming, 'Figure it out already, stupid!'
I don't have much to say about the romance, since it didn't really play any part in the actual plot. Which is also kind of disappointing, because it felt too convenient. Like Myracle wasn't sure people would read this book if she didn't put at least a little romance in it. But Cat just fell for Jason so quickly and smoothly, with no hitch. Despite being a victim of abuse at an age when it would have scarred her for life. With no therapy and no support, she just got over it and decided to kiss a boy she's known two weeks?
I DID like this book, but not as much as I thought I would. It's more of a descriptive novel, that kind that pulls you in at the moment, rather than one that leaves a lasting impression. My recommendation? Read it.
P.S. An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publishers via Net Galley. No external considerations affected this review.
I'm always a little guilty and anxious when I give books a lower rating than all my friends. I'll be wondering, why didn't I like it, did I miss something there? With Shine, it was double the anxiety, since both Ceilidh and Tatiana loved it, and I respect their opinions quite a bit! But somehow, this book fell short for me, maybe because I expected too much of it.
Shine is about sixteen year old Cat, a girl from a small Southern town whose friend falls victim to a hate crime. When it becomes obvious that the local authorities are going to do nothing to bring the perpetrators to book, Cat decides to solve the mystery of the gay-basher herself.
This book has a lot going for it. I loved how atmospheric the writing was; it pulled me right in, so much so that I could almost envision the darkness of the forest, the squalor of an almost-ghost town, the small town folk rigidly holding on to the remnants of their life. It's a bleak portrayal, but not entirely depressing.
Cat is a great character, for the most part. I loved the way she was portrayed, as a flawed, scared girl who slowly emerges from her shell to realize her potential. Her abuse and her subsequent withdrawal from her friends was realistic and heart-breaking. I like the fact that she's not an all-guns-firing crusader who is super-human and impervious to fear and hurt. She is a surprisingly introspective character, and Myracle does a great job in chronicling her growth.
I also liked the portrayal of the secondary characters in this book. What I really liked about Shine is that there is no good guy or bad guy. They are all very human, trapped by circumstances and their own desires, with good sides and bad sides to all of their personalities. From Christian, who is still friends with Cat's worst enemy, to her aunt, who likes to ignore reality, to Tommy, who is a Class A jerk, they all have flaws, but Myracle shows us that things are not always what they seem, and sometimes, redemption is possible.
There are so many things I liked and admired about this book, that I almost feel bad giving it a 3-star rating. But two things really bugged me about this novel. The first was the pacing. Over half the book passes with next to no plot development. I guess this is part of what contributes to the atmosphere I mentioned before, but I had to positively slog my way through some sections because of the meandering style of Cat's narration.
The second was the mystery. It took me about one-tenth the time it did Cat to figure out perpetrator and motive. And I didn't do this because of my awesome telepathic superpowers, or my Holmes-like detective skills, but simply because the answer was so obvious. I don't like mysteries that fizzle out like that. Perhaps the hate crime was only a vehicle for an exposition on life in a small Southern town, but that is still no excuse for not handling it with a little élan. Also, Cat was very slow to arrive at the same conclusion, which annoyed me because I was jumping up and down on my bed screaming, 'Figure it out already, stupid!'
I don't have much to say about the romance, since it didn't really play any part in the actual plot. Which is also kind of disappointing, because it felt too convenient. Like Myracle wasn't sure people would read this book if she didn't put at least a little romance in it. But Cat just fell for Jason so quickly and smoothly, with no hitch. Despite being a victim of abuse at an age when it would have scarred her for life. With no therapy and no support, she just got over it and decided to kiss a boy she's known two weeks?
I DID like this book, but not as much as I thought I would. It's more of a descriptive novel, that kind that pulls you in at the moment, rather than one that leaves a lasting impression. My recommendation? Read it.
P.S. An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publishers via Net Galley. No external considerations affected this review.
December 16, 2015
I've never read any of Lauren Myracle's other books. I'm not much into the whole "txt-spk" thing, so those books have never sparked my interest. Not my cup of tea. Other than those, I couldn't have named another book Myracle had written before today. But this... this book called out to me. Not only because of the absolutely gorgeous cover, but because of the premise, and because it's set in the South. I love me some books set in the South. And because it has Issues. Issues with a capital 'I'.
And boy, did this deliver. If it hadn't been written with such grace and honesty, and a light touch and sense of innocence, it could have gone so very, very badly wrong. The Issues in this book are the kind that outsiders abhor and denounce, while those living in and around and with them are almost oblivious to their existence as an 'Issue' at all. To those people, it's just life. Normal. Everyday. This book touched on a lot of things. Poverty, addiction, class division, alcoholism, abuse, homosexuality and homophobia, fear and hatred, small-town politics, friendship and loyalty, etc. So many things that some could have easily gotten lost and confused. But even with all of these issues entwined throughout the story, I never felt that it forgot what it was.
I loved the way this story was written. I love the way it was parceled out, little by little, edging closer to the truth and the consequences and the brokenness, like a hungry mouse sneaking closer to a crumb not far from the cat's bed. The mouse knows that rushing will cause it to lose its chance, to be hurt -- but caution and stealth may win it a chance to survive. This book was like that. It crept along, building momentum, until it reached where it needed to be.
I instantly fell in love with these characters, especially Cat and Patrick. My heart broke for the things that they lost, both before and after Patrick is beaten and left for dead. I loved their friendship, and the simple acceptance of it. I loved Mama Sweetie, Patrick's Grandma, and her kindness and wisdom and faith. I usually find it hard to accept religion in books, because so very often it comes across as preachy. That was not the case here. It was less religion and more a matter of faith - a simple knowledge that there's something and someone there for us. No judgment, no fire and brimstone, no recriminations for every little thought, just a sense of "If you want, you can - if not, that's OK too." I liked that.
This book is gorgeous and amazing from cover to cover, and I was so wrapped up in this community and these lives that I almost didn't want to see, but I couldn't look away. I found one thing, one little thing, about the very end to be a bit unbelievable, but I understand it, and I wasn't disappointed. All in all, I loved this book and I think it's one that I will need to own, to re-read and absorb and love.
It's that good.
And boy, did this deliver. If it hadn't been written with such grace and honesty, and a light touch and sense of innocence, it could have gone so very, very badly wrong. The Issues in this book are the kind that outsiders abhor and denounce, while those living in and around and with them are almost oblivious to their existence as an 'Issue' at all. To those people, it's just life. Normal. Everyday. This book touched on a lot of things. Poverty, addiction, class division, alcoholism, abuse, homosexuality and homophobia, fear and hatred, small-town politics, friendship and loyalty, etc. So many things that some could have easily gotten lost and confused. But even with all of these issues entwined throughout the story, I never felt that it forgot what it was.
I loved the way this story was written. I love the way it was parceled out, little by little, edging closer to the truth and the consequences and the brokenness, like a hungry mouse sneaking closer to a crumb not far from the cat's bed. The mouse knows that rushing will cause it to lose its chance, to be hurt -- but caution and stealth may win it a chance to survive. This book was like that. It crept along, building momentum, until it reached where it needed to be.
I instantly fell in love with these characters, especially Cat and Patrick. My heart broke for the things that they lost, both before and after Patrick is beaten and left for dead. I loved their friendship, and the simple acceptance of it. I loved Mama Sweetie, Patrick's Grandma, and her kindness and wisdom and faith. I usually find it hard to accept religion in books, because so very often it comes across as preachy. That was not the case here. It was less religion and more a matter of faith - a simple knowledge that there's something and someone there for us. No judgment, no fire and brimstone, no recriminations for every little thought, just a sense of "If you want, you can - if not, that's OK too." I liked that.
This book is gorgeous and amazing from cover to cover, and I was so wrapped up in this community and these lives that I almost didn't want to see, but I couldn't look away. I found one thing, one little thing, about the very end to be a bit unbelievable, but I understand it, and I wasn't disappointed. All in all, I loved this book and I think it's one that I will need to own, to re-read and absorb and love.
It's that good.
November 2, 2016
I'm surprised by all the attention the book received. For me it just didn't work. I was expecting a story about homophobia, but it doesn't really explore that theme. It's really about Cat, her issues, and finding her courage to stand up for what is right. I can get on board with that. Justice! Still, I was disappointed at every turn. Stereotypes abound so much that I can't think of a single character that had any depth. Not to mention that most characters were unlikable, including Cat. I also had trouble with unbelievable plot elements like the fact that Cat didn't speak to her friends for 3 years after her trauma. Three years?! How? Would she have lived to be a bitter old hermit lady if Patrick wasn't attacked and nearly killed?
Even the ending was a massive disappointment. Cat decides not to tell anyone who Patrick's attacker was. Maybe she thought justice had been served but keeping silent won't help change the community. Maybe she feels that the town is doomed to be consumed by meth anyway. Cat also decides not to tell anyone about the boy who raped her because he apologized. WHAT?! He traumatized her so badly that her life fell apart for YEARS but it's okay now because he said he's sorry? Myracle brought up some important issues and themes but fails to develop or resolve them in any satisfying way.
-NetGalley advance copy
Even the ending was a massive disappointment. Cat decides not to tell anyone who Patrick's attacker was. Maybe she thought justice had been served but keeping silent won't help change the community. Maybe she feels that the town is doomed to be consumed by meth anyway. Cat also decides not to tell anyone about the boy who raped her because he apologized. WHAT?! He traumatized her so badly that her life fell apart for YEARS but it's okay now because he said he's sorry? Myracle brought up some important issues and themes but fails to develop or resolve them in any satisfying way.
-NetGalley advance copy
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2013
”…you can cast off the darkness and shine again, can’t you?�
Shine tells the story of a brutal crime in a small town. Patrick Truman is found beaten and left for dead. Cat, Patrick’s best friend, is determined to find out what happened no matter what. Readers jump, right along with Cat, into the storm of small town gossip, fear, and hatred to find the truth.
First and foremost—I have to gush about the writing. Language, words, and descriptions that pulled me in at page one. I was there. On the mountain. In the room. In the gossip. I could feel it all—”heavy foliage dappling the road with green shadows and pockets of shade�. You will feel this world on your skin. And the sayings…haha…oh, how I loved the down-home talk that made the town and characters so unique and in a land of their own. Lines that made me stop, tilt my head, and say “Huh?�---“The sun don’t shine on the same dog’s tail all the time.� Ms. Myracle has a very powerful way with words that held me close. Pulled me in. That said though, it was the characters that will live in my heart. Strong, memorable, flawed, heart breaking characters that had me giggling, sighing, and cheering.
The relationship that left the deepest dent in my heart and soul was between Cat and her brother, Christian. One hell of a heart wrenching pull, power, and connection. I found tears in my eyes more than once when those two tried to talk or just be. One of the worst feelings in the world is when we feel let down or betrayed by family. No one but family can tear us up in such a devastating and complete way. Broke my heart.
Cat. Cat. Cat. I tend to be hard on my female characters. But damn! Girl, you made me proud! Throughout the book, the importance of speaking the truth, letting it out, not hiding is woven through the pages and mystery. Cat was hell bent on finding out what happened to Patrick. But to do that, she had to find and speak up for herself as well. She had to stand up to her own demons, pain, and past. And I loved her for it! She did it with sass, smarts, and strength.
