Shine of the Ever

by Claire Rudy Foster

Shine of the Ever is a literary mix tape of queer voices out of 1990s Portland. By turns tender and punk-tough, fierce and loving, this collection of short stories explores what binds a community of queer and trans people as they negotiate love, screwing up and learning to forgive themselves for being young and sometimes foolish.

Genres: Short Stories, LGBT, Fiction, Queer, Anthologies, Audiobook

188 pages, Paperback

First published November 5, 2019

About the author

Claire Rudy Foster's debut short story collection, Shine of the Ever, was named as one of the best LGBTQ books of the year by O: The Oprah Magazine and was a finalist for the Foreword INDIE Awards. The book was selected for the ALA 2021 Over the Rainbow Fiction and Poetry Longlist.

Foster's essays and fiction have appeared in many places, including The New York Times, Lit Hub, The Guardian, Mic, McSweeney's, and Catapult. Their writing has been recognized with four Pushcart Prize nominations. Foster is the co-writer of the bestselling nonfiction book Unsettled: How the Purdue Pharma Bankruptcy Failed the Victims of the American Overdose Crisis, which was named the "best bankruptcy book in the world" and one of Ralph Nader’s top picks of the year.

Reviews

[Anika · Rating 2 out of 5]

This "mixtape of queer voices" is a short story collection of various glances into queer peoples' lives in Portland. The stories, however, couldn't really catch my attention, at least not all of them, not all the time.

I was hoping to get a better understanding, a more intimate approach of what it felt like being a gay/queer/trans person in the 1990s (turned out the book never had a chance to fulfil half of this this anyways, no thanks to mismarketing on the blurb*, so maybe I went into it with the wrong expectation). And the author gives various insights into parts of their and their community's problems, experienced discriminations and pain - be it beause of their queerness and/or addiction/substance abuse. However, sadly, I just couldn't really connect to the stories. Most of them just flew by without leaving a lasting impression. I'm kind of disappointed, since I'd hoped for more, but well.

Two things I noticed in some of the stories that struck me as weird/odd: First, apparently gentrification is a huge topic in Portland as in so many other places, and in this mix, it's most often a reason to snob everybody new, people who change the city or scenery for whatever reason (not to say I think gentrification is a generally good idea - that's not my issue here - but rather the here and there not so subtle elitist feeling of they who haven't lived here for ever-and-a-day are not really worth it anyway). Secondly, I got a strong vibe of bi women not really being welcome, too :(

*I thought this was filled with 1990's vibes aka the vibes of my young adult years - turns out, the blurb's "1990s Portland" more referred to people born in (the) 1990(s). The mismarketing weirdness strikes again. But well, not the book's fault.

[Peter Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always admired Foster's work, especially the energy of how they write relationships, and that is on full display, here, with all manner of different complications and enhanced sophistication.
It's a wonderfully focused collection in terms of times, issues and place, but it never feels over-focused because the characters and situations are so specific. Wow, the world and whole domestic situation of "Stay Cool"--so much dimension, so rich, so hard to really demonize anyone, there. The wonderful subtle surprises and connections of "How to Be a Better Metamour," all those many refractions of Ada in the title story. I am just hinting to not ruin anything, but those are some of the stories that really struck me. Really fine.

[Ocean · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quintessential book in the Portland lit genre. Foster's stories explore queer relationships from the Egyptian Club of the 90s to the more current landscape of accelerated growth and poly-friendly relationship circles. The humor and rain-soaked adventures of Foster's characters fit well alongside other PDX standouts like Chelsey Johnson's Stray City and Monica Drake's The Folly of Loving Life. The long title story, especially, is a pure joy to read.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely exploration of related characters exploring complex relationships between themselves, others and the larger world. Illuminating. Gorgeously queer.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shine of the Ever is a collection of short stories about women in Portland, Oregon, most of whom are gay or transgender. While the writing is lovely, most of the stories are sad. They capture women trying to remake their lives, learning that something in their lives has to give, making decisions for themselves, and being lucky or (mostly) unlucky in love. Recovery from drug and alcohol abuse is a common theme here, as is lack of money. Lives that are not often represented in pop culture are showcased in Shine of the Ever. That said, no story or character particularly stands out to me. It's an intriguing box of chocolates, but a bitter one.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Istoria Lit · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Claire Rudy Foster’s new short story collection, Shine of the Ever, I was truly stunned. Foster short stories were full of people grappling with situations that I had lived through. On the pages were characters dealing with unrequited love, repressed sexuality, strained friendships and other wonderfully mundane or fantastically chaotic moments that you find in real life.

[Stephanie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful collection of stories that focus on queer life in Portland. There are stories of love, unrequited love, trans love, self love, friendship. It’s about real life where live, love and make mistakes and we learn to deal with those mistakes. My only issue is I didn’t want some of the stories to end. Which is a great thing. Definitely recommend reading.

[Molsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Raw and beautiful, with stories that are uplifting and powerful without being cheesy or sounding like stories you've already heard a million times. These are lovingly written and capture both the energy of Portland and the many, many queer experiences that are just as unique as the people themselves.

[Emrys Donaldson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this collection of stories about pre-gentrification Portland. These narrators struggle with self-knowledge and doomed relationships; they love and lose; they are rendered here in wonderful detail.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each perfect story in this collection has its own sound that shines. I have been savoring the stories and look forward to more from this talented author.

[Izabella McBride · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really captured the feeling of being anything ‘other’ in a world that seems determined to kill you. My favourite work in the collection was probably Venus Conjunct Saturn.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly a lyrical mixtape of queer voices from a transitional time in Portland, Oregon’s society (citizens, people). A witty and mystical, yet down-to-Earth representation of the evolution of a progressive city and its inhabitants. Each track (essay) reminds the reader of a spirit that is slowly fading and giving birth to a new way of being. For those beginning their journey into a more honest connection to themselves, those who may feel lost and those who may have been on the journey much longer, this collection resonates through a voice encouraging us to step into our personal power and embrace the undefined, undetermined reality of existence. Casual musings, anomalous experiences, seemingly mundane day-to-day interactions that result in existential quandaries and serendipitous occasions beat at the heart of Shine of the Ever.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foster’s “Shine of the Ever” was a hard book to read. Not because of any faults, but because of its brilliance. Foster’s work is so raw that it can make the reader uncomfortable, but I struggle to think of any collection I’ve read that even comes close to capturing how real life feels.

These short stories explore ideas of sexuality, gender, addiction, recovery, and most importantly, love. These stories capture relationships that are messy and finds the beauty that they hold.

The atmosphere of this book was so rich and as someone who has recently moved to Portland, it captures the city so well. I loved all the details and references. It really helped the stories and Portland come to life for the reader.

My favorite part of this entire collection was the writing itself. I found myself highlighting so many lines that just hit me in the gut. These lines provided so much hope and clarity amongst the chaos of life that I just want to hug the words to me and hold them close.

I think that this collection excels and will continue to speak for generations to come. It’s a collection that you can read over and over again and take away different things depending on what you’re going through in life at the moment.

I hope that this short story collection continues to get the praise that it deserves, because it deserves it all. A must read.

[bibliophagy · Rating 1 out of 5]

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

[Julien · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Arja Salafranca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A selection of funky, memorable short stories set mostly in 1990s Portland. Women dating and women loving other women through their tumultuous twenties. A highlight was the long, almost novella-length eponymous story of the title, detailing a love affair in all its heart-breaking love and misunderstandings. A fabulous collection, highly recommended.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foster has given the world a beautiful collection of queer characters trying to find their place in this world, without a tragedy in sight. Instead there is hope and magic and mercy and connection and humor and sex and love, with Portland's changing landscape as the backdrop. (Full review: https://www.therupturemag.com/rupture...)

[Sire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of stories that present the LGBT+ experience in a humanizing and nuanced way. The stories touch you.

[Kate Castellana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so so excited to read this book, especially as queer spaces in Portland disappear and the city continues to be even more overwhelmingly gentrified. There were some genuinely thought-provoking stories in this collection...but mostly those thoughts were, "Is this meant to be so blatantly and persistently biphobic, or is it commentary?," and, "Wow, the Portland elitism is really real." (And by that, I don't even mean the hipster-Pearl-district-"I'm-edgy" elitism, I mean the "I-was-here-first-and-anyone-who-moves-here-is-a-monster" elitism. Not as cringey, but just as gross.)

Yes, in two (2) separate stories, bisexual characters are secondary, flat extras who cheat or have cheated or are predicted, by their poor main character lovers, to cheat again soon. In one story, the narrator explicitly goes on a tangent about how her lover's "identity is a red flag." Yup. It's that bad. In addition, there's an entire story that goes on and on about the illegitimacy and toxicity of poly relationships and poly people, explicitly framing them as short-term methods to take advantage of people. Hmmm.

I'd say that these choices were commentary on the prejudices and gate-keeping in the queer community, and maybe it really is meant to be that way! If so, great. And I thought that could definitely be the author's intention, because the narrators who are prejudiced are shown to also be unreliable and flawed. (I mean, that's all the narrators in this book, except the one in the three-quarter page ultra-cheesy erotica story, but I expect that that is because it's three-quarters of a page long and the author doesn't bother to give them characteristics besides "horny and confused." So was I, dear reader, so was I...but only because complaining about books gets me hot.)

