Sharp Objects: A Novel
by Gillian Flynn
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Book Summary Information
Author: Gillian FlynnEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-07-31
ISBN: 0307341550
Number of pages: 254
Publisher: Broadway
Book Reviews of Sharp Objects: A Novel
Book Review: Not my cup of tea
Summary: 3 Stars
Well, I finished this book in 4 days. This was definitely a page turner, but for me, not in a good way. This was less of an "I can't stop now because I really like the story and want to get to the bottom of things" and more of a "This book is so disturbing, if I don't finish it soon, I'm just prolonging my own suffering."
First off: it was well-written enough (although Gillian Flynn has an annoying habit of using "said" way too often...surely she could've referred to a thesaurus every now and then and used other words such as asked, lamented, cried, sputtered, ventured, mused, begged, implied, etc.) and she had formulated a fairly good whodunit. She certainly keeps you guessing regarding the identity of the real killer, even though she left enough clues from the beginning, and for that, I applaud her. Her little switcheroo at the end was entertaining (although not entirely surprising). She also paints both a pretty and a cynical picture of Missouri (having never been there nor known anyone from that state, I wouldn't be able to comment on the veracity of her descriptions). Her character development was above average, paying close attention to her main players and adding some color to the supporting ones. I do think she had a tendency to stereotype, but it wasn't distracting enough for me to dislike the book on this count. If anything, the mystery part of her novel played very much like a TV mystery (if sometimes a tad screechy).
Despite all that, however, the novel itself was disturbing on so many levels. It was a complex psychological narrative dealing with cutting, inferiority complexes, psychological diseases such as Munchausen's syndrome (and Munchausen's by Proxy), and sadism and masochism. In my mind, it would've been one thing to approach these topics as the alarming afflictions they are, to not only inform the audience of their existence and pique their curiosity, but to play on the audience's emotions in a "positive" way (there is such a thing!): confuse them, confound them, elicit distress, frustration and even anger, maybe provoke the audience to look these up in other books/on the internet but then walk away from the story and their research with a little more knowledge but remain relatively unscathed.
But all too often, I felt that every time Flynn wrote about her characters' psychological illnesses, it was meant less to provoke and more to titillate. Whenever she wrote about sex or cutting or even the emotional tortures her characters inflicted on themselves or onto each other, she left me feeling extremely dirty and rattled. I'm neither delicate nor squeamish by any means, but I sometimes felt as if she gained some form of risqué enjoyment from writing in this manner, as if she relished the act of noting down the various debasing acts she described so vividly, so viscerally. Even her detailed meanderings regarding the pork industry made me (temporarily) steel away from bacon, ham and any pork products. Throughout some parts, I almost equated her words as a type of torture porn, only not in film form.
As contemporary works go, I've read worse, and I've certainly read better. Maybe this just isn't my type of novel or genre. Still, I got through the whole thing, but I don't think I'll be journeying through another one of Flynn's novels. I think that as a TV or movie critic, she gives very insightful critiques and I generally like her tone. But if this novel is any indication of the sort of fiction writing she will continue to do, I think I will make a concerted effort to avoid her other works, not because they're not well-written, but because it's just not my cup of tea.
Summary of Sharp Objects: A Novel
WICKED above her hipbone, GIRL across her heartWords 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.
With its taut, crafted writing, Sharp Objects is addictive, haunting, and unforgettable.
From the Hardcover edition.
As loyal Entertainment Weekly subscribers, we have been fans of Gillian Flynn for her smart, funny, and spot-on reviews of books, movies, and TV, but we were not prepared for her stunning debut novel Sharp Objects, a wickedly dark thriller that Stephen King calls a "relentlessly creepy family saga" and an "admirably nasty piece of work." We're calling it a cross between Twin Peaks and Secretary--sinister, sexy, and stylish. Perfect fall reading. --Daphne Durham
10 Second Interview: A Few Words with Gillian Flynn
Q: Do you prefer writing novels or reviewing?A: I think writing is more pure--and actually a bit easier for me. It's just me and my laptop, not me and my laptop and a TV show that 30 people have worked on. Reviewing keeps you sharp--I can hardly watch or read anything without taking notes now--but plain old writing I find actually relaxing.
Q: Do think your writing is influenced more by books that you have read, or shows/movies that you have seen?
A: My mom spent her career as a reading teacher and my dad is a retired film professor, so I was really steeped in both books and movies growing up. To this day, when I get my dad on the phone, pretty much his first sentence is "Seen anything good lately?" I love putting words together (I've never met a simile I didn't like), but when I write I often think in "scenes"--I want these two people, in a dirty bar, with this song playing in the background.
Q: I hear you are working on your second book...is it is too early to ask what it's about?
A: I'm still playing around with the whole plot--when I wrote Sharp Objects, I wasn't even sure who the killer was for a bit. But I can say [the new book] has to do with family loyalty, false memories, a wrenching murder trial, and a dash of good 'ole 1980s hair metal and devil worship.
Q: What is your writing process like? Have you changed anything about how you work since your first book?
A: My writing process is incredibly inefficient, and hasn't changed between books. I really don't outline: I know basically how I want the story to start, and vaguely how I want it to end (though like I said, with Sharp Objects even that changed!). Then I just write: Some characters I start finding more interesting, some less. I write entire swaths that I pretty much know I'll cut. I have an entire file of "deleted scenes." I guess the one thing that has physically changed is I moved into a new place since my first book--it has a great bathtub, and I'll prop my laptop up and write in the bath for hours. Which is, admittedly, weird.
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