“I didn’t hide or run away or pretend the ugliness didn’t happen. I stood up and said something that was true. I said it out loud, and by doing so, I was standing up for lots of people, not just me.�
But that same point and love also plays into the main reason why the ending disappointed me. I’m talking the last 2 pages. We spent the entire book watching Cat search and uncover the truth in her heart and town. But after everything—what does she do? Warning: BIG spoiler ahead.
Still loved the book and ending. That was just one emotion layered in between all the love. Shine is an important, sad, powerful story about acceptance, love, truth, and forgiveness.
Have you ever read a scene or moment in a book and just knew it would stick with you? A moment forever etched in your book memories? Lauren Myracle creates so many of those moments for me here. I will remember every plunge into the water, wind chime twinkle, and “Wanna rub my head?� offer. The raves, gossip, and whispers about Shine have been running through my GR feed and world for a long time. A book with a lot of love surrounding it. I am so happy I finally picked it up.
Go read it.
June 10, 2013
Guys, I survived reading my first young-adult book as an adult! No English teachers or professors pelted me with stones and no one called me out in the middle of the street! Whew.
Anyway, Shine details the story of sixteen-year-old Cat and the hate crime against her former best friend Patrick. Cat stopped talking to Patrick - along with everyone else at her high school - after an incident involving another boy two years ago. But when Patrick is found brutally beaten to the point of comatose and the police blame it on out-of-town college students, Cat sets out to uncover the truth. On her journey she confronts small town gossip, dangerous drugs, a college boy named Jason, and a startling discovery concerning Patrick's near-fatal encounter.
Lauren Myracle writes a mystery with Shine. While many other factors may stick out - the southern setting, meth, hate crimes against gays, etc. - all of these are supplementary to the center storyline of the novel. Cat's mission involves finding the truth about what happened to Patrick and more or less doling out justice; Myracle accomplishes this plot with no hiccups or awkwardness.
Perhaps a few more themes could have been expanded to provide more pathos, but as far as mystery goes Myracle's Shine sticks out as one of the best in the YA genre I've read. She includes a likeable yet still-growing protagonist, a solid cast of characters with only a few archetypes, and an omnipresent sense of place. Recommended for those who want a quick mystery read and for fans of Myracle's other works.
*review cross-posted on my blog, .
Anyway, Shine details the story of sixteen-year-old Cat and the hate crime against her former best friend Patrick. Cat stopped talking to Patrick - along with everyone else at her high school - after an incident involving another boy two years ago. But when Patrick is found brutally beaten to the point of comatose and the police blame it on out-of-town college students, Cat sets out to uncover the truth. On her journey she confronts small town gossip, dangerous drugs, a college boy named Jason, and a startling discovery concerning Patrick's near-fatal encounter.
Lauren Myracle writes a mystery with Shine. While many other factors may stick out - the southern setting, meth, hate crimes against gays, etc. - all of these are supplementary to the center storyline of the novel. Cat's mission involves finding the truth about what happened to Patrick and more or less doling out justice; Myracle accomplishes this plot with no hiccups or awkwardness.
Perhaps a few more themes could have been expanded to provide more pathos, but as far as mystery goes Myracle's Shine sticks out as one of the best in the YA genre I've read. She includes a likeable yet still-growing protagonist, a solid cast of characters with only a few archetypes, and an omnipresent sense of place. Recommended for those who want a quick mystery read and for fans of Myracle's other works.
*review cross-posted on my blog, .
April 20, 2012
The first time I heard about this book was when the author which had been given in error and intended for the book . What rhymes with Shine? Chime apparently. Good grief. Really people, you can't be any more professional than that? the emotional whirlwind that followed, but there was a silver lining to the crushing disappointment -- the controversy brought much needed awareness to this quiet, unassuming book.
Shine isn't a dystopia. It has no post-apocalyptic cachet, there are no demons, angels, vampires or fairies. Instead, Shine is a lyrical and realistic coming-of-age portrait of a young girl living in a small backwoods Southern town. Cat is 16 and knows all about secrets. She has been carrying a dark and bitter one of her own for three years. It has caused her to wither and withdraw, and worst of all it has cost her Patrick.
Patrick is Cat's best friend but she hasn't spoken to him, not really, since "the bad thing". Patrick is set adrift without her and finds the only friends left to him are members of "the redneck posse" who tease and berate him mercilessly for being gay. One night Patrick is brutally beaten and left for dead outside of the gas station where he works. The nature of the assault has labeled this a hate crime and Cat -- fueled by guilt and anger -- becomes desperate to find out who has done this to her gentle friend. She believes it's someone she knows, and the closer she gets to unraveling the truth, the more dangerous it becomes for everyone around her, including Patrick who lies helpless in a coma.
In many ways, this has all the hallmarks of a good mystery. I love how Becky describes it in as:
This book has its flaws, but overall it accomplishes something wonderful.
Shine isn't a dystopia. It has no post-apocalyptic cachet, there are no demons, angels, vampires or fairies. Instead, Shine is a lyrical and realistic coming-of-age portrait of a young girl living in a small backwoods Southern town. Cat is 16 and knows all about secrets. She has been carrying a dark and bitter one of her own for three years. It has caused her to wither and withdraw, and worst of all it has cost her Patrick.
Patrick is Cat's best friend but she hasn't spoken to him, not really, since "the bad thing". Patrick is set adrift without her and finds the only friends left to him are members of "the redneck posse" who tease and berate him mercilessly for being gay. One night Patrick is brutally beaten and left for dead outside of the gas station where he works. The nature of the assault has labeled this a hate crime and Cat -- fueled by guilt and anger -- becomes desperate to find out who has done this to her gentle friend. She believes it's someone she knows, and the closer she gets to unraveling the truth, the more dangerous it becomes for everyone around her, including Patrick who lies helpless in a coma.
In many ways, this has all the hallmarks of a good mystery. I love how Becky describes it in as:
parceled out, little by little, edging closer to the truth and the consequences and the brokenness, like a hungry mouse sneaking closer to a crumb not far from the cat's bed. The mouse knows that rushing will cause it to lose its chance, to be hurt -- but caution and stealth may win it a chance to survive. This book was like that. It crept along, building momentum, until it reached where it needed to be.Shine isn't a gentle story -- it is a raw and honest consideration of self-acceptance, self-loathing, guilt, friendship and family. There is explicit language and vivid descriptions of violence. Despite the ugliness there is much beauty to consider as well, and Myracle's prose reminded me both of and .
This book has its flaws, but overall it accomplishes something wonderful.
July 12, 2011
Set in a small town in the South, this book is about bigotry, and friendship, and love. It's about seeing the best in people, and seeing the worst. It is a beautifully written story about a brutal hate crime.
Cat's best friend, Patrick, is the victim of a gay bashing--smashed in the head with a bat, tied to a gas pump with the nozzle shoved in his mouth, and the words Suck this faggot written on his chest in blood. He is in a coma, and they don't know if he's going to make it.
The small town cops would rather not look too closely at the crime, they would prefer to act as if they are investigating, and then just blame it on some punks passing through town, and sweep the whole big mess under the rug. Because really, it could have been anyone--small town homophobia runs deep.
But Cat wants to find out who hurt Patrick, so she starts investigating on her own. Which is easier said than done, especially since she's shut out everyone in her life after something happened to her, something that no one knows about, even the reader. She's shut out everyone, including Patrick, including her brother, Christian. So getting people to open up to her proves to be more difficult that she had hoped.
There were a few things I wasn't crazy about--particularly Cat's love interest, whose name I don't even remember 3 days later. He was totally one dimensional and so completely unneeded to the story. He could have been edited out and the book would have been better for it. Also, the big reveal of Cat's traumatic "secret" ended up being a bit underwhelming, and it's resolution felt altogether too nice and tidy for my liking.
But other than that, this was a beautiful book. The mystery was done nicely, with enough suspense to last until the whodunnit reveal. I popped around through the entire book, "It was him. No, it was him. Hmmm...maybe it was him?" and still I was pretty shocked when the truth came out.
Lauren Myracle tackled a bunch of tough issues in this book--abuse, alcoholism, homosexuality, homophobia, drug use, small town politics, class warfare, small mindedness & ignorance--and she did it beautifully.
*I received this as a free ARC from NetGalley, in exchange for my review. No goodies (other than the story) were acquired by me.*
Cat's best friend, Patrick, is the victim of a gay bashing--smashed in the head with a bat, tied to a gas pump with the nozzle shoved in his mouth, and the words Suck this faggot written on his chest in blood. He is in a coma, and they don't know if he's going to make it.
The small town cops would rather not look too closely at the crime, they would prefer to act as if they are investigating, and then just blame it on some punks passing through town, and sweep the whole big mess under the rug. Because really, it could have been anyone--small town homophobia runs deep.
But Cat wants to find out who hurt Patrick, so she starts investigating on her own. Which is easier said than done, especially since she's shut out everyone in her life after something happened to her, something that no one knows about, even the reader. She's shut out everyone, including Patrick, including her brother, Christian. So getting people to open up to her proves to be more difficult that she had hoped.
There were a few things I wasn't crazy about--particularly Cat's love interest, whose name I don't even remember 3 days later. He was totally one dimensional and so completely unneeded to the story. He could have been edited out and the book would have been better for it. Also, the big reveal of Cat's traumatic "secret" ended up being a bit underwhelming, and it's resolution felt altogether too nice and tidy for my liking.
But other than that, this was a beautiful book. The mystery was done nicely, with enough suspense to last until the whodunnit reveal. I popped around through the entire book, "It was him. No, it was him. Hmmm...maybe it was him?" and still I was pretty shocked when the truth came out.
Lauren Myracle tackled a bunch of tough issues in this book--abuse, alcoholism, homosexuality, homophobia, drug use, small town politics, class warfare, small mindedness & ignorance--and she did it beautifully.
*I received this as a free ARC from NetGalley, in exchange for my review. No goodies (other than the story) were acquired by me.*
June 23, 2013
I didn't love this book. It contained one of my pet peeves. I'll get there in a minute.
The mystery element is adequate, despite one character that feels forced & the telegraphing for the last 3/4 of the book of the major clue revealed at the climax. I'm not a fan of mysteries as a genre, partially because I usually see the answer coming & rarely find them compelling. It takes a great one to hold me & this wasn't that book for me. That's just a matter of personal taste, mind. A mystery fan might just enjoy this book & think it was a great story.
However, I simply can't get past another story where the main character was sexually assaulted & and an adult knew about it, but did nothing. There is not one responsible or useful adult in this book. The father is a drunk & the aunt blinds herself. When the aunt actually witnesses the assault, she pretends nothing happened, or maybe that it was consentual? The aunt's denial is so blatant that it is not only painful but unrealisticly unbelievable in this day & age. Regardless, the girl was 13 & attacked by a 16 year old boy. YOU STOP THAT NO MATTER WHETHER OR NOT YOU THINK IT IS CONSENTUAL BECAUSE IT IS NOT NEVER & IN NO WAY OKAY!!!
To use an incident like the above as a plot device for your main character - who has isolated herself for 3 years, but now is reaching out to solve the mystery of her gay friend's attack - just seems cheap. If you needed a character to grow out of isolation ther are other ways to do it. If you need adults out of the way, there are other ways to do that too. I am just sick of stories that reinforce the idea that young adults can't actually go to adults in times of crisis because they won't be helped. That's what I felt this story did. I can't get past my irritation on this issue to actually enjoy the book. Sorry.
