“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. —ERNEST HEMINGWAY, A Farewell to Arms”

This epigraph to the novel emphasizes Alex Finlay’s thematic focus on trauma. The sources of trauma are represented by the idea that the world breaks everyone, which suggests that everyone has some form of trauma in their lives. The quote indicates that many, not all, are stronger at the broken places, which suggests that the effects of trauma can be destructive for those who do not find a way to move on. For those who are stronger, the novel suggests, that strength comes only with time.

“The cool teacher. Young, good-looking. The one the moms fawned over. At the same time, he was capable, no-nonsense, the kind of person who you wanted in charge, which is probably why they later made him the school’s principal.”

This description of Mr. Steadman, which comes from Ella’s point of view, demonstrates the effectiveness of his deceptive public persona. For years, he is able to hide his crimes because he portrays himself as socially appealing and competent. In the eyes of the local community, he is not the type of person that seems capable of mass murder.

“She tries to keep it clinical but she feels the tears filling her eyes. She leaves out the part about awakening to Katie’s nearly decapitated head on her lap, as if her friend had crawled to her for help and died there. And she leaves out the recurring nightmare of the figure bending down, sliding the blade into her as he whispered: ‘Good night, pretty girl.’”

As with other psychological thrillers, The Night Shift uses the experience of horror to emphasize internal psychological states. Saying that Ella is traumatized is nowhere near as effective as showing the graphic details of her experience, and Finlay’s concrete and visceral descriptions are designed to create a sense of brutal intensity in this part of the