The Anniversary

In The Anniversary, Finlay portrays trauma as a persistent force that fundamentally reshapes a person’s identity and life trajectory. The novel argues that surviving a violent act is the beginning of a lifelong negotiation with psychological scars, which manifest in both self-destructive coping mechanisms and relentless obsessions. Through the parallel journeys of Jules and Quinn, Finlay demonstrates that healing requires an active, often painful, process of confronting the past. The characters’ initial responses are marked by attempts to numb or escape their pain, but their long-term survival depends on their ability to channel that trauma into a search for justice and mutual support.

The shared experiences of the May Day killer’s survivors illustrate their various attempts to grapple with their trauma. Following her assault, Jules immediately turn toward self-destructive behavior. After her abduction by the May Day Killer, Jules, once a confident and popular teenager, begins a years-long battle with addiction to alcohol and drugs. This substance use continues through her international modeling career, serving as a way to manage the crippling anxiety, night terrors, and constant feeling of being watched. Her friend Lucy, another survivor, reveals that after her own assault, she became “hypersexual,” putting herself in “reckless situations with men” (131) as a misguided way to reclaim a sense of control over her body.