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renpuspita 's review for:
The Final Girl Support Group
by Grady Hendrix
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Grady Hendrix is one of horror authors whom books I always recommend for anyone who in search of horror books. I appreciate his creative takes into horror tropes. Each of his books feature different horror trope and settings so the variety is always welcome. However, after reading some of his books and The Final Girl Support Group is his 4th book that I'd read, I discover some patterns than in my opinion is the weakest aspect of this book and why for me TFGSG rank the lowest from all Hendrix's books. So far.
Just like the title suggest, Hendrix take a common trope in slasher and gore horror movies that is final girl. The girl who must watch her friends slayed by the serial killer one by one. The girl who fight the killer and mostly survive to tell the story. Hendrix toyed with the idea, what happen when all the final girl from the slasher movie franchise meet up in a group? How they deal with the traumas and fame that follow? How they continue to navigate their life while in the outside some dangers still lurking and target them because as final girl they manage to escape from their grisly predicament?
Peppered with articles, subreddit forum, interview, police report and so on, each chapter begin with title ala movie franchise titles. You know, like Scream 1, Scream 2 or Halloween 3D. Each of the chapter titles are such tongue in cheek and I know I can always relies to Hendrix's quirky presentations in his book. Very meta, indeed. The story follow Lynette Tarkington, one of the final girl and this is the first time I read Hendrix's book that told entirely from Lynette's first PoV contrary to his previous books that have 3rd PoV although all of them always focused in the heroine. From the start reader already knew that Lynette is an unreliable narrator, paranoia to the boots but still cling to the group because the group is the only one she can depend on. Another final girls is Hendrix's nod to the slasher franchise. From Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Scream, Halloween and so on. Lynette always on her guard for 16 years after her family got butchered while she helplessly watch and suddenly some people decide to target the group by killing one of them. Run for her life, Lynette discover that someone really want her to stay dead. Forever.
I like Hendrix's prose, narrative and the story pace. However, with writing the book entirely from Lynette's PoV, it's also limit another final girls's development. The only character with development is only Lynette and I think her characterization is hard to connect to. Yes, she is unsympathetic just like Hendrix's usual heroines. She is unreliable and selfish although she decide to save her final girls sisters because sisters help in each other. But for a woman with 16 years paranoia and always stay vigilant to her surrounding when Lynette become runaway she just become careless for many times. She begin to trust people easily and in the end end up betrayed. Lynette also have a savior syndrome just to show that she will never give up. In another Hendrix's books, I believe Patricia's insistence to protect her children in Southern Bookclub Guide to Slaying Vampire and Abby's determination to save Gretchen in My BFF's Exorcism. I don't feel that in Lynette. I also think thatanother final girls like Marilyn, Dani, Julia and Heather forgive Lynette easily for what Lynette did when she write about them in her book draft about Final Girl Support Group. This part didn't explained thoroughly in the book because how can they are not pissed off reading about them from their friend's narrative. Worse that in the first time, Lynette lied about the final girl book being written by Heather rather than she herself who write it because it was easier to put the blame to the most unstable final girl? Yeah, still didn't get it how they forgive Lynette
I wish that Hendrix change his storytelling formula. This is already third time (not counting Horrorstor) Hendrix write about the heroine who shunned by their close friend/group/etc and become pariah. It's start to becoming formulaic especially because Hendrix always write a group of women in his books. I admit that Hendrix is one of male author that in my opinion can write female characters, however when I read that Lynette become pariah among her final girl group I start saying "oh, come on! It's already the third time!". Although, for a book that paying homage to slasher genre, the gore and slasher scenes were pretty tame in my opinion. There's no supernatural woo woo happen and rather than horror, TFGSG rather fall into mystery and thriller suspense because of the real identity of the person whom targeted Lynette and her friends.
Still, while being formulaic and the 1st PoV narrative kinda hinder other final girls' character development, I can's stop reading and finish this book while sacrificing my beauty sleep. Not his strongest book, but if you like a horror book that deal with slasher genre and what happen to final girl after they face their killer, you might want to check The Final Girl Support Group.
Just like the title suggest, Hendrix take a common trope in slasher and gore horror movies that is final girl. The girl who must watch her friends slayed by the serial killer one by one. The girl who fight the killer and mostly survive to tell the story. Hendrix toyed with the idea, what happen when all the final girl from the slasher movie franchise meet up in a group? How they deal with the traumas and fame that follow? How they continue to navigate their life while in the outside some dangers still lurking and target them because as final girl they manage to escape from their grisly predicament?
Peppered with articles, subreddit forum, interview, police report and so on, each chapter begin with title ala movie franchise titles. You know, like Scream 1, Scream 2 or Halloween 3D. Each of the chapter titles are such tongue in cheek and I know I can always relies to Hendrix's quirky presentations in his book. Very meta, indeed. The story follow Lynette Tarkington, one of the final girl and this is the first time I read Hendrix's book that told entirely from Lynette's first PoV contrary to his previous books that have 3rd PoV although all of them always focused in the heroine. From the start reader already knew that Lynette is an unreliable narrator, paranoia to the boots but still cling to the group because the group is the only one she can depend on. Another final girls is Hendrix's nod to the slasher franchise. From Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Scream, Halloween and so on. Lynette always on her guard for 16 years after her family got butchered while she helplessly watch and suddenly some people decide to target the group by killing one of them. Run for her life, Lynette discover that someone really want her to stay dead. Forever.
I like Hendrix's prose, narrative and the story pace. However, with writing the book entirely from Lynette's PoV, it's also limit another final girls's development. The only character with development is only Lynette and I think her characterization is hard to connect to. Yes, she is unsympathetic just like Hendrix's usual heroines. She is unreliable and selfish although she decide to save her final girls sisters because sisters help in each other. But for a woman with 16 years paranoia and always stay vigilant to her surrounding when Lynette become runaway she just become careless for many times. She begin to trust people easily and in the end end up betrayed. Lynette also have a savior syndrome just to show that she will never give up. In another Hendrix's books, I believe Patricia's insistence to protect her children in Southern Bookclub Guide to Slaying Vampire and Abby's determination to save Gretchen in My BFF's Exorcism. I don't feel that in Lynette. I also think that
I wish that Hendrix change his storytelling formula. This is already third time (not counting Horrorstor) Hendrix write about the heroine who shunned by their close friend/group/etc and become pariah. It's start to becoming formulaic especially because Hendrix always write a group of women in his books. I admit that Hendrix is one of male author that in my opinion can write female characters, however when I read that Lynette become pariah among her final girl group I start saying "oh, come on! It's already the third time!". Although, for a book that paying homage to slasher genre, the gore and slasher scenes were pretty tame in my opinion. There's no supernatural woo woo happen and rather than horror, TFGSG rather fall into mystery and thriller suspense because of the real identity of the person whom targeted Lynette and her friends.
Still, while being formulaic and the 1st PoV narrative kinda hinder other final girls' character development, I can's stop reading and finish this book while sacrificing my beauty sleep. Not his strongest book, but if you like a horror book that deal with slasher genre and what happen to final girl after they face their killer, you might want to check The Final Girl Support Group.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Suicide attempt
Minor: Mass/school shootings