my mother viewed books written by Americans, but I did take away the sense that for me, summers are reserved for braver reading. Summers are for books that stretch you, for cracking open the unknown, and having the mental space to immerse.
This summer, I will not be reading Thackeray, okay? Sorry, mom. I’ll now admit that reading
Review
“Not only entertaining, but nuanced and wise … blending wit and imagination with an oddly mesmerizing, matter-of-fact cadence, Netzer’s debut is a delightfully unique love story and a resounding paean to individuality.”
“Netzer’s storytelling method is as poetic as her language. She slowly assembles a multitude of pinpoint insights that converge to form a glimmering constellation … a stellar, thought-provoking debut.”
“Over the moon with a metaphysical spin. Heart-tugging … it is struggling to understand the physical realities of life and the nature of what makes us human….Nicely unpredictable…Extraordinary.”
“You’re pulled into the drama through the incredible natural beauty of her writing … deftly and wittily done … people say her style reminds them of Anne Tyler, but she reminded me a little bit more of Don DeLillo.”
“Entirely winning … a refreshingly weird story about the exuberant weirdness of familial love.”
“Netzer deftly illuminates the bonds that transcend shortcomings and tragedy. Characterized by finely textured emotions and dramatic storytelling, Netzer’s world will draw readers happily into its orbit.”
“Netzer has beautifully crafted an original story with a cast of characters who make up an unconventional but strangely believable family… This story will shine, shine, shine for all adult readers.”
“The novel traces Maxon and Sunny’s relationship from their childhoods in Burma and Appalachia to outer space, revealing the futility of chasing an ideal of what’s normal…
“Lydia Netzer’s luminous debut novel concerns what lies beneath society’s pretty surfaces — Sunny’s congenital hairlessness, her husband’s remoteness, their son’s autism. What makes it unexpectedly moving is how skillfully Netzer then peels back those layers, finding heartbreaking depth even in characters who lack ordinary social skills.”
“Netzer has penned a modern take on alienation, building a family, making connections — creating memorable characters and an odd, idiosyncratic, but highly believable narrative along the way.”
“Netzer uses [Sunny and Maxon] to explore the limits of love, family and what it is that makes us human and to create a tale that is utterly compelling and original.”
“There are certain novels that are just twisty, delightfully so.
“Lydia Netzer’s marvelous debut novel introduces an unusual couple dealing with extraordinary challenges. When a car accident forces Sunny to confront the past that she hides under a blond wig, her genius astronaut husband, Maxon, is distracted by the fact that he’s on his way to the moon. An original story of life’s unpredictability and the cosmic power of love.”
“Netzer’s first novel, the wacky, touching and deliciously readable ‘Shine Shine Shine,’ draws heavily on her own unconventional life … this unassuming novelist … is the ‘it’ girl of contemporary literature.”
“[Sunny and Maxon’s] peculiarities form an endearing story in
