Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead

Finn, the novel’s first-person narrator and protagonist, is a 31-year-old romantic suspense author living in South Riding, Virginia, with her two small children and her friend and nanny, Vero. Finn is an antihero character in some ways: Along with her many positive characteristics come some decidedly less heroic ones. Finn is clever, creative, and determined, showing an exceptional capacity to think on her feet and solve problems and highlighting The Necessity of Resilience and Determination. She is so devoted to her children that, despite her financial woes, she pays a live-in nanny to help care for them and is willing to go to extraordinary lengths to protect their father from harm, despite how poorly Steven treats her. 

Finn demonstrates mature and compassionate behavior toward her ex-husband and Vero: Both give her cause to lash out, but she instead summons understanding and forgiveness. She is fiercely loyal to Vero and is willing to make significant sacrifices for her, supporting the text’s thematic arguments about Women’s Networks of Support. She also shows compassion for Bree, speaking gently to the young woman about her feelings for Steven. Finn is also able to acknowledge her own faults and breaks off her relationship with Julian because she believes it is in his best interest.