The epilogue, which begins with "- the women could not save themselves from the poison that riddled their bones, in countless ways their sacrifice saved many thousands of others." wraps up this compelling novel. While I found the progress to be slow in general, and the character list hard to keep track of at times, I truly did enjoy looking into the disheartening story of the "shining girls". Each step in their journey brought a new layer of sadness since I saw the pattern. I already knew what was going to happen each time a new name started painting with radioactive brushes. The scandal that unfolds around the group of dying girls mimics the unions that continue to fight today.