Author: Grady Hendrix
Genre: Mystery, drama
Pages: Hardback, 339
ISBN: 978-0-593-20123-7
Opening Lines: "I wake up, get out of bed, say good morning to my plant, unwrap a protein bar, and drink a liter of bottled water. I'm awake for a full five minutes before remembering I might die today."
Rating:
In horror movies, the final girl is the one who's left standing when the credits roll. The one who fought back, defeated the killer, and avenged her friends. But after the sirens fade and the audience moves on, what happens to her?
Lynnette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre twenty-two years ago. and it has defined her every day of her life since. And she's not alone. For more than a decade she's been meeting with five other actual final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, putting their lives back together, piece by piece. That is until one of the women misses and meeting and Lynnette's worse fears are realized—someone knows about the group and is determined to take their lives apart again, piece by piece.
But the thing about these final girls is that they have each other now, and no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never, ever give up.
~ Jacket copy
The Final Girl is a common trope in the slasher film genre. After seeing all of her friends and/or family members killed by a ruthless male killer, the Final Girl (always a good, virgin girl) must fend off—and oftentimes—kill the monster while waiting for the police to charge in a save her. Audiences are familiar with the killer being reincarnated (or another killer) and coming back to finish the initial job—killing the sole survivor of his murderous rampage. However, as seen with Nancy, Laurie Strode, Kirsty Cotton, etc., audiences never see the Final Girl after she has tangled with the monster. No, we are only privy to her fight for survival. The Final Girl Support Group puts a human spin on the Final Girls and allows the audience a backstage pass to the aftermath of the carnage.
To people familiar with the horror genre, Grady Hendrix should not be a stranger. His books are well-written, contain an element of humor, and demonstrate his deep love for the genre. So it is not surprise The Final Girl Support Group has been one of the most anticipated releases of of 2021. However, despite his acclaim, many reviews online are not satisfied with his latest novel. The biggest is gripe is the deviation from horror—while still being categorized in horror—and some of the characters lacking the depth and/or likability as some of his pervious protagonists. Despite the naysayers and the complaints, I found myself enjoying this novel.
We Sold Our Souls was my first introduction to Hendrix. As a metal head, it spoke to my dark little heart. I devoured the book during my first teaching job. Staying up late at night and sneaking time to read while I should have been grading, the book had me hooked. I passed it off to the Viking. He is not a huge reader (ADHA and all that), but he glutted himself. It was finished within two days, which is astounding for him! It was recommended to a former student who happened to love Mötley Crüe. Grady Hendrix was my new hero, and I had to devour all of his books.
I'll be honest, even though they were engaging, I was a bit disappointed with My Best Friend's Exorcism and The Southern Book Club's Guide to Vampire Slaying. They did not have the horror element found in We Sold Our Souls. Granted, they had his humor and amazing writing, but the horror element was missing.
I went into The Final Girl Support Group with the same mindset—not fully horror. And I was not disappointed!
As a fan of slasher films (hell, I've written graduate papers discussing the Final Girl!), it was a fun puzzle to figure out the members of the support group and Hendrix's take on their life after. I would text back and forth with friends about the characters, and I even got Viking in on it. It was a game. The story was engaging, and I absolutely loved the twist.
Lynnette was an interesting protagonist. Unlike most main characters, she was far from perfect and struggled immensely with her past. The other Final Girls (even Heather) managed to come to terms with their experiences. Lynnette floundered and devolved into a pseudo self-inflicted OCD. Also, the derision she received from the other ladies helped add to her uniqueness as a protagonist. However, as other people have mentioned, it was hard to get fully invested in one character. The after stories are interesting and, if you're a slasher fan, we all know the ladies; however, something about them was two static and flat.
All of this being said, the book was fun, and I enjoyed it! Will it make a good movie? It might be a better move than a book, especially if you get the specific actresses to reprise their roles. Think of this book akin to Frank Miller's Batman. This is what happens after the carnage when the Final Girls are forced to come out of retirement.
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