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motherbooker 's review for:
Final Girls
by Riley Sager
I knew that Riley Sager was a man before I started reading this book but, if I hadn't, it would have been immediately obvious. He's probably not the worst offender for men writing women but there were plenty of dodgy moments. For one thing, his constant use of the word "panties". I know so many people claim that "moist" is the worst word in the English language but that doesn't even come close. It's not something to go into now but it's all part of the creepy infantilisation of grown women. I can't believe any well-adjusted woman is comfortable using that word but it appears multiple times in this book. I almost had to top listening because it was winding me up so much. Obviously, that's not the only reason why Riley Sager is bad at writing women. It's the fact that he's written a book about 3 female survivors of mass murderers and they're all so one-dimensional. There's a revelation towards the end of the book that made me pretty mad because of the implications it had for one character. This isn't a book celebrating female resilience as it should be. It's a book that treats women as too naïve and stupid.
The Final Girls of the book's title are Quincy, Lisa and Samantha. Three women who survived terrible experiences only for the media to hail them as pseudo-celebrities and insist on lumping them in one group. The book is told from Quincy's perspective. She was the only survivor after a man butchered all of her friends during a birthday celebration at a cabin in the woods. She has spent years rebuilding her life and finding the strength to go on. She runs a baking blog and is needs her daily dose of Xanax to function. The other two aren't really in her life but she has contacted Lisa before. Even so, the news that Lisa is dead turns Quincy's life upside down. Especially when it's revealed that the supposed suicide was actually murder. Then Sam reappears and Quincy's life starts to unravel. Are the other girls in danger? Who would want to kill these women and is it linked to Quincy's past?
Now, I've done the best job of describing the plot of this book but it's possible you think it sounds a little exciting. Well, you'd be mistaken. For the vast majority of this book, nothing happens. About 3/4 are just building up to something. Even the flashbacks are boring and we know they lead to a teenage bloodbath. This was probably meant to be empowering but he missed the mark. The way the final girls find empowerment is incredibly misguided and cringe. They walk around at night being all she-wolf and making terrible decisions. The way that sex is used in this book also screams "I'm a male writer". I just couldn't get to grips with these characters. It's not that they're not likeable because that's not important. I've loved loads of books featuring terrible people. It's the fact that they don't seem real or nuanced. They're basic cliches and have no development. I hate them.
The bit that Riley Sager really excels at is the violence shown towards women. He bloody loves doing awful things to his female characters. When he's not able to murder or attack innocent young women, Sager just repeats himself. I swear the same scene plays out about 3 times in the whole book. It's weird to know that this book has such positive reviews. I never agree with most of the books on GoodReadsC Choice Awards but how the hell was this nominated? It's not a thriller because there's very little excitement. It's not scary or memorable. The red herrings are so obvious that you can't allow yourself to fall for them. Sager is trying so hard to move your attention away from certain people that it puts them in the spotlight. I will admit that it's not the worst thing I've ever read but that's the nicest thing I can say about it. In a few weeks, I won't remember anything about this book because it just doesn't stand out. It's like every other bland thriller these days. It should have stayed on my shelf.