The mystery element is adequate, despite one character that feels forced & the telegraphing for the last 3/4 of the book of the major clue revealed at the climax. I'm not a fan of mysteries as a genre, partially because I usually see the answer coming & rarely find them compelling. It takes a great one to hold me & this wasn't that book for me. That's just a matter of personal taste, mind. A mystery fan might just enjoy this book & think it was a great story.
However, I simply can't get past another story where the main character was sexually assaulted & and an adult knew about it, but did nothing. There is not one responsible or useful adult in this book. The father is a drunk & the aunt blinds herself. When the aunt actually witnesses the assault, she pretends nothing happened, or maybe that it was consentual? The aunt's denial is so blatant that it is not only painful but unrealisticly unbelievable in this day & age. Regardless, the girl was 13 & attacked by a 16 year old boy. YOU STOP THAT NO MATTER WHETHER OR NOT YOU THINK IT IS CONSENTUAL BECAUSE IT IS NOT NEVER & IN NO WAY OKAY!!!
To use an incident like the above as a plot device for your main character - who has isolated herself for 3 years, but now is reaching out to solve the mystery of her gay friend's attack - just seems cheap. If you needed a character to grow out of isolation ther are other ways to do it. If you need adults out of the way, there are other ways to do that too. I am just sick of stories that reinforce the idea that young adults can't actually go to adults in times of crisis because they won't be helped. That's what I felt this story did. I can't get past my irritation on this issue to actually enjoy the book. Sorry.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2011
This review may also be found on A Thousand Little Pages.
An article recently came out in the Wall Street Journal that generated quite a buzz in the young adult book community. It basically slanders every YA novel out there that is “dark� by their standards and indirectly blames the books for familiarizing and possibly prompting trauma, violence, and profanity within the average teen. Shine received an honorary place in the article and was complained about quite a bit. So, dear Ms. Gurdon, author of said article, I am a teenager. I have read Shine, among tons of other “dark� novels. Do I now feel the inclination to begin stimulating the nearest meth business or sexually assaulting my classmates? No. No, I don’t. Not at all.
Since I’ve read Ms. Myracle’s Internet Girls series prior to Shine, I simply dismissed her as a frivolous author. Well, all my expectations disappeared down the drain as I read the first page, which featured a newspaper clipping detailing the attack of a gay teen in the tiny town of Black Creek. The novel goes on to describe the protagonist’s search for the truth about what really happened to the teen, an old childhood friend named Patrick.
Ms. Myracle’s writing created a sort of thick and somber atmosphere throughout the book, which was appropriate given the gravity of the topic. Her characters are easy to sympathize for, and the mystery involved was not overly obvious or completely impossible to solve. A multitude of touchy subjects were tackled and handled delicately. Overall, I enjoyed Shine a lot more than I’d originally thought I would.
Even with all the hate and despair in the story, I finished the novel with a feeling of hope. Yes, WSJ article, maybe it wasn’t a happily ever after, maybe the characters experienced things no one should go through. But there is hope and healing everywhere if you look hard enough.
Book Source: ARC from Abrams Books via NetGalley
An article recently came out in the Wall Street Journal that generated quite a buzz in the young adult book community. It basically slanders every YA novel out there that is “dark� by their standards and indirectly blames the books for familiarizing and possibly prompting trauma, violence, and profanity within the average teen. Shine received an honorary place in the article and was complained about quite a bit. So, dear Ms. Gurdon, author of said article, I am a teenager. I have read Shine, among tons of other “dark� novels. Do I now feel the inclination to begin stimulating the nearest meth business or sexually assaulting my classmates? No. No, I don’t. Not at all.
Since I’ve read Ms. Myracle’s Internet Girls series prior to Shine, I simply dismissed her as a frivolous author. Well, all my expectations disappeared down the drain as I read the first page, which featured a newspaper clipping detailing the attack of a gay teen in the tiny town of Black Creek. The novel goes on to describe the protagonist’s search for the truth about what really happened to the teen, an old childhood friend named Patrick.
Ms. Myracle’s writing created a sort of thick and somber atmosphere throughout the book, which was appropriate given the gravity of the topic. Her characters are easy to sympathize for, and the mystery involved was not overly obvious or completely impossible to solve. A multitude of touchy subjects were tackled and handled delicately. Overall, I enjoyed Shine a lot more than I’d originally thought I would.
Even with all the hate and despair in the story, I finished the novel with a feeling of hope. Yes, WSJ article, maybe it wasn’t a happily ever after, maybe the characters experienced things no one should go through. But there is hope and healing everywhere if you look hard enough.
Book Source: ARC from Abrams Books via NetGalley
April 7, 2011
This is the first of Myracle’s books that I’ve read, since her popular Internet Girls series is well outside the realm of my interest. However, after reading Shine, I may have to take a look at those books after all. I managed to secure an advance reader’s copy after hearing some other librarians rave about this book, and while initially skeptical, I was surprised at how quickly this book grabbed me. While it has its oddities and weak spots, Shine is a powerful, well-written book that does an excellent job of framing gritty, tough themes for a teen audience.
The story opens with a newspaper story out of a rural North Carolina town called Black Creek. A teenager named Patrick is known to all the residents of the backwoods town as both the amiable clerk at the local gas station and the village oddity for being openly gay. When Patrick is found severely beaten and tied to a gas pump with a homophobic slur scrawled on his chest, the town is awash with horrified, and almost gleeful, gossip. Cat, a withdrawn sixteen-year-old girl, is particular affected; Patrick was once her closest friend, though she had not been speaking with him at the time of his assault. In a small town where everyone knows everyone, Cat is convinced that she can succeed where the local sheriff is failing, and discover the truth behind what happened to Patrick. Her guilt over the way in which she had handled their friendship drives her to find Patrick’s attacker amidst the residents of Black Creek, and repeated advice from those around her to let sleeping dogs lie only stokes the flames of her anger. However, her quest to shine light on the crime raises the frightening possibility of her being the next target.
This is a rough story to read. It starts with a gut punch and doesn’t get much better. Homophobia, meth addiction, and sexual assault are all touched upon in this story. For all of its darkness, though, Shine never really dips into sensationalism or angst. Everything seems very real in this book. Black Creek is a rural town with rural problems and rural attitudes; while I didn’t grow up as poor as Cat did, I do have enough experience with small-town mindsets to have the setting and characters resonate in a very real way with me. And for all of the darkness in Black Creek, there is beauty, too. Myracle is obviously writing what she knows, and has a talent for presenting the South in a sublime, evocative way, warts and all.
I figured out the mystery early on, but that’s only because I’m fairly familiar with how stories like these play out, unfortunately. But the main plot was extremely well done, with enough tension to keep astute readers strung along but without being too obtuse or boring for teens. The characters are layered, and many are both sympathetic and menacing by turns. Cat, the narrator, is particularly well-written, and her story is visceral and heartbreaking. While the plot itself is something that we have seen before, the mystery in Shine is made compelling by how ambiguous it is, and how there are things left mysterious and unexplained even as the story takes familiar turns.
There are a few things that bothered me, at least momentarily. The introduction of Cat’s love interest (and another potential suspect) is so abrupt that at first I wondered what their first scene together was even doing in the book. The explanation of the tension between Cat and her brother near the end of the book is also somewhat confounding, and appears almost contrived at first glance. The ending, too, is somewhat of a letdown. This could be because I figured the mystery out early on and was hoping I was wrong (I was almost completely correct), but the book also ends abruptly and on a strangely positive note, considering how horrible Patrick’s ordeal was and how bleak things still are by the end of the story.
All of these problems spring from a single source, though, and that source is actually the book's biggest strength: the characters in Shine are not stereotypes, despite their corn-fed hillbilly slang, and they do not act in a predictable fashion. There are no easy answers, here, just as there aren’t any in real life. Sometimes relationships do start in strange, abrupt ways, and considering that Shine is a book for teens, it follows the romance formula in way that is refreshingly understated. While the actions of Cat’s brother in the face of her earliest childhood trauma initially ring false to me and, I imagine, every other big brother who reads this book, Christian’s odd reaction is still evocatively real, in that it proves that not everyone is as brave as they seem. And while the mystery played itself out in the way it was foreshadowed (brilliantly, I might add), I am convinced that another character was involved. I am absolutely sure of this, due to multiple hints in the writing, and despite the fact that the ending does not make any mention of it and wraps things up with a single climactic confrontation. Whether this is an intentional tease by Myracle or just my own interpretation of the reading, it’s still a byproduct of a gripping, tightly-plotted mystery, and lends credence to Black Creek’s gritty, bittersweet realism.
For all that I looked for things to criticize, Shine wouldn’t let me go. I tore through the book, and loved every part of it. This is a grim, unflinching take on the consequences of secrecy and self-loathing, and it also is a paean to the lonely beauty and restorative power of a small, tightly-knit community. It offers a hard glimpse into reality while still telling an oddly sweet story, and it provides a moral without preaching. While there are occasions that the themes could be explored a little deeper or with more detail, this is a perfect example of dramatic teen lit. Once it hit shelves, I imagine it will move quickly. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a good mystery, regardless of age.
The story opens with a newspaper story out of a rural North Carolina town called Black Creek. A teenager named Patrick is known to all the residents of the backwoods town as both the amiable clerk at the local gas station and the village oddity for being openly gay. When Patrick is found severely beaten and tied to a gas pump with a homophobic slur scrawled on his chest, the town is awash with horrified, and almost gleeful, gossip. Cat, a withdrawn sixteen-year-old girl, is particular affected; Patrick was once her closest friend, though she had not been speaking with him at the time of his assault. In a small town where everyone knows everyone, Cat is convinced that she can succeed where the local sheriff is failing, and discover the truth behind what happened to Patrick. Her guilt over the way in which she had handled their friendship drives her to find Patrick’s attacker amidst the residents of Black Creek, and repeated advice from those around her to let sleeping dogs lie only stokes the flames of her anger. However, her quest to shine light on the crime raises the frightening possibility of her being the next target.
This is a rough story to read. It starts with a gut punch and doesn’t get much better. Homophobia, meth addiction, and sexual assault are all touched upon in this story. For all of its darkness, though, Shine never really dips into sensationalism or angst. Everything seems very real in this book. Black Creek is a rural town with rural problems and rural attitudes; while I didn’t grow up as poor as Cat did, I do have enough experience with small-town mindsets to have the setting and characters resonate in a very real way with me. And for all of the darkness in Black Creek, there is beauty, too. Myracle is obviously writing what she knows, and has a talent for presenting the South in a sublime, evocative way, warts and all.
I figured out the mystery early on, but that’s only because I’m fairly familiar with how stories like these play out, unfortunately. But the main plot was extremely well done, with enough tension to keep astute readers strung along but without being too obtuse or boring for teens. The characters are layered, and many are both sympathetic and menacing by turns. Cat, the narrator, is particularly well-written, and her story is visceral and heartbreaking. While the plot itself is something that we have seen before, the mystery in Shine is made compelling by how ambiguous it is, and how there are things left mysterious and unexplained even as the story takes familiar turns.
There are a few things that bothered me, at least momentarily. The introduction of Cat’s love interest (and another potential suspect) is so abrupt that at first I wondered what their first scene together was even doing in the book. The explanation of the tension between Cat and her brother near the end of the book is also somewhat confounding, and appears almost contrived at first glance. The ending, too, is somewhat of a letdown. This could be because I figured the mystery out early on and was hoping I was wrong (I was almost completely correct), but the book also ends abruptly and on a strangely positive note, considering how horrible Patrick’s ordeal was and how bleak things still are by the end of the story.
