The Female of the Species, published in 2016, is a revenge story set in small-town Ohio. The story follows Alex, a quiet, smart, reserved, and strong, both physically and mentally, teenage girl whose older sister was murdered three years earlier.
At the beginning of The Female of the Species, Alex tortures and kills her sister’s murderer and doesn’t feel bad about it. At the beginning, she also doesn’t have any friends and likes animals more than people. That changes when she meets Peekay at the animal shelter where they both volunteer.
Peekay recently got dumped by Adam because the high school’s “friend to all penises,” Branley Jacobs, showed an interest in him. When he dumped Peekay, Adam told her, “Babe, it’s Branley Jacobs. I have a shot at Branley Jacobs. I can’t pass that up.” Branley, however, has no loyalty to anyone. She cheats on Adam with Jack because Adam took too long returning her calls one day.
As for Jack, he has been obsessed with Alex for three years but only recently gets to know her. He and Alex start dating, and they try to have a normal relationship. However, Alex isn’t normal. She thinks of herself as vengeance, which causes problems in the relationship. Branley also never stops pursuing Jack, which ultimately leads to tragedy.
The Female of the Species is definitely a character-driven story, with all of the characters being well-rounded. For example, Branley isn’t all bad. When Peekay is roofied and almost raped, Branley helps take care of her, and the two become quasi-friends. Alex’s tendency toward revenge starts to weigh on her after she makes friends and gets a boyfriend. And Jack, despite his increasing love for Alex, can’t let go of his connection to Branley.
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