Review: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Release date: September 26, 2006
Publisher: Shaye Areheart Brooks
Pages: 254
Reading level: Adult
Genre: Thriller/mystery
Source: Gift
Links: Author • Goodreads • Amazon

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family's Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming.

Review:

This is my third Gillian Flynn book (and I believe she only has three) and while I can't say I loved it, SHARP OBJECTS was one crazy read. I am a huge fan of a good mystery/thriller and Gillian Flynn has proved herself adept at coming up with some pretty messed up characters, so I figured this would be an intriguing read. Camille Preaker was certainly messed up, but in a way that made me feel so sorry for her. Other than her boss, Camille did not have anyone on her side and she was dealing with people even more messed up than she was. SHARP OBJECTS was a dark and, at times, painful read and while the ending was a tad predictable, I think this was an overall solid mystery.

Flynn has a gift for creating some nasty characters and showing the worst sides of human nature. GONE GIRL was my first introduction to Flynn and I have enjoyed working through the rest of her books as crazy and dark as they are. SHARP OBJECTS follows Camille Preaker as she returns to her hometown to write a story on two mysterious murders. We quickly realize most people, including Camille and her family, have something to hide and that there is way more to these murders than the reader may initially realize. This was a slim book, so it is easy to devour in a few sittings, especially as you start to put clues together and get closer to the end. The darkness and evil contained in this short book was definitely intense and there are some fairly graphic descriptions of cutting and self harm.

Unfortunately I found the ending to be a bit predictable, but I thought SHARP OBJECTS was unique in the way it presented such a damaged main character. I have recently begun reading more thrillers and that has made me much more critical of how the endings play out, but I still recommend SHARP OBJECTS to fans of darker and more twisted thrillers.

I don't want to give too much away, but I have recently discovered this novel is being made into an eight-part series on HBO starring Amy Adams. If you want to read the book first you still have time, the show just started airing.