The Night Shift

As the only survivors of mass murders, Ella and Jesse both embody the trope of the “final girl.” In this story, however, the role transcends a mere trope. The book’s exploration of healing from tragedy, trauma, and abuse makes the “final girl” role far more significant, for Ella’s and Jesse’s continued survival through the aftermath of the mass murders demonstrates their extraordinary courage and resilience.

Rather than running from her traumatic memories, Ella opts to help other trauma victims as a therapist. Even when she knows that working with Jesse means confronting a murder very similar to the one that she herself survived, Ella puts Jesse’s needs before her own comfort and safety. Likewise, although Jesse has seen a world of hardship even before the Creamery murders, she responds to her arrest with fortitude and tells her side of the story to those who need to hear it. Jesse trusts Ella even when she feels as though she cannot trust anyone else, because both women share a unique category of experience. As Jesse tells her defense team, “I’ll only talk to Ella Monroe. […] “She’s a survivor…like me” (174). Thus, Jesse realizes that nobody else can understand her feelings like Ella can.