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|title=The Shining Girls

|sort=Shining Girls, The

|publisher=HarperCollins

|date=April 2013

|website=http://laurenbeukes.com/

|summary=A truly terrifying and astonishingly clever thriller that breaks all the rules. The story of a time-travelling serial killer and the victim who got away, this book will cut you up inside.

}}

As ''The Shining Girls''’ tagline says, this is a thriller that breaks all the boundaries. It’s a vicious murder plot that’s based on science fiction concepts, a science fiction novel which leaves its central concepts barely, sparely explained. I haven’t read anything like it before, and in a strong and crowded crime fiction field it stands out like a searchlight. But beware. If you’re sitting comfortably as you begin reading ''The Shining Girls'', you won’t be for long. This book sets out to cut you up inside.

Did I like this book? I’m not sure ''like'' is the right word. I was frightened, upset and at times even physically repulsed by it. But it’s a fascinating object, as bright and terrible as one of Harper’s shining souvenirs. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it and its characters since I finished it two weeks ago. With this novel Beukes has truly done something astonishing. She’s created a fantasy world so real that you feel terrified you might end up in it.

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