All of these problems spring from a single source, though, and that source is actually the book's biggest strength: the characters in Shine are not stereotypes, despite their corn-fed hillbilly slang, and they do not act in a predictable fashion. There are no easy answers, here, just as there aren’t any in real life. Sometimes relationships do start in strange, abrupt ways, and considering that Shine is a book for teens, it follows the romance formula in way that is refreshingly understated. While the actions of Cat’s brother in the face of her earliest childhood trauma initially ring false to me and, I imagine, every other big brother who reads this book, Christian’s odd reaction is still evocatively real, in that it proves that not everyone is as brave as they seem. And while the mystery played itself out in the way it was foreshadowed (brilliantly, I might add), I am convinced that another character was involved. I am absolutely sure of this, due to multiple hints in the writing, and despite the fact that the ending does not make any mention of it and wraps things up with a single climactic confrontation. Whether this is an intentional tease by Myracle or just my own interpretation of the reading, it’s still a byproduct of a gripping, tightly-plotted mystery, and lends credence to Black Creek’s gritty, bittersweet realism.
For all that I looked for things to criticize, Shine wouldn’t let me go. I tore through the book, and loved every part of it. This is a grim, unflinching take on the consequences of secrecy and self-loathing, and it also is a paean to the lonely beauty and restorative power of a small, tightly-knit community. It offers a hard glimpse into reality while still telling an oddly sweet story, and it provides a moral without preaching. While there are occasions that the themes could be explored a little deeper or with more detail, this is a perfect example of dramatic teen lit. Once it hit shelves, I imagine it will move quickly. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a good mystery, regardless of age.
October 27, 2011
I took this book out of the library in righteous indignation, shortly after the NBA debacle. I was poised to love it and hoped that I would, if only to add to my fury. However, I never warmed up to Cat, the main character, which is a huge problem for me. I also didn't like most of the other characters, except for Patrick, who was in a coma and we learned about mostly through flashbacks and dialogue. Cat spent much of the book dwelling on an incident from the past, and once the incident was finally revealed in its entirety, it did not seem appalling enough to warrant her complete withdrawal from her former friends (including Patrick) for three years. It bothered me that the coma-inducing incident underlying this book was sort of the impetus for getting Cat to "snap out of it." Also, this technique has been done frequently in YA--where the main character has a secret from the past, either rape or molestation or other mistreatment by the opposite sex--and for it to work and feel original, there has to be something unique about it and there has to be something warranting the character's specific reaction. The incident simply did not warrant three full years of introverted behavior. I was also troubled by the romance that was thrown into this book. Although it was basically just a flirtation that we knew would lead to more after the events of the book, it seemed out of place and thrown in because YA supposedly always needs a hint of romance. I also never liked Jason, because I couldn't forgive him for the horrible name he called Cat at the library, even if she could forgive him. Just not an endearing introduction to the love interest, if there really had to be one in this book. I felt the climax was somewhat ridiculous as it unfolded, and I had too many moments of needing to suspend disbelief. I was quite perturbed by the number of typographical errors in this book as well. I reluctantly gave it two stars; it is slightly above a one for me, if only because it is clear that the author does have solid writing skills and a gift for imagery.
March 17, 2013
I can't remember the last time I was this angry at a book for so many different reasons. It was mediocre but okay for the first hundred pages or so. A few things didn't sit quite right with me, but I couldn't pin it down. I don't doubt Myracle's good intentions, but the whole thing did come off as very moralizing without much substance behind it.
The part that automatically made this a one star review was Cat's confrontation of the meth dealer. I was offended by the lack of intelligence shown in this scene. This isn't just true-to-life stupidity, the motivation and emotional drive of Cat did not even close to realistically warrant this decision. The whole thing was structured for the sake of finding a clue without thought to plausibility.
But then we get to the part where Cat starts falling for Jason, which after the circumstances of their first meeting, I found appalling. If Myracle treated this as poor judgement...I would find that acceptable, but she didn't.
Then there was the backstory with Tommy. Yes, timeline-wise, she has ample time to "get over it" when she supposedly comes to her epiphany (again, terrible) very quickly near the end of the book, but I found again the treatment of the entire very serious issue all surface without substance and felt very unsettled by the whole thing. (Not in the way Myracle intended)
As for the climax scene, I think it'll suffice to say that the setting made me roll my eyes. It felt like an over the top stereotypical villain moment.
I liked the premise of this book and the southern setting for it. The overall plot was good, but the details and characterization were terrible. There need to be more YA novels dealing with this subject matter, but Shine did a poor job of it. I was hoping for a girl investigator with the determination of Veronica Mars, but instead Cat is...very bland and difficult to pin down as a character. She doesn't display the intelligence that other characters claims he has, and I didn't find her emotional damage convincing at all.
Basically loads of potential, all let-down, and I regret having bought this book.
The part that automatically made this a one star review was Cat's confrontation of the meth dealer. I was offended by the lack of intelligence shown in this scene. This isn't just true-to-life stupidity, the motivation and emotional drive of Cat did not even close to realistically warrant this decision. The whole thing was structured for the sake of finding a clue without thought to plausibility.
But then we get to the part where Cat starts falling for Jason, which after the circumstances of their first meeting, I found appalling. If Myracle treated this as poor judgement...I would find that acceptable, but she didn't.
Then there was the backstory with Tommy. Yes, timeline-wise, she has ample time to "get over it" when she supposedly comes to her epiphany (again, terrible) very quickly near the end of the book, but I found again the treatment of the entire very serious issue all surface without substance and felt very unsettled by the whole thing. (Not in the way Myracle intended)
As for the climax scene, I think it'll suffice to say that the setting made me roll my eyes. It felt like an over the top stereotypical villain moment.
I liked the premise of this book and the southern setting for it. The overall plot was good, but the details and characterization were terrible. There need to be more YA novels dealing with this subject matter, but Shine did a poor job of it. I was hoping for a girl investigator with the determination of Veronica Mars, but instead Cat is...very bland and difficult to pin down as a character. She doesn't display the intelligence that other characters claims he has, and I didn't find her emotional damage convincing at all.
Basically loads of potential, all let-down, and I regret having bought this book.
November 26, 2011
This poignant tale about a supposed hate crime in a small North Carolinian town is not for faint-hearted readers. 16-year old Cat must finally come out of her self-imposed exile from her community when her childhood best friend is put into a coma. Patrick was found outside the convenience store where he worked. He was hit in the head with a baseball bat, a gas nozzle was shoved down his throat, and scrawled across his chest in blood were the words: “Suck on this f-----.� The town is eager to blame drunk out of towners. However, Cat suspects otherwise. As she digs deeper into this mystery, she realizes how much things in her community had stayed the same, but also how much people she had known her whole life had changed, including her. There are people that don’t want her to learn the truth, but she is determined the right the wrongs done to her, and to fix the wrongs she has done.
What impresses me the most about this novel is the author’s voice. Myracle has done a fabulous job of fleshing out each character, whether minor or major. Every character is dynamic in some way, and all feel distinctly human in their flaws, but also in their good attributes. The reader is reminded that every person has good and bad, and that not every bad person started out that way. I find it amazing that this novel is able to end on such a hopeful note despite all of the rottenness that exists in Cat and Patrick’s community. Once a reader begins the investigation with Cat, they will be unable to put this novel down until the wrongs are righted, and justice is served. While this novel is highly recommended for extremely, and I do stress the extremely, mature readers in grades 10-12, I would suggest that an adult discuss issues presented with a young reader.
What impresses me the most about this novel is the author’s voice. Myracle has done a fabulous job of fleshing out each character, whether minor or major. Every character is dynamic in some way, and all feel distinctly human in their flaws, but also in their good attributes. The reader is reminded that every person has good and bad, and that not every bad person started out that way. I find it amazing that this novel is able to end on such a hopeful note despite all of the rottenness that exists in Cat and Patrick’s community. Once a reader begins the investigation with Cat, they will be unable to put this novel down until the wrongs are righted, and justice is served. While this novel is highly recommended for extremely, and I do stress the extremely, mature readers in grades 10-12, I would suggest that an adult discuss issues presented with a young reader.
January 6, 2013
I freaking love this book.
There is rarely a time when I don't close a book after I'm finished with it. Usually I close the book, think about it for a minute, and then move on to a different book. But this book--well, let's just say it was different. I left the book open and let all of its 350 pages blow back and forth in the wind coming from the open window to my room. This book is positively mind-blowing and I couldn't help but think that it was pure awesomeness when I reading it. I suggest you read it too!
First of all I love the whole girl detective, murder-mystery type books. Although this book doesn't really fit into the same category as Ally Carter's books (Gallagher Girls, Heist Society) or Nancy Drew, even, for that matter, it had a similar feel. Watching as the reader as Cat wove the strands of the story together to create a couple different suspicions was fun, interesting, and most of all, spine-chilling. I love books like that! Some people don't understand my love for chilling mysteries, but I just can't get enough of them. This book was fabulous!
Reading this book made me marvel at how ignorant people can be, how stupid. I know that everyone makes mistakes, but as Cat talked to each person, it was an amazing realization that hit me--that people are just so ignorant and stupid twenty four hours a day, myself and the ones I love included! And Cat was definitely not a flawless heroine--she had her ups and downs throughout the book and that's what I love about her. Lauren Myracle has hit her readers hard with the realization that no one is perfect, actually, we're all the definition of imperfect. All of us are stupid, selfish, ignorant, awful people. :) (Don't take that the wrong way. I only mean sometimes we are.)
Next, Cat. I looovvved her! She was awesome-sauce. Not only did she stand up for herself and those she loved, she was dedicated and didn't let what others think stand in the way of her goal--to uncover the mystery of what happened to Patrick. Patrick's her friend who she hasn't talked to in three years, but still she cares deeply about his future, which I think is the mark of a true friend. And Jason! Holy fricking god, I loved him from the start, even when he called Cat a non-repeatable name in the library and half the time he was swearing at himself and dropping the F-bomb, but that was just what I loved about him. I added a status update on ŷ that said, "I kind of feel bad for college boy, even though that's awful..." and I looked back on it and laughed because trusting your instincts on books is the best thing you can do.
You should be warned, though, that this is not like Lauren Myracle's other books. Not even close to the Internet Girls or even The Winnie Years. I was expecting it to be more like those, but they were completely different books, which I like. I hate it when all of authors books are the exact same thing. Myracle has branched out a bit, and I love that! This book is YA, but it's less on the "Y" side and a little bit more on the "A" side, even though I think 13-year-olds and up could read it. I'm not even 13 yet so there were moments when I was like, "Oo-kay, I really shouldn't be reading about some of this stuff," but really and truly, this book was awesome!
so if you are a) a mature preteen, b) a book crazy teenager, c) a mystery-loving person, or d) looking for a YA book that'll give you the biggest case of chills possible, then go out RIGHT THIS MINUTE and buy this book! Or get it from the library like I did! Because this book is just totally, totally, totally awesome and I can't think of another word for it! <3 Happy reading to y'all!*
*I'm not Southern. i live in the Mid-Atlantic. That's just how the characters in Shine talk to each other :)
There is rarely a time when I don't close a book after I'm finished with it. Usually I close the book, think about it for a minute, and then move on to a different book. But this book--well, let's just say it was different. I left the book open and let all of its 350 pages blow back and forth in the wind coming from the open window to my room. This book is positively mind-blowing and I couldn't help but think that it was pure awesomeness when I reading it. I suggest you read it too!
