While Mary Burns is a writer of exceptional talent in the “social-realism” school, Shinny’s Girls is a collection of stories which are more than just a “good read.” All of the stories in this collection are about mothers and daughters, written from a sensitive and perceptive “post-feminist” point of view, examining the lives of the fictional characters in a way which is neither determined by, nor a reaction to, male consciousness or perceptions. These stories all re-examine the myths of mother-daughter relationships, both in the classical sense of “myth” (Gaia / Demeter / Persephone) and in the modern sense of “myth” (social lies about relationships).

Mary Burns’s stories have been published in magazines throughout North America, as well as broadcast on the CBC and the BBC.