The Anniversary

“You never forget your first kill.”

This final line of the prologue works as a narrative hook, pulling the reader in through the killer’s first-person voice. The phrase “first kill” foreshadows the deaths to follow, setting up the killer as a serial murderer.

“He pretends those things are stupid, that they’re beneath him, but he knows the truth.”

Finlay uses Quinn’s internal monologue to reveal his deep-seated insecurity and desire for social acceptance, which he hides beneath a stoic facade. The contrast between “pretends” and “the truth” allows the reader to see through the mask Quinn shows his classmates. Quinn’s awareness of the privileges inherent in a social hierarchy he can’t access introduces the novel’s thematic interest in The Impact of Class and Privilege on Building a Future.

“It’s then Quinn thinks about his father charging in to save Uncle Pat. Walking up to the leader, taking him to the ground so decisively that it sent the others running.”

Here, Finlay uses a flashback to show the influence of family mythology on Quinn’s actions. The action verbs—“charging,” “taking,” “sent”—depict his father as a heroic figure, and this romanticized memory motivates Quinn to intervene in Brad’s fight. The passage also functions as foreshadowing, hinting at a generational pattern of violence.