Reviews

Shine of the Ever by Claire Rudy Foster

rdebner's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

rutt's review against another edition

dnf. going directly into the garage sale pile. so many of these stories had me cringing and uncomfortable. no thank you.

daveroche's review against another edition

3.5

OK, this book wasn't bad, but the blurb on the back promised "a literary mix tape of queer voices out of 90s Portland," and it was not that. I was hoping for some allusions to places and things I would recognize from my time there in the early 00s, but all but the first and last story mentioned dating apps and Uber and podcasts. Which is fine! The stories were good, but it wasn't what I was hoping for. 

categal's review against another edition

4.0

These are great. Each story gets better, building to the title story that is just fantastic.

molesworth's review against another edition

3.0

The writing was good, and maybe I’d like it better if I wasn’t a portland native. I found the elitism exhausting and the biphobia lame. Also why did the blurb on the back talk about the 1990s? None of these stories take place in the 90’s. The descriptions of summer were the best parts of this book. It was nice to have protagonists that were trans and queer, something we don’t get enough of. 3.5

library_lurker's review against another edition

4.0

god damn. it's so nice to read a book and actually relate to it. the blurb says it's about the 90's but mostly it seemed to be the mid-2000's, a weird time in a lot of cities where they were about to get extremely gentrified but nobody knew exactly what was going to come. I think the author and I are around the same age, I was in my 20's in that decade and goddamn did these stories hit home. they're very well-written too, with the occasional perfect line that shimmers like a freepile diamond and punches you in the gut all at once.

eldritchteacozy's review against another edition

4.0

Shine of the Ever is everything it's described as, a grungy mixtape of queer misfits trying to make it in a less than perfect world. It was a very interesting read, and I really enjoyed the way things were never quite wrapped up. It felt very true to life that way. It was also interesting to see the threads connecting the characters. I did feel bad for that clown, though. She reminded me of a Magnetic Fields song.

Would recommend for people who like gritty slice of life short stories.

FTC disclosure: I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

kayrich13's review against another edition

3.0

I wanted to love this. Some stories were too long and some were way too short. #ShineOfTheEver #NetGalley

jakreamer's review against another edition

4.0

A jem of a book.

hurst10's review

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75