The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

Narrated by Amanda Dolan,
Justis Bolding & Dan Bittner

Synopsis (via Goodreads): A contemporary YA novel that examines rape culture through alternating perspectives.

Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it.

Three years ago, when her older sister, Anna, was murdered and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best—the language of violence. While her own crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people. Not with Jack, the star athlete who wants to really know her but still feels guilty over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered. And not with Peekay, the preacher’s kid with a defiant streak who befriends Alex while they volunteer at an animal shelter. Not anyone.

As their senior year unfolds, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting these three teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.

“But boys will be boys, our favorite phrase that excuses so many things, while the only thing we have for the opposite gender is women, said with disdain and punctuated with an eye roll.”

We're raised to know the difference between right and wrong, but who actually determines what those are? If your child was murdered, would it be wrong for you to seek your own justice? Would you feel bad about exacting revenge on someone that hurt you or a person you cared about? Where do you draw the line? It's easy to look at someone else's life and judge their decisions based on what we think we know, but we honestly have no idea what another person has lived through.

The Female of the Species was a lot darker than I originally expected it to be. The synopsis alone tells you that Alex killed someone and got away with it, but the reasons behind the murder feel... justified. I know that sounds awful, because killing for any reason should be wrong, but it was hard for me to feel that way when I was so caught up in Alex's thoughts and feelings. What would I have done in her situation? 

Alex was a little off kilter from the beginning. She knew she had issues with rage and controlling her actions. Her best friend over the years was a punching bag her father left behind. She didn't understand what made her this way, and none of her research provided answers. Alex could never accurately identify what she believed to be wrong with her, but she was perceptive, thoughtful, and incredibly protective of others. Alex had a way of appreciating people that she knew very little about. Her worldview may have been a little skewed, but she was able to rationalize everything in a way that made sense. I guess you could say she used her "powers" for good, but that didn't make it any easier to read about. 

Jack and Peekay (thought it was PK while listening to the audiobook because it stands for Preacher's Kid) were interesting perspectives, too. Jack's job at a slaughterhouse was a little too detailed for my liking, and I could have done without that information being included in the book (wish I could erase it out of our reality, too), but I do understand the point the author was trying to make. Sometimes we have to do something we don't like in order to achieve something better. Peekay had the best parents, and not because they were religious. They were understanding and accepting of their daughter, her lesbian friend, and didn't try to invoke the wrath of God just because she drank alcohol and went to a party. 

I thought The Female of the Species raised a lot of important questions about rape, acceptance, and the punishments given to those who are "evil." It also shows us how speaking up or choosing to remain silent can have unforeseeable consequences in life. Not speaking up about an attempted rape allows that person to try again in the future. Could you live with the guilt if they were successful? What if someone else was hurt because you were too afraid to say something? This book also shows a victim's internal conflict between embarrassment, humiliation, anger, resentment, and a wide range of other emotions. Making the decision to call the police may seem simple on the surface, but is a lot more difficult in reality. 

I cannot tell you if you should read this book or not, because I know the content will be hard for a lot of people to stomach, but I do think it delivers an important message. We live in a world where people are raped and murdered. Animals are abused and neglected (Alex and Peekay work at an animal shelter, so there are a few uncomfortable situations involving animals) with little or no consequence. It might not be the easiest thing to talk about, but what happens if we ignore it? It doesn't go away or stop happening. 

This book had me hooked from the very beginning. I enjoyed the alternating perspectives and how honest everyone was with themselves. It was refreshing to read about teenagers that felt authentic. People admitted their flaws and failures, while also expressing their hopes and desires. I thought I knew how this story was going to play out, but I was wrong. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. The Female of the Species will leave you feeling raw and conflicted, but also a little hopeful.

"You can love someone down to their core and they can love you right back just as hard, and if you traded diaries you’d learn things you never suspected. There’s a part of everyone deep down inside of them not meant for you. And the sooner you learn that, the easier your life is gonna be."

“There are laws in place that stop us from doing things. This is what we tell ourselves. In truth we stop ourselves; the law is a guideline for how to punish someone who is caught.”