First of all I love the whole girl detective, murder-mystery type books. Although this book doesn't really fit into the same category as Ally Carter's books (Gallagher Girls, Heist Society) or Nancy Drew, even, for that matter, it had a similar feel. Watching as the reader as Cat wove the strands of the story together to create a couple different suspicions was fun, interesting, and most of all, spine-chilling. I love books like that! Some people don't understand my love for chilling mysteries, but I just can't get enough of them. This book was fabulous!
Reading this book made me marvel at how ignorant people can be, how stupid. I know that everyone makes mistakes, but as Cat talked to each person, it was an amazing realization that hit me--that people are just so ignorant and stupid twenty four hours a day, myself and the ones I love included! And Cat was definitely not a flawless heroine--she had her ups and downs throughout the book and that's what I love about her. Lauren Myracle has hit her readers hard with the realization that no one is perfect, actually, we're all the definition of imperfect. All of us are stupid, selfish, ignorant, awful people. :) (Don't take that the wrong way. I only mean sometimes we are.)
Next, Cat. I looovvved her! She was awesome-sauce. Not only did she stand up for herself and those she loved, she was dedicated and didn't let what others think stand in the way of her goal--to uncover the mystery of what happened to Patrick. Patrick's her friend who she hasn't talked to in three years, but still she cares deeply about his future, which I think is the mark of a true friend. And Jason! Holy fricking god, I loved him from the start, even when he called Cat a non-repeatable name in the library and half the time he was swearing at himself and dropping the F-bomb, but that was just what I loved about him. I added a status update on ŷ that said, "I kind of feel bad for college boy, even though that's awful..." and I looked back on it and laughed because trusting your instincts on books is the best thing you can do.
You should be warned, though, that this is not like Lauren Myracle's other books. Not even close to the Internet Girls or even The Winnie Years. I was expecting it to be more like those, but they were completely different books, which I like. I hate it when all of authors books are the exact same thing. Myracle has branched out a bit, and I love that! This book is YA, but it's less on the "Y" side and a little bit more on the "A" side, even though I think 13-year-olds and up could read it. I'm not even 13 yet so there were moments when I was like, "Oo-kay, I really shouldn't be reading about some of this stuff," but really and truly, this book was awesome!
so if you are a) a mature preteen, b) a book crazy teenager, c) a mystery-loving person, or d) looking for a YA book that'll give you the biggest case of chills possible, then go out RIGHT THIS MINUTE and buy this book! Or get it from the library like I did! Because this book is just totally, totally, totally awesome and I can't think of another word for it! <3 Happy reading to y'all!*
*I'm not Southern. i live in the Mid-Atlantic. That's just how the characters in Shine talk to each other :)
February 28, 2013
Love it just as much on the re-read, if not more.
Original review (from 2010):
I love Lauren Myracle's books. Like, LOVE them. In reading Bliss last year, I was struck by how Myracle had seemed to shift her focus to darker themes. She's always dealt with serious topics, often laced with heavy doses of lightening humor, but with Bliss, and now Shine, she's certainly moved over into the seedier side of human experience.
Cat lives in a small, rural North Carolina town, where everyone knows everyone, but secrets still lie underneath the surface. When Patrick, Cat's childhood friend, is savagely beaten late one night, the initial reaction is that the crime must have been committed by out-of-towners. No one in Black Creek could possibly be capable of such a heinous act. But Cat hears the way people talk about the crime at church and in the streets; some people seem to think Patrick deserved what he got, because of he's gay. Cat knows better, and takes it upon herself to investigate the crime. Everyone from her own brother to the "Redneck Posse" of boys at her school, to the stranger she meets in the library, could be responsible. As Cat digs deeper into the events of that night, she discovers things about her friends, unearths buried feelings from her own past, and throws herself into serious danger.
Myracle has created a beautifully-drawn community, one that acts as a mirror for human prejudices and imperfections. Her descriptions of the town and surrounding county are fantastic, and as always, Myracle's dialogue rings true. The links to To Kill a Mockingbird are finely woven throughout (it's Cat's favorite book, too). As much as I enjoy Myracle's "lighter" books (and even that's not a great term to use), I thoroughly enjoy when she lets herself look on the dark side of life.
Original review (from 2010):
I love Lauren Myracle's books. Like, LOVE them. In reading Bliss last year, I was struck by how Myracle had seemed to shift her focus to darker themes. She's always dealt with serious topics, often laced with heavy doses of lightening humor, but with Bliss, and now Shine, she's certainly moved over into the seedier side of human experience.
Cat lives in a small, rural North Carolina town, where everyone knows everyone, but secrets still lie underneath the surface. When Patrick, Cat's childhood friend, is savagely beaten late one night, the initial reaction is that the crime must have been committed by out-of-towners. No one in Black Creek could possibly be capable of such a heinous act. But Cat hears the way people talk about the crime at church and in the streets; some people seem to think Patrick deserved what he got, because of he's gay. Cat knows better, and takes it upon herself to investigate the crime. Everyone from her own brother to the "Redneck Posse" of boys at her school, to the stranger she meets in the library, could be responsible. As Cat digs deeper into the events of that night, she discovers things about her friends, unearths buried feelings from her own past, and throws herself into serious danger.
Myracle has created a beautifully-drawn community, one that acts as a mirror for human prejudices and imperfections. Her descriptions of the town and surrounding county are fantastic, and as always, Myracle's dialogue rings true. The links to To Kill a Mockingbird are finely woven throughout (it's Cat's favorite book, too). As much as I enjoy Myracle's "lighter" books (and even that's not a great term to use), I thoroughly enjoy when she lets herself look on the dark side of life.
August 11, 2012
I got Shine after the whole mess over it being mistakenly named for an award, partially because of the premise, partially because Lauren Myracle handled all that situation with grace and class. I wasn't as impressed with it as I'd hoped to be, at first: it was very readable, and atmospheric, but when I looked back at what I'd already read... I don't know, something failed to resonate with me.
I can't really comment on the setting -- it's a setting that means very little to me, because I'm British and I've never even been to the south of the US, let alone lived there long enough to know it. All I can say is that it rang true for me.
In the last a hundred and fifty pages, Shine delivers punch after punch. I was there with Cat, flashbacking to the event that messed her up so badly she pushed everyone away. That, I can comment on. I've read other reviews that didn't find it convincing as a reason for the way Cat became, but... I did, from experience. And I think it was well written -- it had me frozen, my heart in my mouth, my insides tying themselves up in knots.
And the book just carried on from there. At first I didn't believe the way things were turning out, but then Lauren Myracle made me believe it, made me believe in the things that twist people up inside and make them do things you'd swear they'd never do. My heart was in my mouth again.
I loved the relationships throughout this, too. Cat and her brother, particularly: the antagonistic love between them, the way she learns to trust him again. Her friendship for Patrick. Her confusion about Tommy. It all rings true and makes Cat and her community feel real.
Definitely recommended, though it isn't a gentle story. There are some beautiful parts and some dark parts, and if you have triggers, you may well be set off by it. But I thought it was worth that, personally.
I can't really comment on the setting -- it's a setting that means very little to me, because I'm British and I've never even been to the south of the US, let alone lived there long enough to know it. All I can say is that it rang true for me.
In the last a hundred and fifty pages, Shine delivers punch after punch. I was there with Cat, flashbacking to the event that messed her up so badly she pushed everyone away. That, I can comment on. I've read other reviews that didn't find it convincing as a reason for the way Cat became, but... I did, from experience. And I think it was well written -- it had me frozen, my heart in my mouth, my insides tying themselves up in knots.
And the book just carried on from there. At first I didn't believe the way things were turning out, but then Lauren Myracle made me believe it, made me believe in the things that twist people up inside and make them do things you'd swear they'd never do. My heart was in my mouth again.
I loved the relationships throughout this, too. Cat and her brother, particularly: the antagonistic love between them, the way she learns to trust him again. Her friendship for Patrick. Her confusion about Tommy. It all rings true and makes Cat and her community feel real.
Definitely recommended, though it isn't a gentle story. There are some beautiful parts and some dark parts, and if you have triggers, you may well be set off by it. But I thought it was worth that, personally.
January 30, 2012
I read this book after all of the controversy with the National Book Awards and Lauren Myracle being asked to remove herself from the finalist list after being accidentally put on the list. If you haven't heard anything about the controversy - here's a .
I went into reading this book with high expectations since so many people said it was National Book Award finalist material. I enjoyed it though at times I found the middle dragged a bit (a common problem for me with a lot of books lately). It did keep me guessing until the end and some of the plot twists were unexpected.
The small town where Cat lives is portrayed quite well along with the issues facing the town, especially regarding meth usage. Cat has withdrawn until her friend Patrick is found beaten nearly to death for being gay. Her reasons for withdrawing are finally explained half way through the book but I was frustrated with her as a character and couldn't figure out why she had suddenly stopped talking to Patrick a few years before. Overall an enjoyable and important book. I hope it's subject matter sparks some conversation about hate crimes and the hurtful language of kids casually calling each other "gay."
I went into reading this book with high expectations since so many people said it was National Book Award finalist material. I enjoyed it though at times I found the middle dragged a bit (a common problem for me with a lot of books lately). It did keep me guessing until the end and some of the plot twists were unexpected.
The small town where Cat lives is portrayed quite well along with the issues facing the town, especially regarding meth usage. Cat has withdrawn until her friend Patrick is found beaten nearly to death for being gay. Her reasons for withdrawing are finally explained half way through the book but I was frustrated with her as a character and couldn't figure out why she had suddenly stopped talking to Patrick a few years before. Overall an enjoyable and important book. I hope it's subject matter sparks some conversation about hate crimes and the hurtful language of kids casually calling each other "gay."
July 20, 2015
Holy creamed corn, this is the best book I've read in a long time. I am embarrassed to say that the ARC sat on my bookshelf for much longer than it should have.
Cat is best friends with Patrick. They are inseparable. After some troubling incidents, she decides to stray from Patrick and their group of friends and becomes a loner. The book starts off with Patrick, beaten until he is unconscious, slumped in front of a gas station with a gas nozzle hanging from his mouth and a sign that reads "Suck this, faggot."
I think I never got around to reading this book because I was worried it wouldn't meet my expectations. Boy, was I wrong. With every page, I became more and more hooked to the mystery that unfolded. The end was absolutely incredible and unpredictable.
This is a book that teaches readers to look internally at the judgments they make of others. Most importantly, this is a book that teaches us to SHINE.
Cat is best friends with Patrick. They are inseparable. After some troubling incidents, she decides to stray from Patrick and their group of friends and becomes a loner. The book starts off with Patrick, beaten until he is unconscious, slumped in front of a gas station with a gas nozzle hanging from his mouth and a sign that reads "Suck this, faggot."
I think I never got around to reading this book because I was worried it wouldn't meet my expectations. Boy, was I wrong. With every page, I became more and more hooked to the mystery that unfolded. The end was absolutely incredible and unpredictable.
This is a book that teaches readers to look internally at the judgments they make of others. Most importantly, this is a book that teaches us to SHINE.
March 5, 2012
Really: 3.5 rating.
I'm ALL ABOUT bringing gay rights and equal rights to the forefront and am glad this was the main aspect of the book along with dealing with regret and becoming a better person and that even teens and young people can recognize that in themselves.
