Book Review: They Never Learn by Layne Fargo

 

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Content Warning: death, murder, violence, misogyny, homophobia, sexual violence, rape, sexual assault, suicide, domestic abuse, victim blaming.

Scarlett Clark is an English professor at Gorman University. She's also a serial killer. She's been doing this for years, but right as she begins to put one of her biggest murder plans into action, an on-campus investigation into the suicide rates at Gorman throws her into a mess she isn't sure she'll make it out of. Managing to worm her way into the graces of the woman in charge, Dr. Samina Pierce, Scarlett is thrown even further off-balance by the tender feelings she's developing for Mina. On the other hand, freshman Carly Schiller is relieved to be free of the toxic household she lives in, and away from her controlling, manipulative father. As she grows closer to her roommate, Allison, beginning to fall for the vivacious girl who welcomed her so openly, something happens that upends Carly's world: Allison is sexually assaulted at a party. And Carly is going to make him pay.

As soon as I delved into the pages of this book, I had a feeling I'd enjoy the chaotic journey. First and foremost, I have to talk about Scarlett, the main star in this book, who displays a power and intoxicating coldness that I've rarely encountered in other stories. She's not quite a sociopath or a psychopath, but she's certainly something very, very close to it: the remorse she feels for murdering is...well, non-existent. The people she feels for are the victims of these men, the countless girls and women who are unable to speak up, who shrink into themselves, who find themselves becoming something different after being victimized. If they can't take up for themselves, Scarlett is only too happy to do it for them.

She's really a fascinating character, particularly because she's not so far off from the likes of Hannibal Lecter or Patrick Bateman. Like most serial killers, she has her own agenda and beliefs, and she operates with a cool, calm clarity that belies her inner rage. Carly is more reserved, spending most of her days being anxious and trying to parse her feelings for Allison, but she slowly begins to gather her strength and fury as the chapters go on. 

Fargo's writing is simple, quick, and flows easily. It's important to note that this is not a mystery, but a thriller, through-and-through: there are a few twists, but most of them are relatively predictable. Still, this book makes for compulsive reading, and, pardon the pun, it'll make you flip through the pages at a breakneck speed. 

I feel it's only prudent that I should mention the intense criticism I often see this book getting. Instead of putting themselves into the shoes of Scarlett and the other women in this book, people immediately decide that they can't enjoy the story because Scarlett is an unrepentant murderer. What's the point of reading, if not to explore things that are simply unthinkable in the real world? And why is it that, controversial though it may be, American Psycho is a masterpiece, while a story detailing a woman taking vengeance on predatory men is glorifying violence and advocating for murder?

If you're uncomfortable with gory details and exploring the dark sides of humanity, then certainly, this is not the book for you. Other reviewers also lambast the "misandry" (which, by the way, does not exist in any real or systemic way like misogyny does), the oversimplification of nuance, the feeling of being "bashed over the head" by a feminist agenda. Perhaps the message is simplified, but ultimately, while Scarlett's methods undoubtedly go way beyond what most of us could ever fathom, is the punishment of predators and men who hurt women really so unbelievable? Why is rape considered a crime less severe than murder? Simply because those hurt are left alive? 

The intention of this review isn't to get on my soapbox (which I have obviously failed at), but some of the criticisms of this book strike me as strange. I don't think adults need to be handled like children, and I think we can come to our own conclusions about books, even ones that purportedly romanticize murder. It's not often that media convinces people to become serial killers, no matter what conservative politicians will have you believing. 

Although this review is already far too lengthy, I do want to speak on some things that left a bit of a bad taste in my own mouth, and which kept this from getting a full five stars. There's many strange voyeuristic moments in both Scarlett's chapters and Carly's, mainly to do with men ogling them when kissing or being intimate with other women, or descriptions of them wearing lingerie. It was odd, especially since it is first-person POV; it felt out-of-place, and a little icky. I don't know if it was intentional or accidental, but regardless, it didn't feel quite right to me. I also disliked that Carly criticized Allison for using her for attention, but moments before, she would be thinking about how the boy she (sort of?) likes must be thinking of her and Allison when they're together. It gave off a bit of a weaponized femininity vibe, which I thought we had (mercifully) left back in 2014.

However, this is a fantastic story that will leave you feeling satisfied afterwards. Some things were perhaps a little too convenient, but I greatly enjoyed the characters and the plot. 

Highly recommended!