'The Sun Down Motel' thematic analysis

The Sun Down Motel is a 2020 novel by Simone St. James, which I feel is a book that sincerely and accurately outlines the dangers that women face on a daily basis, and their mental and physical reactions to them. The book details the wild stories of Viv Delaney and her niece, Carly Kirk, switching between the timelines of the two women, with both of them in their twenties, living in the fictional town of Fell, New York.

Carly, who had recently dropped out of college, temporarily moves to Fell with the intention of investigating the disappearance of her aunt 40 years prior. We see the story from the perspectives of both women, which haunts the reader, as we observe firsthand how little has changed in society since the 1980s, when it comes to the safety of women. We see Viv, alone in a strange city, getting harassed by men and fearful of working the dreaded night shift in the Sun Down Motel. Carly takes up the same job, hoping to have the opportunity to find out more about her aunt, which gives the reader the perfect opportunity to objectively compare the situations of the two women. The similarities, when it comes to the dangers they face as women working the night shift in a strange city, is truly thought provoking.

Carly and her roommate, Heather, are also portrayed as true crime aficionados. At one point in the book, Heather removes herself from the investigation into Carly’s aunt when they found out that her disappearance had something to do with a serial murderer and rapist, Simon Hess.

She states that she fears she will reignite her obsession with true crime and once again end up in a downward spiral that ends with depression, which I think is a detail in the book that is extremely relevant to society today. With the recent spike in consumption of true crime content, it has been observed that the main audience is women. It begs the question - why are women so obsessed with true crime? I believe it has something to do with processing our vulnerability when it comes to safety - I think that women try to immerse themselves in true crime stories to come to terms with the fact that the same horrifying things that happen to other women could happen to them at any time. It’s a way of protecting ourselves - by desensitizing our minds to the idea of murder or rape, we try to protect our psyches from the severe mental trauma that comes with having something terrible happen to us.

The book is considered a paranormal thriller, which I feel is a misleading label, as it draws attention to the supernatural aspects of the novel (the ghosts that haunt the motel), and somewhat brushes over the deeper meaning that they represent. The ghosts that haunt the motel are of the people in the motel that have died unnatural deaths, such as taking a fall into an empty swimming pool, heart attacks, and murder. They symbolize the unrest and uncertainty that people face when they die an unnatural death - especially when it comes to violence against women. While some may view death as the end of someone’s suffering, James highlights that these kinds of traumatic experiences stay with a person forever, even after their death.

The novel also forces the reader to question the morality of the character’s actions, and thereby question the efficacy of the justice system in today’s world. Alma Trent, who happens to be the only female police officer in the one precinct near Fell, supports Viv when she finds out that she murdered Simon Hess. Rather than simply considering the objective facts of the case, that explicitly state that Viv Delaney murdered a man, she attempts to consider and understand the complexities of the case, which include the fact that Hess is a serial murderer and rapist, who tried to hurt Viv. This plot detail in the story comments on the tendency for the justice system to judge crimes solely on the indisputable facts of a case, rather than focus on the details that actually caused a person’s actions. Alma is also a woman, so she immediately relates to and empathizes with the victims of Hess’ violence, as she has also experienced harassment from her male colleagues.