Something that did urk me was that the lone Black character in the book sounded WAY too hick for me, especially since the narrator regularly states that she's a redneck from a redneck town. However the sole character of color was the one who sounded it the most. I also felt the character of Jason was more convenient than necessary. At the most essential moments of the book he wasn't needed, but seemed to serve as that necessity of a 'love interest' for Cat, which I think could've been done without as the core of this book was her finding her true self again and reclaiming her friendships over lost time.
I'm ALL ABOUT bringing gay rights and equal rights to the forefront and am glad this was the main aspect of the book along with dealing with regret and becoming a better person and that even teens and young people can recognize that in themselves.
Something that did urk me was that the lone Black character in the book sounded WAY too hick for me, especially since the narrator regularly states that she's a redneck from a redneck town. However the sole character of color was the one who sounded it the most. I also felt the character of Jason was more convenient than necessary. At the most essential moments of the book he wasn't needed, but seemed to serve as that necessity of a 'love interest' for Cat, which I think could've been done without as the core of this book was her finding her true self again and reclaiming her friendships over lost time.
July 22, 2018
This is a tough book, filled with realistic situations for poverty-stricken rural towns in the mid-Atlantic region. Desperate economic conditions exacerbate the struggles that the people in these towns face with drugs, alcohol, domestic violence and increasing high school dropout rates.
The mystery contained within these pages is overshadowed by the heartbreaking situations that the characters experience. I love that no one person is all bad or all good in this story, and just when I thought I had the mystery all figured out, the plot twists.
Overall, it's a sad story, but probably far truer than I'd like to admit. I am glad that our girls are not being brought up in this kind of environment, but it's not that far away from where we live.
interesting quotes (page numbers from edition with ISBN13 ):
"I loved everyone who said 'yes' to the world, making the world better instead of worse." (p.)
"" (p.)
"" (p.)
"" (p.)
The mystery contained within these pages is overshadowed by the heartbreaking situations that the characters experience. I love that no one person is all bad or all good in this story, and just when I thought I had the mystery all figured out, the plot twists.
Overall, it's a sad story, but probably far truer than I'd like to admit. I am glad that our girls are not being brought up in this kind of environment, but it's not that far away from where we live.
interesting quotes (page numbers from edition with ISBN13 ):
"I loved everyone who said 'yes' to the world, making the world better instead of worse." (p.)
"" (p.)
"" (p.)
"" (p.)
February 24, 2011
Before this, I had never read a Lauren Myracle book yet I had always had a level of respect for her based upon her currently being the most banned or challenge author in USA. Her books are challenged for most of the usual reasons YA and kids books are challenged; unsuited to age group, drug references, explicit sexuality, bad language, all that good stuff. With all this in mind, I was eager to see how she handled the topic of gay hate crimes with her latest book, due to be released in May this year. Following my last reading choice, which wasn’t so thrilling, I was looking for something to lift my YA spirits, which “Shine� did, completely exceeding even my wildest expectations.
From the first page, where a newspaper cutting details the horrific crime against Patrick, I was gripped by the story. Myracle has this wonderful talent for saying so much but using so few words. Even when dealing with difficult topics that could easily fall into ham-fisted soap opera territory (homophobia, small town bigotry, meth, sexual assault), Myracle manages to tackle them with sensitivity and make them feel real. The people of Black Creek use language as their main weapon, be it through church gossip or the horrible slurs thrown around casually at different characters (there is frequent use of the ‘f� word in this book, along with several other similar slurs, but it never feels exploitative or like it’s downplaying their effect. You feel every single one of those insults and they hurt, because words like that exist for a reason and can be very powerful weapons.) The group of small town regulars that make up the story manage to stay on the right side of characterisation � it’s so easy to fall into clichés when talking about small town America, or small town anywhere, so huge credit goes to Myracle for keeping things realistic, gritty and often very ugly.
The general atmosphere created by the book is one of stifling suspicion. Black Creek is a town where everybody knows everything but somehow there still manages to be a myriad of secrets just boiling below the surface. It’s a town where ugliness is just hidden away, occasionally slipping through via a misjudged comment, a shameful confession or something worse. Myracle really nails the dread that Cat feels constantly throughout the story; she’s not even safe in her own town and doesn’t know if she can really trust anyone. Cat is a fascinating and extremely sympathetic character who I think a lot of people will be able to relate but she’s also one that keeps fighting, even when she thought she couldn’t go any further. Watching her story slowly unfold was as interesting to me as the mystery she was trying to solve. The mystery at the heart of “Shine�, that of the identity of Patrick’s attacker, is finely crafted and often very surprising.
The thing about this book that’s really stuck with me is how real it feels. It’s not cartoonish, it never exaggerates or plays down events or reactions, it just presents things are they are. Sometimes nothing else needs to be said. It’s often heartbreaking to read scenes where Patrick’s sexuality is casually described as evil (with much worse language than I care to use), even by the people he calls his friends. It’s portrayal of bigotry is simple, relatable and all too real; it’s something that we see every day, be it through reading of deplorable acts of violence or just a simple word carelessly dropped into conversation. Often no real ill is meant with the latter but we’ve become so conditioned to shrug off the ugly and pretend it’s not there that often it blends in with everyday life and we do forget it’s a bad thing. Once we stop pointing out wrongs and calling out the bad words and actions and bigotry, they become somewhat acceptable for everyone to use. Myracle does a great job, by saying so little, of telling the world that such things are not, never were and will never be acceptable.
Of course the book isn’t perfect, nothing ever is (there are a couple bits where the plotting is loose and Cat finding some strength through a guy felt clichéd and a bit forced, but in the instance of her character, I just couldn’t begrudge her any happiness) but I was so gripped, moved and entertained by this book that I can put them aside. I think “Shine� is a book that deserves a heap of attention. It discusses several important issues for teens yet never talks down to them and weaves them through a well crafted, gripping mystery populated with complex characters and a portrayal of small town life and bigotry that’s all too real. The sad thing is I think this book’s going to cement Myracle’s position on the ALA Banned/Challenged author list for another year. I implore you all to check out this book and, if the time comes, to fight against those who want to ignore the obvious.
5/5.
From the first page, where a newspaper cutting details the horrific crime against Patrick, I was gripped by the story. Myracle has this wonderful talent for saying so much but using so few words. Even when dealing with difficult topics that could easily fall into ham-fisted soap opera territory (homophobia, small town bigotry, meth, sexual assault), Myracle manages to tackle them with sensitivity and make them feel real. The people of Black Creek use language as their main weapon, be it through church gossip or the horrible slurs thrown around casually at different characters (there is frequent use of the ‘f� word in this book, along with several other similar slurs, but it never feels exploitative or like it’s downplaying their effect. You feel every single one of those insults and they hurt, because words like that exist for a reason and can be very powerful weapons.) The group of small town regulars that make up the story manage to stay on the right side of characterisation � it’s so easy to fall into clichés when talking about small town America, or small town anywhere, so huge credit goes to Myracle for keeping things realistic, gritty and often very ugly.
The general atmosphere created by the book is one of stifling suspicion. Black Creek is a town where everybody knows everything but somehow there still manages to be a myriad of secrets just boiling below the surface. It’s a town where ugliness is just hidden away, occasionally slipping through via a misjudged comment, a shameful confession or something worse. Myracle really nails the dread that Cat feels constantly throughout the story; she’s not even safe in her own town and doesn’t know if she can really trust anyone. Cat is a fascinating and extremely sympathetic character who I think a lot of people will be able to relate but she’s also one that keeps fighting, even when she thought she couldn’t go any further. Watching her story slowly unfold was as interesting to me as the mystery she was trying to solve. The mystery at the heart of “Shine�, that of the identity of Patrick’s attacker, is finely crafted and often very surprising.
The thing about this book that’s really stuck with me is how real it feels. It’s not cartoonish, it never exaggerates or plays down events or reactions, it just presents things are they are. Sometimes nothing else needs to be said. It’s often heartbreaking to read scenes where Patrick’s sexuality is casually described as evil (with much worse language than I care to use), even by the people he calls his friends. It’s portrayal of bigotry is simple, relatable and all too real; it’s something that we see every day, be it through reading of deplorable acts of violence or just a simple word carelessly dropped into conversation. Often no real ill is meant with the latter but we’ve become so conditioned to shrug off the ugly and pretend it’s not there that often it blends in with everyday life and we do forget it’s a bad thing. Once we stop pointing out wrongs and calling out the bad words and actions and bigotry, they become somewhat acceptable for everyone to use. Myracle does a great job, by saying so little, of telling the world that such things are not, never were and will never be acceptable.
Of course the book isn’t perfect, nothing ever is (there are a couple bits where the plotting is loose and Cat finding some strength through a guy felt clichéd and a bit forced, but in the instance of her character, I just couldn’t begrudge her any happiness) but I was so gripped, moved and entertained by this book that I can put them aside. I think “Shine� is a book that deserves a heap of attention. It discusses several important issues for teens yet never talks down to them and weaves them through a well crafted, gripping mystery populated with complex characters and a portrayal of small town life and bigotry that’s all too real. The sad thing is I think this book’s going to cement Myracle’s position on the ALA Banned/Challenged author list for another year. I implore you all to check out this book and, if the time comes, to fight against those who want to ignore the obvious.
5/5.
August 3, 2011
2.5 stars ~ From an expertly crafted beginning, Shine fizzled to a disappointing end.
In the small town of Black Creek, North Carolina, a 17-year-old boy has been the victim of a vicious hate crime and lies unconscious in the hospital. His former best friend, who has been slowly shutting out everyone in her life since she became the victim of a separate act of violence, takes it upon herself to catch the culprit. As Cat investigates Patrick's tragedy, she begins uncovering a web of secrets and betrayal that has corrupted the inhabitants of her destitute town.
Sounds like a great start, right? It was. I was completely hooked and connecting with the complex voice of Cat, who loves and hates her small, poverty-stricken town. The folksy sayings dropped into conversation, the banter of the teen boys, and the descriptions of the setting were all very authentic. But as Cat uncovered secret after secret, I began to feel like there were just too many "big issues" being discussed here, and I yearned for a narrower focus.
Patrick's grandma was overweight and died from diabetes. Destiny's parents are hoarders and she lives in filth. Beef gets beat up by his dad. Gwennie seems to be developing an eating disorder. Ridings lost his wife and baby to a tornado. Wally gets a boner when he sees little kids in swimsuits. Robert is hyper and scrawny because his mom drank when she was pregnant. Patrick gets picked on for being gay. Tommy is rich and spoiled but must deal with his paranoid bigot of a grandmother. Dupree is a stoner. Bailee-Ann loves Vicodin. Cat's dad is an obese alcoholic who doesn't leave the couch. Cat has closed herself off to everyone after she was molested by someone she trusted when she was just 13. Everyone goes to - or avoids - the town's gossipy church. And oh, the meth. Almost everyone is involved with the business of meth - cooking, selling, running, using.
I get what Lauren Myracle was trying to do here - she's showing that we all have darkness in our lives and it is up to us to focus on the good parts, survive the bad parts, and shine through. I admire Lauren's outspoken reaction to the recent YA lit debates - teens need to read about this kind of darkness because they are often living through it themselves. I just felt like she was trying to squeeze too much in here, trying to tackle too many issues, to the point where these characters became caricatures of their problems - the stoner, the tweaker, the fat girl, the slut - instead of three-dimensional people. By scaling that back a bit, Myracle could have focused on the main issues here: meth use and hate crimes.
