The Last Word

I am torn about this. And by torn I mean, I didn't like it. And I loved [b:No Exit|40106375|No Exit|Taylor Adams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537752207l/40106375.SY75.jpg|56940541]! But with this one, at around 80% I heard myself say out loud, miserably, “I am so tired.” I am going to spoil all my qualms below. Hopefully Taylor Adams does not kill negative Goodreads reviewers.

At first it seems like the killer is a sword-wielding incel. I have a friend who likes swords, and he has bemoaned the weird misogyny within this niche interest to me many a time, so that felt feasible enough. Except not really, because the persona is still such a caricature. When I say laughable, I mean I literally laughed out loud in incredulity, multiple times.But then we find out Howard's delusions of grandeur are rooted in actual schizoaffective disorder. Nope. No. This book was published in 2023. Far too recently for an extra stigmatized mental illness to be trotted out as a catch-all excuse for someone being a domestic terrorist. With a doting partly-to-blame mother on the periphery? Come on.Especially given the readiness with which actual public figures pin actual gun violence tragedies on mental illness. Especially given that people suffering with these conditions (often untreated, because getting a diagnosis let alone finding helpful treatment is ridiculously inaccessible in the US) are much more of a threat to themselves than to others.And yes, I finished the book, so yes, I know that Howard was pernicious in his own right but also a red herring, but if the book were more nuanced and less exhausting, Deek could have armchair diagnosed his neighbor as someone dangerously mentally ill, without that ever being confirmed. Howard's dead, Jules is dead, Deek's planning to kill Emma, who's going to question it?Why not, with the rest of the stupendously lazy writing? Basically, because this was integrated into an Emma chapter instead of the book within the book, why should I believe that Deek is the lazy writer, and not Taylor Adams himself?Ever since 2015 when someone first ran for office, I have been plagued by our inability to differentiate mental illness from assholes and/or losers. The need to pathologize someone's personality as delusional or a narcissist, instead of them just sucking. You know what I find more compelling than the hook being that someone is schizophrenic or has DID? The idea that most murderers are really just overcompensating absolute losers. Men are scared women will laugh at them, women are scared men will kill them type vibe. Misogynist violence is still an overarching social issue, arguably a public health crisis. Why isn't that enough, on its own? Or even pair it with the idea of history being penned by the victors. Howard says to never rewrite, but all of his (“his”) writing IS rewriting. He rewrites history — his agility and reaction times, attractiveness, pain tolerance. I think that would be interesting to explore, too. But no, let's just emphasize that Howard is fat instead. How else could we know he's a bad person? It's simpler this way.Okay that rant is over, onto my next one which should be shorter. Eventually, and I do mean eventually, we find out that Emma fled because she accidentally killed her and Shawn's baby by getting into a car accident. She was texting while driving on the highway, hoping to cut short seeing Shawn's family, who she dislikes. The wreck happens after Shawn begs her a few separate times to pay attention behind the wheel. And then there's that voicemail from Shawn at the end where he emphatically says “What happened to our daughter is not your fault.” I mean...is it not? I'm not saying she did it on purpose, I'm not saying she should never forgive herself or live a life afterwards, I'm not saying she deserves to be alone or even without her husband. But also, maybe don't text on the highway while your husband pleads with you to stop and a baby on board? All to get out of staying with your mother-in-law? Right? Shawn could have just as easily said something like, “I don't hold what happened against you, I promise. I love you and want to be together. Please come home.”I dunno, man. Something rubs me the wrong way about the collateral damage being a delivery driver, someone with a severe mental illness and a literal baby, but the dog gets saved. Buoy for Laika, I love Laika. But just, agh. Maybe No Exit was a one-off.