Not for the faint of heart (or stomach), The Shining Girls is less about time travel, and more about the tenacity and fragility of life in the face of violence during all times. Beukes is a master story-teller, and created characters that will stick with me for years to come. However, while the writing is absolutely terrific and paints a haunting picture of a truly terrifying man, the vicious, brutal details of his murders were difficult to get through. For me, it worked both for and against the book - but in the end, I found it worth all the queasy bus rides and deep breaths I had to take. 3 stars for nausea-inducing descriptions. 5 stars for awesome writing, creativity, and characters.