Another issue was that Cat manages to investigate and solve the mystery of Patrick's attack - just by talking to the people involved - in less than a week. Are small town police really that clueless that they couldn't do the same? They couldn't lean on the kids who already admitted to seeing Patrick that night, and who had shady alibis? This was a major hole in the plot, as was the ending. Cat solves the mystery, overcomes what had happened to her 3 years prior, saves somebody's life, falls in love, and instantly gets her friend Patrick back when he wakes up - perfectly lucid - in the hospital. Oh, and then Patrick decides to claim that he has no idea who attacked him, feigning memory loss and basically saying that it's okay to brutally hurt someone, as long as you were high at the time and feel bad about it later, and that, for certain people, being gay is a shameful thing that must be covered up. Too many ends tied up like pretty little ribbons and a sour taste in my mouth during the book's final impressions.
Finally, there were a few glaring editing errors - here should have been her, tales should have been tails - that Myracle's team neglected to catch.
Overall, a promising story-turned-caricature that ultimately sends the wrong message.
In the small town of Black Creek, North Carolina, a 17-year-old boy has been the victim of a vicious hate crime and lies unconscious in the hospital. His former best friend, who has been slowly shutting out everyone in her life since she became the victim of a separate act of violence, takes it upon herself to catch the culprit. As Cat investigates Patrick's tragedy, she begins uncovering a web of secrets and betrayal that has corrupted the inhabitants of her destitute town.
Sounds like a great start, right? It was. I was completely hooked and connecting with the complex voice of Cat, who loves and hates her small, poverty-stricken town. The folksy sayings dropped into conversation, the banter of the teen boys, and the descriptions of the setting were all very authentic. But as Cat uncovered secret after secret, I began to feel like there were just too many "big issues" being discussed here, and I yearned for a narrower focus.
Patrick's grandma was overweight and died from diabetes. Destiny's parents are hoarders and she lives in filth. Beef gets beat up by his dad. Gwennie seems to be developing an eating disorder. Ridings lost his wife and baby to a tornado. Wally gets a boner when he sees little kids in swimsuits. Robert is hyper and scrawny because his mom drank when she was pregnant. Patrick gets picked on for being gay. Tommy is rich and spoiled but must deal with his paranoid bigot of a grandmother. Dupree is a stoner. Bailee-Ann loves Vicodin. Cat's dad is an obese alcoholic who doesn't leave the couch. Cat has closed herself off to everyone after she was molested by someone she trusted when she was just 13. Everyone goes to - or avoids - the town's gossipy church. And oh, the meth. Almost everyone is involved with the business of meth - cooking, selling, running, using.
I get what Lauren Myracle was trying to do here - she's showing that we all have darkness in our lives and it is up to us to focus on the good parts, survive the bad parts, and shine through. I admire Lauren's outspoken reaction to the recent YA lit debates - teens need to read about this kind of darkness because they are often living through it themselves. I just felt like she was trying to squeeze too much in here, trying to tackle too many issues, to the point where these characters became caricatures of their problems - the stoner, the tweaker, the fat girl, the slut - instead of three-dimensional people. By scaling that back a bit, Myracle could have focused on the main issues here: meth use and hate crimes.
Another issue was that Cat manages to investigate and solve the mystery of Patrick's attack - just by talking to the people involved - in less than a week. Are small town police really that clueless that they couldn't do the same? They couldn't lean on the kids who already admitted to seeing Patrick that night, and who had shady alibis? This was a major hole in the plot, as was the ending. Cat solves the mystery, overcomes what had happened to her 3 years prior, saves somebody's life, falls in love, and instantly gets her friend Patrick back when he wakes up - perfectly lucid - in the hospital. Oh, and then Patrick decides to claim that he has no idea who attacked him, feigning memory loss and basically saying that it's okay to brutally hurt someone, as long as you were high at the time and feel bad about it later, and that, for certain people, being gay is a shameful thing that must be covered up. Too many ends tied up like pretty little ribbons and a sour taste in my mouth during the book's final impressions.
Finally, there were a few glaring editing errors - here should have been her, tales should have been tails - that Myracle's team neglected to catch.
Overall, a promising story-turned-caricature that ultimately sends the wrong message.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2012
Sometimes I feel like books in contemporary fiction are too implausible, that sometimes it’s like an author has thrown in every possible horrible situation out there just for the good measure that the story will be an impacting read. This is not to say that many awful things don’t happen to one group of people, because they absolutely do and it’s terrible, but it’s just that sometimes I find that authors aren’t able to realistically articulate rape, physical and substance abuse, homophobia, violence and teen pregnancy all at once, thus that maybe they shouldn’t have tried. I think that what makes Shine such a special story is that Myracle found the fine line of how much is just enough to include, making me believe that a load of issues can be written in one novel convincingly and well.
Cat’s orphaned, gay ex-best friend Patrick was beat and left for dead outside a gas station, and Cat, since nobody in her small, religious town is willing to, decides to investigate what very well seems like a hate crime. Cat, though, has many of her own personal struggles to overcome, but she figures that the first route to getting the pieces of herself back is to bring peace to a boy who deserves it.
It would have been very easy for Myracle to paint the characters in this particular story black and white, but instead she wrote every character practically, both as “good� and “bad,� as shades of grey. What might have frustrated me about the cast was that Myracle wrote each character with a heartbreaking story, but honestly, she did such a great job of keeping the story realistic, of remaining on that thin line, that her characterization was, ultimately, appreciated. Shine is very focused on the teenagers of Black Creek, but Myracle still keyed in essential adult characters that the story couldn’t have survived without.
The mystery of whodunit was well played, because all the way to the end I couldn’t make up my mind! I haven’t read a well written mystery in a long time, so it was refreshing to see that information was shared at the right times and nothing was too dragged out. Sometimes I wondered at Cat’s astonishing ability to piece clues together, and I also thought that the ending was too fanciful, but all in all, Shine progressed at a very smooth yet quick pace.
Myracle’s skilful writing of the south and small towns, and her seemingly unbiased yet personal detailing of the brutality that went down in Black Creek, leaves me in awe of her talent of smartly slipping wisdom into carefully developed ideas. I credit her for spectacular world-building in such a harrowing plot, as well as for her continuously fresh style. I hope to read much more of her writing in the future, and highly recommend Shine to all of my friends.
Cat’s orphaned, gay ex-best friend Patrick was beat and left for dead outside a gas station, and Cat, since nobody in her small, religious town is willing to, decides to investigate what very well seems like a hate crime. Cat, though, has many of her own personal struggles to overcome, but she figures that the first route to getting the pieces of herself back is to bring peace to a boy who deserves it.
It would have been very easy for Myracle to paint the characters in this particular story black and white, but instead she wrote every character practically, both as “good� and “bad,� as shades of grey. What might have frustrated me about the cast was that Myracle wrote each character with a heartbreaking story, but honestly, she did such a great job of keeping the story realistic, of remaining on that thin line, that her characterization was, ultimately, appreciated. Shine is very focused on the teenagers of Black Creek, but Myracle still keyed in essential adult characters that the story couldn’t have survived without.
The mystery of whodunit was well played, because all the way to the end I couldn’t make up my mind! I haven’t read a well written mystery in a long time, so it was refreshing to see that information was shared at the right times and nothing was too dragged out. Sometimes I wondered at Cat’s astonishing ability to piece clues together, and I also thought that the ending was too fanciful, but all in all, Shine progressed at a very smooth yet quick pace.
Myracle’s skilful writing of the south and small towns, and her seemingly unbiased yet personal detailing of the brutality that went down in Black Creek, leaves me in awe of her talent of smartly slipping wisdom into carefully developed ideas. I credit her for spectacular world-building in such a harrowing plot, as well as for her continuously fresh style. I hope to read much more of her writing in the future, and highly recommend Shine to all of my friends.
January 2, 2013
I rate this book 5 stars.
Close your eyes. Imagine yourself alone, bloodied, the still night surrounding you. There's only the flickering of a small, lone light bulb right above you, but there's no one there - you are completely, utterly alone, beaten and bloodied, strapped to a gas pump with the words Suck this, faggot scratched across your chest. There's a gas nozzle stuck in your mouth, making you swallow the oil because there's nothing else you can do, and the fumes are making you lightheaded, fusing into your mouth and through your body.
This is how seventeen-year-old Patrick Truman is left for the sole reason that he is gay.
Now, while Patrick lies in a coma in the hospital, his ex-best friend Cat decides to step up and find out who the culprit is. Along the way she discovers the truth of her seemingly small, innocent town, and struggles to come to the light of who did the crime: a person she never, ever expected.
When I first picked up this book, I was more into mystery than anything else. I realized I hadn't read a nice, believable murder mystery in a long time so I found this one, hoping it would help assuage my desires.
But it did so much more than that.
While I was engaged into the story, I also realized the messages this book was trying to convey to me. I took a whole new approach to the issues of gay rights and how homosexuality is treated not just in America, but everywhere, even in small, inconspicuous towns around the world. There are lots of people who vouch for gay rights, and then those who don't, and then there are those who are neutral - that side on neither side. I didn't get a "side" from Lauren Myracle - while it was obvious she was maybe standing up gay rights, she was definitely defending the right not to make fun or treat someone different just because of their sexual orientation. And this, obviously, can extend to different things about a person.
It was enlightening, this book. The plot was always suspenseful, suspecting one person and then finding out it was null before going to the other and finding it was null also. I had no idea who the culprit would be, but then when I found out, I could go back and see the signs. The ending wasn't happy - more bittersweet than anything else. While Cat made it her job to find out who did it, she also discovered things about herself along the way: not to hide herself underneath her exterior shell, for example, or not to close herself off from her friends because of an accident she never chose to heal from.
As a book, I can definitely rate this five stars.
Close your eyes. Imagine yourself alone, bloodied, the still night surrounding you. There's only the flickering of a small, lone light bulb right above you, but there's no one there - you are completely, utterly alone, beaten and bloodied, strapped to a gas pump with the words Suck this, faggot scratched across your chest. There's a gas nozzle stuck in your mouth, making you swallow the oil because there's nothing else you can do, and the fumes are making you lightheaded, fusing into your mouth and through your body.
This is how seventeen-year-old Patrick Truman is left for the sole reason that he is gay.
Now, while Patrick lies in a coma in the hospital, his ex-best friend Cat decides to step up and find out who the culprit is. Along the way she discovers the truth of her seemingly small, innocent town, and struggles to come to the light of who did the crime: a person she never, ever expected.
When I first picked up this book, I was more into mystery than anything else. I realized I hadn't read a nice, believable murder mystery in a long time so I found this one, hoping it would help assuage my desires.
But it did so much more than that.
While I was engaged into the story, I also realized the messages this book was trying to convey to me. I took a whole new approach to the issues of gay rights and how homosexuality is treated not just in America, but everywhere, even in small, inconspicuous towns around the world. There are lots of people who vouch for gay rights, and then those who don't, and then there are those who are neutral - that side on neither side. I didn't get a "side" from Lauren Myracle - while it was obvious she was maybe standing up gay rights, she was definitely defending the right not to make fun or treat someone different just because of their sexual orientation. And this, obviously, can extend to different things about a person.
