The Female of the Species
The Female of the Species
Ratings29
Average rating3.8
3.5
it would of been a 4.5 star rating but something felt off. I can't explain it.
Anyways, huge trigger warning for every type of crime.
Rape, murder, bullying, harassment, drugs, etc. Definitely one of the darkest books I've read
really torn between 4 and 5 stars on this one!
likes:
- a girl taking gross rape-y guys into her own hands?? sign me up
- cute female friendship
- such good commentary on things like rape culture & slut shaming
- feminist shit!!
dislikes:
- I would have liked more focus on Alex than her relationship with Jack which I felt took over a little towards the end; Alex's character was who was most interesting to me
I really quite liked this this book — it's brilliant and unsettling, in a way that makes my skin crawl. (Which, I'm sure, was entirely the point.)
However, I did have a few issues with it. First of all, the characters (or more importantly, the relationships between the characters) — I felt as if Jack and Alex's relationship progressed too fast. Alex has a lot of baggage (re: her father, her mother & her dead sister + Comstock) and so does Jack, but the author doesn't really address these issues, aside from giving us this little tidbit:
“I hold my phone tightly, too aware that the present is all we have if I can't mention the past and she won't talk about the future.”
And while Alex does end up telling Jack parts of her story, they never really open up to one another, even towards the end of the book.
Secondly, I definitely had issues with how Branley was portrayed. Yes, Alex and Claire do stand up for Branley —
“You shouldn't be that way about her,” Alex says. “I hear what people say and I bet half of it isn't even true. And even if it is - fine. She's no different from you and me; she wants to have sex. So let her...She likes boys, and she can get them. You were hurt by that, but it wasn't Branley who hurt you. It was Adam.”
nuanced
might
The Female of the Species
a lot
Solid writing, empathetic characters even though Alex makes some extreme choices. I enjoyed when McGinnis let herself ruminate on rape culture; it was very moving.
Wow...this was awesome. I am able to comfortably qualify much of what I read as “not for the faint of heart,” and this book was no different. This book WAS different in the ways it peeled back my expectation—of an interesting murder mystery—and left me with a dark and honest view of love, teen anxt, and rape. The best part was that my expectations were met and I wasnt left resenting the result despite the plot deviating from my expectations. Maybe that doesn't make sense but I read it and you (probably) haven't yet. Read it, then let me know what you thought.
Well done, Mindy. I believe I will need to track down some of your other work.