The Snap Review
“I nodded and nodded and nodded, because I so badly wanted to be someone who just got it.”
We’re turning the page on our September book, The Snap by Elizabeth Staple 🏟
One Sentence Summary:
A #MeToo-inspired murder mystery about the sports industry
My Thoughts
If it didn't already feel like fall, The Snap fully pulled me into my autumn energy.
This book ran through the checklist of cinematic campy drama:
Intense rain
Impromptu phone hang-ups
Fancy galas
Suspicious letters
A corn maze
Walking in and out of offices with various accusations, dismissals, and cheesy one-line zingers
As a bonus, it also had all of the quintessential sports tropes
Nicknaming names that have no business being nick-named (ex: B-rad)
Wearing mittens at chilly football stadiums
Ridiculous office pranks
Sexism under the guise of being a great girl dad/husband/brother(whatever)
Smash those bullets together, and you get a fun, pacy novel that’s perfect for football season (especially if you’d rather be reading than watching football)
Now for the play-by-play….
The fumbles
I’ve seen two big critiques for The Snap
The mystery wasn’t satisfying
The main character isn’t relatable
Candidly, I don’t care about the mystery. Thrillers aren’t my genre, anyway.
It was pretty clear from the prologue and opening scene that Red, the murder victim, and Poppy, our narrator, had skeletons in their lockers.
The overall conclusion (no spoilers) wasn’t the best series of reveals, but this book was never trying to be the twistiest most shocking gotcha surprise ending story.
At least I don’t think it was?
To me, The Snap was less about the whodunnit and more about the pressure of working in a corrupt, male-dominated industry.
Which brings me to the second point: As a woman in sports, Poppy felt completely real to me.
Sure, she’s flawed. Sure, she’s closed off. Sure, she makes aggravating and annoying choices.
Based on her environment, that all made sense.
Let me get personal for a second.
I work for an all-female sports media company, but my last job was at a dude-filled sports-media mega centre.
At the time, I loved it. The people were great. The energy was fun. There were lots of unwarranted nicknames and lots of pranks.
However…
I was interrupted and talked over more times than I can count
I compared myself to other women in the office endlessly
I worried any compliments I gave would be perceived as flirty
If I ever asked about women’s sports, I was informed that the priority was creating content for “avid fans” - meaning men, not women
I was constantly told “my sports knowledge was lacking,” even though the job was selling television advertising, not coaching the fucking team
When I left, my boss's boss told me the female-run company I was headed to was “a cool idea, but those girls need to figure out how to make money” (my current company pays me twice as much as he did)
I had a VP be too handsy with me at a Christmas party.
I cried in the bathroom with a coworker but then, predictably, minimized the whole thing the next day.
When I brought it up with my manager, I said I was probably overreacting.
They didn’t pry or do anything about it.
I didn’t bring it up again.
No one else did either.
A year later, I met with that same VP about a potential job. I didn’t get that role, but I stayed with the company for another 2 years.
The whole time I was excited to work there. I thought my job was so cool.
I found myself playing into a Legally Blonde character to avoid conversations about sports stats. The girlier I was, the easier it was for everyone to understand how I fit into the team.
The more I catered my personality to the office, the more I understood how I fit into the team.
Years removed from that environment, I feel conflicted about the whole thing. I see how quietly suffocating and demeaning it was - even though I genuinely believe none of my colleagues had bad intentions (except for that one VP, but even now I wonder if he realized he was being creepy…)
Leaving that company allowed me to shed the skin I was building. Who knows how much that workplace could have changed my outlook, personality, and morals.
Just like Poppy.
Say what you will about the character or the plot, but I think The Snap nails the burden of working in a male-dominated industry.
It’s not just about what’s endured, but also the constant internal battle of what’s worth sticking your neck out for, what you should let slide, and how to navigate the inherent competition that’s never named but is ever-prevalent in those spaces.
If you won’t put up with something, someone else will.
If you think something is weird, you’re probably being weird.
Elizabeth Staple, I applaud you for capturing that feeling 👏
The touchdowns
A few other details I liked:
This line, which is pretty much me at all times: “I nodded and nodded and nodded because I so badly wanted to be someone who just got it.” (pg 12)
The blatant references to current sports scandals
There is no shortage to choose from, but I loved the quiet digs at Kyrie Irving being flat earther, Trevor Bauer’s choking accusations, and Hockey Canada’s not one, but three sexual assault hush funds (although that part could be referencing any player or organization handing out NDAs — it’s not that rare…)
The fresh take on a survivor story
I really enjoyed how the book explored minimizing someone else’s experience because it’s too painful to deal with your own. This is such a common way survivors process and is an important part of the #metoo conversation. I particularly loved the witch hunt tie-in throughout —“The best defence against being called a witch was to name one yourself.” (pg 256) — but this quote really tackled me to the ground:
“I looked down at my hands. Supposedly the totality of the cells in a body are replaced every seven years, which meant I’d had two full cycles to shed what he touched, but I could still feel it. It was like nothing of me had stayed through that regeneration but the bits of him he forced into places they weren’t allowed remained, so now I was more him than me. I carried him, I hated him” (pg 243)
Rating
I’m giving The Snap 4 stars!
This is my kind of mystery novel — meaning it’s not really a mystery, but more a character-driven emotional dilemma.
The Snap had strong visuals, a fun plot, and a fall-blockbuster feeling.
It loses a star because the murder plot conclusion was rushed and not super believable (twists are hard), but the book won a ton of favours from me because of the themes and because I want to be friends with Elizabeth Staple.
Am I biased? Probably!
The Snap lives in my exact niche of women in sports 🤝 murder AND there’s a survivor story/witch hunt angle?!?
It’s like those TikToks where owners say all their dog’s fav words on a phone call:
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Last note: The Snap is also a debut! Y’all know I LOVE debuts! Elizabeth Staple, I can’t wait to read more!
Last last note: Whether you liked this book or not, you MUST read Sidelined by Julie Dicaro. This short non-fiction read about the sports industry tackles the dark side of sports from all angles.
Our Next Chapter is The Eyes Are The Best Part by Monika Kim 👁
Spooky season calls for horror novels!
“Crying in H-Mart meets My Sister, the Serial Killer in this feminist psychological horror about the making of a female serial killer from a Korean-American perspective.”
Read along with My Side Plot on Fable and Instagram
Also On My Shelf:
The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins. In the last week, I’ve reread the first and second Hunger Games books. Wow wow wow do these ever hold up! Do yourself a favour, and revisit this tween classic. #TeamPeetaForever
Epilogue:
What did you think!?!?
Do you have a similar workplace experience?
Are you following along on Fable??
Hey Jamie,
Love the note about "that" work place. Definitely has not changed and probably will never. I'm so happy that you are being recognized and paid for the talents and skills you bring to the table!!