But author's intentions aside, the problem persists because the overall implications and outcomes of the story is that that prejudice is always confirmed as correct. These specific prejudices are never addressed as problematic. And whatever subtext that is given to suggest that hey, maybe this worldview is super limiting and harmful, is simply not done well enough to be discovered. Like, at all. Especially when the characters that are targeted are one-dimensional and never given the chance to allude to narratives outside of the main character's self-victimization.

Beyond that, there were some bits of some stories that made me think that keep reading would be worthwhile - pieces that genuinely reflect on the jaded weird growing-pained mess that's Portland, and on the queer community itself. The problem is is that I was always wanting more; pieces that I thought would end with genuine development (or at least the lead-up to genuine development) and closure, were always cut short. I was left literally asking myself if maybe my copy was missing pages.

This collection just felt like a disjointed and jaded amalgamation of anecdotes from a person who was at PDX and realized that they really, really hate Californians. Which, valid! But not at all interesting to read an entire book about.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do think that Claire Rudy Foster's has an ability to express facets of the queer experience in short, poetic phrases that hit you hard. Their first story 'The Pixies' is a prime example of this, as is 'Field Medicine'. The writing is atmospheric, but those two things weren't enough to pull me into the stories, as I found the writing style very hard to follow. There were numerous times where I could not understand the progress of a scene, or even the thread of a conversation.

Anyone interested in this novel should know that 'queer voices out of 1990's Portland' seems to mean 'characters who would have grown up during the 90's'. I went into this collection assuming it would be a story collection set in 90's Portland, which it wasn't. I was also hoping for a bigger mix and range moods, as hinted at by the description, but most stories felt the same, leaning towards gritty with only small moments of tenderness thrown in.

The standout stories for me were: 'The Pixies', 'Field Medicine' and 'Venus Conjunct Saturn'

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foster has done an amazing thing here and does not disappoint! I’d been waiting to see this finally come out for a year or more. As I read it, I found myself putting this book down every 15-20 minutes, rubbing my temples, and hungrily sighing, “fuhhhhhh.”

Each of the stories in Shine of the Ever is affecting, educating, and touching in its own way. The characters get their grungy hooks in you and turn your heart around within a few paragraphs, and when their linked stories end, you want the best for them like a friend calling you to relate a tale still in the making. You know they’re not done telling their stories and you hope for the best because you love them, warts and all.

Whomst!

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

full disclosure i didn't read every story so im not adding this to my reading challenge but I did really enjoy this and idk it did feel like its not really set in the 90s/early 00s? like it claims that in the synopsis but it feels like, 2005 at the earliest. Idk, I wasn't really around for that era so I can't say for sure. I did like the stories I read though, I can't remember names but they all had a specific and similar vibe to each other that just really worked for me. I love short stories about messy queer ppl in the city just tryin to get by. The vibes in a way felt kind of like Summer in the City of Roses, but less dreamy.

[claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

After a brilliant opening chapter that gave me high hopes, almost all the stories fell flat for me. I wasn't pulled into the stories in any way and I found it difficult to differentiate characters (and stories) from one from another. It's a shame because I absolutely loved the idea behind the book and was extremely excited to read it.

Five stars to the first chapter, two to the rest of the stories.

*Thank you to Interlude Press for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

[Becky Robison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haven't read a love story in a while, a real one, one that bowls me over with hope. Foster's collection has several of these--which isn't to say that they gloss over the messy parts of love. To the contrary, these stories are full of pain and misunderstandings and vulnerability and forgiveness and generosity. Foster earns every happy ending. The many queer characters are multifaceted, and characters suffering from addiction/characters in recovery are treated with dignity. And who doesn't love the Pixies? This is a must-read.

[Stef · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was like looking in a mirror.

So many cautionary tales, advices discarded and unheeded, so many car accidents and train wrecks walked away from, with no lessons learned.

She was a thoroughly unlikeable person, nearly impossible to root for through all of the stories. Someone stuck in amber, as things/places/people/time swirl around and past them.

But I loved it, from the beginning to the end. Leaning, like a little English when playing pinball, trying to nudge her life in the right direction, always hopeful.

[Sam Hooker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is raw, scrappy. It’s human experience laid bare. It’s brutal truth undeterred by tact, and it’s SO fucking good.

In this severely detailed patchwork of vignettes, Foster writes from a panoply of voices as if each were their own. Shine of the Ever is a brilliant chronicle of vibrant lives that touched my own in a way that I never expected.

Claire Rudy Foster is a brilliant literary voice whomst shall always have a place on my shelf.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 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.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The collection begins with a queer anthem where the narrator declares, “Finally through the roof. We are going to shake you loose.” The stories that follow are heartbreaking and heartwarming portraits of Portland’s queer subculture. Foster promises happy endings, and delivers on that promise in a style completely their own.