Weekend Writing: Reviewing Lydia Netzer's "Shine Shine Shine"

"These experiences were not lodged in Maxon's memory. They were not allowed to stay there." - Lydia Netzer, "Shine Shine Shine" 

Lydia Netzer's debut novel, Shine Shine Shine, has a first impression of being a novel about space and astronauts. But it's more than that. It's a novel about a family who must learn to be stronger together than they are individually. Over the past few years, Sunny and Maxon Mann have been growing increasingly far apart emotionally. Their marriage is tested more now than ever before, and it couldn't be at a more inopportune time: Maxon is on his way to the moon.

Lydia Netzer's "Shine Shine Shine" (photo/Kasy Long).

Maxon is a genius who has been tasked by NASA with delivering a payload of robots to the moon so they may begin working on the first human moon colony. This is Maxon's dream, but while he is in orbit, Sunny is maintaining her guise as the "perfect" wife, mother, and homemaker, even as she deals with her terminally ill mother, an autistic toddler, and her second pregnancy.

Sunny has her life together until she has a car accident that knocks off her wig. Readers learn Sunny has been completely bald since birth for reasons even doctors can't explain. Her mother never wanted her to wear a wig, but once she and Maxon moved to Norfolk, Virginia, she underwent the transformation to the perfect suburban wife and mother, complete with a variety of wigs for every occasion. She wears stuck-on eyelashes and eyebrows. As long as she wears the wig, she feels "normal." So, when her wig flies off during the accident and the community learns about her secret, she realizes maybe the wig didn't matter much after all.

She reflects on her childhood. She remembers when she met Maxon when they were young children. They were destined to grow up, fall in love, and get married. She remembers when their relationship was good and the events that led to where they are now: distant, and it's not just because Maxon is in space. They are distant in their romance and they have to find their way back--back to the love they shared when they first kissed at an astronomy planetarium.

Sunny's car accident and realizations are mirrored by a similar collision in space. An asteroid strikes Maxon's rocket and the astronauts may never return home. Maxon reflects on his own memories with Sunny--the girl who saved his life countless times. The girl he fell in love with when he was seven years old and was still in love with on his journey in space. According to him, once he fell in love, it was a switch. Their love was switched on and it would never turn off--as long as they both lived.

Lydia Netzer (photo/New York Times)

Maxon and Sunny love each other, it's no doubt. They're deeply in love, but they have forgotten how to show their affection. Many readers could relate to this complex love story. Shine Shine Shine is an exquisitely written novel about family. The characters are quirky and unique, but they're also damaged by their childhoods. They're realistic, passionate, and strong in their own way. Netzer's story is of personal growth and discovery between two people--mirrored by Sunny's personal discovery of her insecurity of being bald, and Maxon's discoveries of space and science.

I adored everything about this novel. Netzer writes with intelligence and her story is enriched with realistic tales about family and romance. Shine Shine Shine is the perfect combination of science and emotion, allowing it to be accessible to most readers. It's obvious Netzer cared so deeply about her characters. You can't help loving them, too. Hopefully, you'll grow to love Sunny and Maxon, as well.

Read on.

-KJL-