Monday, June 16, 2014

Book Review: "Sharp Objects" by Gillian Flynn

"Sharp Objects" by Gillian Flynn
First published in 2006
252 pages
My rating: 4 out of 5
(image source)

Gillian Flynn is a master at crafting tales of the gritty, horrifying, sickening side of human nature in an addicting way that makes readers feel both satisfied and haunted after closing the back cover.

With "Gone Girl," Flynn tells us the tale of the world's most fucked-up marriage. In "Sharp Objects," her debut from 2006, she delves into the depravity possible in a mother-daughter relationship.

Camille is a cub reporter for a daily newspaper in Chicago and a recovering cutter; nearly her entire body is covered in scars of words she has carved into herself. When two young girls are brutally murdered -- and their all their teeth removed -- in her small hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri, Camille must return home and face her demons.

And there are a lot of demons. This book contains more sickening, screwed-up elements than you can count on one hand. As Camille investigates the heinous murders, she uncovers long-buried secrets about her community, her family and herself, each more horrible than the last. And when she succeeds in unraveling the mystery, the answers are shocking.

Gillian Flynn has a crazy mind. I can't imagine even conceiving the twisted plots she manages to devise and write so adeptly and unflinchingly. But I sure do enjoy devouring the results -- I tore through this novel and will not soon forget it.

Warning: "Sharp Objects" is not for the faint of heart. The descriptions of Camille and her cutting made me queasy (literally!), and that's one of the more tame aspects of the story.

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