Still, it was well-written and well-executed.

That being said, the dialogue (and internal monologues) sometimes came across as less than natural. She clearly knows a great deal about this particular region (or areas like it) or has researched it enough to portray it in a realistic way. The minor characters, such as the church ladies, the meth cooker, and the bar tender, are static (some might say cliché), but they do round-out the community environment and serve their purposes.ģ – Satisfactory Prose/Style, conducive to the Story.įor the most part, I found Myracle’s prose to be perfectly suited to the reading level and the tone of the novel. They are complex enough, too, to add further mystery to the plot and to complicate Cat’s investigation, not to mention her own attempt at reintegrating herself with the group. Mama Sweetie, Patrick’s grandmother, leaves a legacy for Patrick and Cat even after she is gone Cat’s father, brother, and aunt, all play pivotal roles in developing her character and her response to Patrick’s tragedy her friends (The Redneck Posse) are realistic in their actions, good and bad, and in the ways they treat one another, as well as any outsiders.

She blames herself for not being there to help and, on her quest to find out what happened and to bring the criminal to justice, she also begins to repair herself and her old friendships, and even to seek out new ones.Īlthough some of the characters, such as Jason, a friend of Patrick’s who, like Cat, is determined to find out what happened to him, seem a bit too conveniently placed to be believable, most of them are integral to the plot, work well with the story, and fit in with the particular group of people in this particular place that Myracle has created. Although the disturbing thing that happens to her is only alluded to during the first part of the story, it clearly affects her relationship with her family and with her friends – she, too, becomes introverted and, because of this, is not with her best friend Patrick when the book’s major tragedy strikes. As Cat becomes a teenager, she learns, in a terrible way, just how much her body has changed and how she has begun to catch the eye of boys her age (and older). He’s also openly gay, which is brave considering he and Cat live in very rural North Carolina. Patrick is a bit of a nerd and an introvert, though he does have friends. Cat is a tomboy who doesn’t mind getting a bit dirty and who doesn’t realize just how pretty she is. 4 – Plot/Story is interesting/believable and impactful (socially, academically, etc.)Ĭat and Patrick are best of friends.

Shine by Lauren Myracle