The first thing that strikes me is that this is the same book as The Shape of Desire. Only this time we have two women who are molding their lives around a shape-shifter. Shinn tells a good story, emotionally compelling with sympathetic characters. There are no "bad guys" here, even the journalist decides he can't do his story. Shinn works pretty hard at what it might mean to be different and how those who are different might just want to fit in and not celebrate themselves. I think she could have punched that up a lot more, because if Brody had done his book, there would be people with shotguns looking for shifters - not to mention government vivisectionists - and Shinn barely brings it up. It's got a tear-jerker ending of course, Shinn makes no bones about what's ultimately coming. A nice fast read, but not one of her best.

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