A review by binxthinx
Shiner, by Amy Jo Burns
4.0
For the most part, beautifully written. Sometimes the dialogue sounds pretty unrealistic, but I kinda attributed that to the whole “legend” theme. However, there are some weird, clunky phrases occasionally that jar you out of the flow of the story, but fortunately they don’t happen too often.
Loved the strong mother daughter bond, the idea of knowing and not knowing your parents, gender politics, and strong female friendship. I’m glad the author put in some good male characters so they’re not all horrible selfish assholes (just most!). All I know about this culture is what I’ve read, and she’s from this background, I think, so I’m sure the sexist, abusive elements feel true to her and aren’t just the usual crazy embellishments that “outsiders” attribute to this culture. And I like that she shows the beauty and good that can exist in this culture and level of poverty, because that’s often omitted in stories about rural WV. The ending seems hopeful, although maybe a bit confusing in its implications (or maybe that’s just me). Not a fan of rape as drama and character-defining Worst Thing That Can Happen to a Woman, but at least it’s more implied than described here, and since it’s written by a woman with understanding of the topic, it’s not as off-putting as this trope can be.
Loved the strong mother daughter bond, the idea of knowing and not knowing your parents, gender politics, and strong female friendship. I’m glad the author put in some good male characters so they’re not all horrible selfish assholes (just most!). All I know about this culture is what I’ve read, and she’s from this background, I think, so I’m sure the sexist, abusive elements feel true to her and aren’t just the usual crazy embellishments that “outsiders” attribute to this culture. And I like that she shows the beauty and good that can exist in this culture and level of poverty, because that’s often omitted in stories about rural WV. The ending seems hopeful, although maybe a bit confusing in its implications (or maybe that’s just me). Not a fan of rape as drama and character-defining Worst Thing That Can Happen to a Woman, but at least it’s more implied than described here, and since it’s written by a woman with understanding of the topic, it’s not as off-putting as this trope can be.