The Night Shift

The Night Shift depicts characters who face various types of abuse in the present or confront the abuse from the past. In part, Finlay includes these depictions as a way to shape the main plotline. Two separate mass murders in a small community do not occur in a vacuum; they are the culmination of a breakdown of social safeguards and a proliferation of deeply problematic relationships. The story therefore works to bring several different types of abuse into focus, including the emotional neglect on the part of a parent, the ravages of domestic violence perpetrated by a parent, bullying through malicious gossip, and the sexual exploitation of underage girls by their teachers. These portrayals offer a reminder that children and teenagers are vulnerable to many forms of abuse from the adults they trust, and the narrative emphasizes that these experiences can lead to lasting trauma.

Non-sexual abuse is less central to the murders at the heart of the story but equally important to the thematic message about the broader impacts of abuse. After the tragedy of the Blockbuster murders, for example, Ella is clearly traumatized and in need of support. However, the narrative reveals that her mother, Phyllis, “never had the fortitude to hear about that night” (124), and the lasting damage of this approach becomes fully apparent when she tells the adult Ella to simply move past the experience. Ella resents her mother for depriving her of the love, empathy, and comfort that she desperately needed at that time in her life. In Phyllis’s typically undemonstrative manner, she eventually acknowledges that she should have been there for Ella.

This theme is further explored in the character of Jesse. Following Jesse’s victimization by a teacher, her classmates add to the abuse by spreading malicious rumors about her, claiming that she seduced her teacher and made a porn film with him, when in reality, he drugged and sexually abused her. The emotional harm and humiliation that this experience and its social fallout cause Jesse become fully apparent when Jesse confesses her experiences with bullying and social ostracization to Ella and sobs, showing genuine emotion for the first time. Jesse has remained aloof and emotionally distant in the wake of her attack and arrest, so her tears demonstrate how profoundly this bullying has hurt her. The narrative therefore suggests that such gossip also contributes to a culture of blaming and shaming victims, making others less likely to come forward when they are abused.

The most prominent form of abuse in the book is sexual exploitation, which lies at the heart of the murder mystery. Even secondary aspects of the novel point to this issue. Although Chad Parke is not the killer, he is a high school teacher who has taken advantage of a girl who trusted him. Ella calls him “a predator who took advantage of a young girl who needed a father figure” (240). Mr. Parke’s lies about his actions add insult to injury, unfairly discrediting Jesse and casting doubt on her integrity. The community also makes things worse by questioning Jesse and making her feel as though she has done something wrong by suffering abuse. Katie and Hannah are also victimized by a trusted adult male on their school faculty. Mr. Steadman’s sexual abuse leads to emotional harm for both girls, a pregnancy for Katie, and finally, to their murders. The events that horrify the community all stem from this abuse. Though Ella escapes the Blockbuster murders with her life, Mr. Steadman abuses her in the aftermath. In Chapter 1, for example, when he asks her to help Jesse, she “wants to protest. Wants to make an excuse. But she can’t. Not after everything Mr. Steadman has done for her” (8). He has insinuated himself into her life and has gained her trust as a way to manipulate and control her years after he committed the Blockbuster murders. Because he, as the murderer, is posing as a trusted mentor and support system for Ella, even this emotional betrayal is a form of abuse. The novel’s array of abuse stories provides a vivid reminder of the need to protect children and shore up their safety networks.