It was enlightening, this book. The plot was always suspenseful, suspecting one person and then finding out it was null before going to the other and finding it was null also. I had no idea who the culprit would be, but then when I found out, I could go back and see the signs. The ending wasn't happy - more bittersweet than anything else. While Cat made it her job to find out who did it, she also discovered things about herself along the way: not to hide herself underneath her exterior shell, for example, or not to close herself off from her friends because of an accident she never chose to heal from.
As a book, I can definitely rate this five stars.
March 4, 2011
Lauren Myracle’s SHINE uses atmosphere and suspense to examine small-town life and the intolerance and complexities that can underlie it. When Cat was thirteen, she was best friends with Patrick, but then something happened and she stopped speaking to most people. Now, three years later, Patrick is the victim of a horrible hate crime. When the investigation stalls, Cat decides to unravel the mystery for herself and bring Patrick’s attacker to justice. In the process, Cat uncovers startling information about small-town politics, hidden secrets, drug culture, and what it means to stand up for someone.
From the outset of SHINE, Myracle impressed me with her clear, descriptive writing and its ability to create a stifling atmosphere for the town and its inhabitants. This style worked well for a story that provides an unflinching examination of homophobia, poverty, drugs, and the long-term impacts of intolerance and assault. The author also managed to do what most writers do not: she portrayed the people of a small, rural town as real and complicated, not stupid or backwards. Instead of falling into easy stereotypes, the main characters are depicted as people with complex desires but limited opportunities. Each character, even the protagonist, is not wholly good or wholly bad. The mystery plot also plays out in a mostly believable way, without any need for Cat to put herself into unlikely, supernatural, or unbelievable situations in order to solve the crime.
Even with this mix of suspense and compelling issues, SHINE never grabbed me as much as I had hoped. Though there were many emotional and poignant details in the story, I never became really invested in the characters. Parts of the mystery were predictable, and some clues were discovered too easily with characters too willing to talk. Slow pacing pulled things down a bit in the middle, and the outcomes at the end of the novel felt too convenient and somewhat unsettling in their possible messages. Despite the uplifting connotation of the title, which is referenced in the book, the story also ended without much uplift or hope.
SHINE has much to offer with its realistic and gritty depiction of the often harsh realities of living in small town America. In future books, however, I hope that Myracle’s ability to create mood and setting pull me into the characters� lives and struggles more.
Note: This review refers to an advance reader's copy.
From the outset of SHINE, Myracle impressed me with her clear, descriptive writing and its ability to create a stifling atmosphere for the town and its inhabitants. This style worked well for a story that provides an unflinching examination of homophobia, poverty, drugs, and the long-term impacts of intolerance and assault. The author also managed to do what most writers do not: she portrayed the people of a small, rural town as real and complicated, not stupid or backwards. Instead of falling into easy stereotypes, the main characters are depicted as people with complex desires but limited opportunities. Each character, even the protagonist, is not wholly good or wholly bad. The mystery plot also plays out in a mostly believable way, without any need for Cat to put herself into unlikely, supernatural, or unbelievable situations in order to solve the crime.
Even with this mix of suspense and compelling issues, SHINE never grabbed me as much as I had hoped. Though there were many emotional and poignant details in the story, I never became really invested in the characters. Parts of the mystery were predictable, and some clues were discovered too easily with characters too willing to talk. Slow pacing pulled things down a bit in the middle, and the outcomes at the end of the novel felt too convenient and somewhat unsettling in their possible messages. Despite the uplifting connotation of the title, which is referenced in the book, the story also ended without much uplift or hope.
SHINE has much to offer with its realistic and gritty depiction of the often harsh realities of living in small town America. In future books, however, I hope that Myracle’s ability to create mood and setting pull me into the characters� lives and struggles more.
Note: This review refers to an advance reader's copy.
December 10, 2011
Rating 3.5
Shine begins with the main character Cat discovering that her former best friend Patrick has been the victim of a vicious hate crime, he’s been beaten and left for dead with a gas nozzle shoved in his mouth. While Cat and Patrick were no longer as close as they had once been, this attack shakes her to her core, especially since she thinks she has an idea who was involved and she sets out to uncover the truth about what happened. This requires that Cat face her own demons and reconnect with those people she had shut herself away from after her own traumatic incident that was also swept under the rug and never discussed, even among her own family.
I have mixed feelings about Shine. I thought the writing was excellent and the characters were certainly interesting and engaging. I believe the author really captured the essence of southern small town life, the good and the bad. And I really enjoyed trying to solve the mystery along with Cat, I had the whole “who done it� somewhat figured out, but the end was quite a bit different than what I was expecting. The issues I had with Shine was the lack of accountability and consequences for many poor choices on the part of the characters. On the other hand, I liked that the “good guy� and “bad guy� were not so clearly defined. Everyone was shown to be human and all too fallible. I think where I had a problem is that I believe there are some actions that an “I’m sorry� simply is not enough to atone for. I believe there should be real and tangible consequences, although I do understand that in many small towns there is the tendency to turn a blind eye to certain things. I just didn’t like that the focus seemed to be more on the “human� side of the ones who victimized than on justice for the victims.
With that being said, this is absolutely a stirring story that explores some very difficult issues, poverty, small town bigotry, hate crimes, sexual assault, homosexuality, and drug abuse. I think the characters were very authentic and the story believable. My heart broke for Cat as she relived some painful moments and learned to trust herself and others again. I would definitely recommend Shine to those who enjoy YA Contemporary or stories with a southern setting.
Shine begins with the main character Cat discovering that her former best friend Patrick has been the victim of a vicious hate crime, he’s been beaten and left for dead with a gas nozzle shoved in his mouth. While Cat and Patrick were no longer as close as they had once been, this attack shakes her to her core, especially since she thinks she has an idea who was involved and she sets out to uncover the truth about what happened. This requires that Cat face her own demons and reconnect with those people she had shut herself away from after her own traumatic incident that was also swept under the rug and never discussed, even among her own family.
I have mixed feelings about Shine. I thought the writing was excellent and the characters were certainly interesting and engaging. I believe the author really captured the essence of southern small town life, the good and the bad. And I really enjoyed trying to solve the mystery along with Cat, I had the whole “who done it� somewhat figured out, but the end was quite a bit different than what I was expecting. The issues I had with Shine was the lack of accountability and consequences for many poor choices on the part of the characters. On the other hand, I liked that the “good guy� and “bad guy� were not so clearly defined. Everyone was shown to be human and all too fallible. I think where I had a problem is that I believe there are some actions that an “I’m sorry� simply is not enough to atone for. I believe there should be real and tangible consequences, although I do understand that in many small towns there is the tendency to turn a blind eye to certain things. I just didn’t like that the focus seemed to be more on the “human� side of the ones who victimized than on justice for the victims.
With that being said, this is absolutely a stirring story that explores some very difficult issues, poverty, small town bigotry, hate crimes, sexual assault, homosexuality, and drug abuse. I think the characters were very authentic and the story believable. My heart broke for Cat as she relived some painful moments and learned to trust herself and others again. I would definitely recommend Shine to those who enjoy YA Contemporary or stories with a southern setting.
August 29, 2015
Guys! I read a mystery book and I didn't hate it! IT'S A MYRACLE! (I'm really sorry. I just couldn't help myself.)
Lots of people have been giving this four or five stars, but before you reach for a copy of "Shine," allow me to say that if you aren't used to reading teen fiction, aren't used to exercising your empathic abilities, or take issue with books in which the characters possess vacillating personalities, this might not be your cup of tea.
Here's the deal with Lauren Myracle's work: She is not a witty or "clever" writer. You aren't going to pick up a Lauren Myracle book and start peeling back layers of metaphorical meaning like an artichoke. She doesn't attempt to flatter your ego by paying homage to famous works by famous authors you likely haven't touched since college, and whose ideas you pretend to remember. You are not going to fall in love with any of her characters, or get lost in a fictional universe she's created. Lauren Myracle is not out to pen the next Great American Novel. She is a storyteller working with a pen instead of her voice. She possesses the ability to grab her readers' interest and hold their attention, and it wouldn't matter if she was writing about the apocalypse or last week's grocery list--I guarantee you would be unable to tear your eyes away.
This is an excellent pick for reluctant readers. I think anyone who likes Gail Giles, Walter Dean Myers, Patricia McCormick, or John Green would be up for this. It also brought to mind "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher, so it might be a good read-alike for that crowd as well.
Lots of people have been giving this four or five stars, but before you reach for a copy of "Shine," allow me to say that if you aren't used to reading teen fiction, aren't used to exercising your empathic abilities, or take issue with books in which the characters possess vacillating personalities, this might not be your cup of tea.
Here's the deal with Lauren Myracle's work: She is not a witty or "clever" writer. You aren't going to pick up a Lauren Myracle book and start peeling back layers of metaphorical meaning like an artichoke. She doesn't attempt to flatter your ego by paying homage to famous works by famous authors you likely haven't touched since college, and whose ideas you pretend to remember. You are not going to fall in love with any of her characters, or get lost in a fictional universe she's created. Lauren Myracle is not out to pen the next Great American Novel. She is a storyteller working with a pen instead of her voice. She possesses the ability to grab her readers' interest and hold their attention, and it wouldn't matter if she was writing about the apocalypse or last week's grocery list--I guarantee you would be unable to tear your eyes away.
This is an excellent pick for reluctant readers. I think anyone who likes Gail Giles, Walter Dean Myers, Patricia McCormick, or John Green would be up for this. It also brought to mind "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher, so it might be a good read-alike for that crowd as well.
February 4, 2011
I have a feeling this book will be my favorite for the year. I expect it to be on lots of award lists.
"This little light of mine, I'm gonna' let it shine...." When Cat's childhood friend and playmate is found beaten and tied to a gas pump with the gas nozzel taped to his mouth, she is determined to find out who did this to Patrick. In a small, country town there are not too many suspects even though she knows the sheriff will try to pass it off as a car load of college boys passing through. She knew Patrick was gay, and it was not a secret to anyone who knew him. Her flashbacks to growing up with Patrick who lived with his grandmother, Sweet Mama, are bittersweet as she also recalls the shame and humiliation one of the local boys caused her so that she dropped out of life and cut off relations with all of her friends including Patrick. However, she also remembers some of the life lessons she picked up from Sweet Mama, a strong woman of faith. When she starts to uncover the truth, she discovers that everyone has a secret, and uncovering the secrets could cost her more pain and loss. The answer is out there, but does she have the courage to face it and overcome her own fear? Recommended for grades 9+. This book will appeal to readers who love mystery, suspense, and realistic fiction.
"This little light of mine, I'm gonna' let it shine...." When Cat's childhood friend and playmate is found beaten and tied to a gas pump with the gas nozzel taped to his mouth, she is determined to find out who did this to Patrick. In a small, country town there are not too many suspects even though she knows the sheriff will try to pass it off as a car load of college boys passing through. She knew Patrick was gay, and it was not a secret to anyone who knew him. Her flashbacks to growing up with Patrick who lived with his grandmother, Sweet Mama, are bittersweet as she also recalls the shame and humiliation one of the local boys caused her so that she dropped out of life and cut off relations with all of her friends including Patrick. However, she also remembers some of the life lessons she picked up from Sweet Mama, a strong woman of faith. When she starts to uncover the truth, she discovers that everyone has a secret, and uncovering the secrets could cost her more pain and loss. The answer is out there, but does she have the courage to face it and overcome her own fear? Recommended for grades 9+. This book will appeal to readers who love mystery, suspense, and realistic fiction.
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