“The Shining Girls” by Lauren Beukes – Time-Traveling Maniacs

Time travelling is a very complex concept to grasp, especially considering that the debate rages on as to whether or not it would actually be possible in the real world. For this reason, whenever you read a book or see a movie that deals with the subject, it is best to simply suspend your sense of disbelief, forget about all the apparent paradoxes, and enjoy the show. 

This is the approach you ought to take with The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes, for it deals with a time-traveling killer hell-bent on snuffing out the lives of the “shining girls”, very bright women with unlimited potential.

However, Harper Curtis’ (that is the killer’s name) plan goes awry when one of his victims survives and decides to help an ex-homicide reporter, Dan Velasquez, to find the killer and stop him from distorting the flow of fate. Also, just to clear things up, Harper can travel through time thanks to a house in depression-era Chicago that serves as a gateway to other times. 

To begin, I’d like to discuss the flaws this book has and get them out of the way. The descriptions can sometimes feel redundant, especially when it comes to the city of Chicago itself; you get the impression that she is describing the same places over and over again with small variations, and when landmarks are mentioned it feels as if they are devoid of any meaning.

As far as the characters are concerned, there are a few instances where the dialog between two protagonists simply falls flat, in addition to which Kirby’s (the shining girl who survived) constant use of sarcasm can end up being a real turn-off. Also, it should be mentioned that there are some gruesome passages that are there for the sake of blood rather than meaning.

While those flaws may be holding the book back, they certainly don’t prevent it from being an enjoyable read. The mystery itself and the flow of the book certainly keep you on your toes (I won’t spoil it but the finale is nothing if not excellent), and the other shining girls actually make for very interesting and multi-dimensional characters.

Also, the killer, who is arguably the main star of the show, knows how to steal the spotlight with his philosophies and motivations. Though I did mention it to be a flaw, if you are a fan of violence, then you’ll be glad to know that the author doesn’t pull any punches with her descriptions; your thirst for blood is guaranteed to be satiated. 

All things considered, even though The Shining Girls is far from being perfect, it nevertheless remains an enthralling novel that will serve as a very good distraction on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I recommend it to any murder mystery fans who are capable of suspending their sense of disbelief. 

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Lauren Beukes Personal site Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Lauren Beukes is a known novelist, journalist and television scriptwriter who holds an MA in creative writing from the University of Cape Town. After spending nearly ten years as a freelance journalist, she decided to settle down in Cape Town with her family and start to dish out books, including arguably her greatest hit, The Shining Girls.

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