202. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (US) - (Canada) - (Kindle)

Pages: 254
Ages: 18+
Finished: Jul. 25, 2012
First Published: 2006
Publisher: Random House
Genre: thriller, psychological suspense
Rating: 4.5/5





First sentence: "My sweater was new, stinging red and ugly."

Publisher's Summary: "WICKED above her hipbone, GIRL across her heart 
Words are like a road map to reporter Camille Preaker’s troubled past. Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, Camille’s first assignment from the second-rate daily paper where she works brings her reluctantly back to her hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls.

NASTY on her kneecap, BABYDOLL on her leg
Since she left town eight years ago, 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 again in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille is haunted by the childhood tragedy she has spent her whole life trying to cut from her memory.

HARMFUL on her wrist, WHORE on her ankle
As Camille works to uncover the truth about these violent crimes, she finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Clues keep leading to dead ends, forcing Camille to unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past to get at the story. Dogged by her own demons, Camille will have to confront what happened to her years before if she wants to survive this homecoming."


Acquired:  Borrowed a copy from my local library

Reason for Reading: I read Gone Girl earlier this month and thought it was just OK but I had read Dark Places years ago and loved it, so I wanted to read this, Flynn's first book, to see which opinion of her as a whole author I had of her.

Sharp Objects presents a completely unique premise for a thriller that kept me on my toes and excited throughout the book.  From the first few pages I knew I was going to like the main character and she proved to be a multi-layered personality who did many unexpected things and yet remained true to her character.  The three main female characters were all highly intricate psychological studies of deeply affected personalities who the reader never knew whether they were truly good or bad.  While I won't say I was on the edge of my seat, as I had decided upon one of two possible solutions, I will say Flynn keeps you guessing until the very end.  And even when you think the whole case is solved, she pulls out one final twist to unnerve you and make sure you go to bed feeling slightly creepy about the whole thing.  I had a hard time deciding whether I liked this or Dark Places better since it has been some years since I read it, but I re-read my review and it brought the whole book back to me and this one wins out ever so slightly.  As a first book, this is extremely potent and Flynn has followed up well with two more.  Even though I thought Gone Girl was less than stellar, I still enjoyed it and will be looking forward to her next book.