Sharp Objects: A Novel
by Gillian Flynn
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Book Reviews of Sharp Objects: A Novel
Book Review: Effectively dark but bordering on unpleasant tedium at times...
Summary: 3 Stars
I started enjoying Gillian Flynn with her second book, 'Dark Places,' and was absolutely riveted by it. Subsequently I decided to grab her debuting novel, 'Sharp Objects.' Her amateur status rings out a bit in this book, unfortunately. To me, this book is an example of art where the actual content is an unenjoyable experience. Regardless of the fact that it was probably the author's intention to describe the novel's primary setting as a dreamy, dreary and disgusting visceral experience, it turned too much of the reading process into something akin to recalling snippets of an abstract nightmare. Gillian Flynn is extremely skilled at instilling you with a creaking sense of unease, but it simply encompassed too much of the book. Rarely did I experience relief from this to feel anything other than dread or it's relatives.
I also found many of the characters in the town to exhibit contrived, stereotypic behavior. In my experience, when you first meet someone, rarely do they instantly drift off into pseudo-poetic riffs and wax abstract about the nature of day-dreaming. On this same thread, I frequently felt that the plot was repeatedly stalled again and again while the narrator's exposition constantly indulged in long arbitrary streams of consciousness. Again, masterful in actual execution, but implemented far too often in the macro sense.
Still, I made it through the book, as it is without doubt worth reading. My opinion was perhaps skewed by how damned excellent her second book is! All of these issues seem magically corrected in Dark Places, as it constantly juggles an awesome blend of haunting recollection/ musing with an ever-exciting plot that keeps up a brisk pace. Can't wait for more from Flynn!
Book Review: OK, BUT NOT QUITE SHARP ENOUGH
Summary: 2 Stars
SHARP OBJECTS
I was highly anticipating a great book, found this one to be good, but a little disappointing. Too many strange characters, everyone in this small half-horse Missouri town is messed up with tons of problems. This seemed totally unrealistic to me.
Meet Camille Preaker, a Chicago newspaper reporter who has escaped a psycho family from Wind Gap, Missouri. She has severed ties with her family which consists of her mom, step-dad and step-sister, and a long deceased sister.
Camille reluctantly returns to Missouri and her family to report on the story of the unsolved murders of two little girls. She is a good character; very likeable and believeable. However, the rest of the characters were just too fake.
Camille does not want to see her family, finally has to and ends up staying at her mother's home. Her mom is wicked, her sister messed up, her step-dad off in his own little world. She sees old friends and every single one of them has problems and are all messed up, either on drugs or booze or both.
Camille was a great character and I enjoyed her personality and how she handled herself. Her narration was very well written and fun. However, the rest of the characters just made this book too too too too unreal.
The plot was good, the mystery of who-done-it kept me guessing, the writing was good. The characters just didn't help this story and bogged it down. I do, however, think Gillian Flynn holds much promise and will check out future books of hers.
Thank you.
Pam
Book Review: Entertaining but not nearly as shocking as I expected
Summary: 4 Stars
I don't have to find all my book characters likeable though I did like the main character of this story. I also enjoyed the portrait of a small home town's dark side which I personally didn't find to be too much of a stretch. However, most of the other characters were too "flat" for lack of a better word. I believe that I read somewhere that the author found inspiration in fairytales but while these types of characters work in a fairytale they just seemed not quite right in the book. Not that I wanted them to be less evil; I completely enjoyed that aspect. My major problem with this book was that I figured out the plot (including what happened to the teeth) very early on. More focus on other possible suspects would have increased the suspense. I also didn't feel that creepy forboding nail biting suspense that makes this type of book so fun. I never really felt like the main character was in danger. I'm not sure if this was in part due to the fact that the main character didn't seem to care what happened to herself very much, or simply because the author didn't put her in harm's way enough while creating the feeling that something unknown but horrible was about to happen. I did enjoy and was startled at how the "romance" of the story turned out. It was, in my opinion, a welcome change from most mystery books with a romance. Even though the book had some flaws it felt fresh compared to a lot of other mystery/suspense books so I will likely read anything more Flynn publishes. However, I do feel that the amount of praise for this book is a bit excessive.Book Review: Oh, But For the Few
Summary: 4 Stars
From the second you open Gillian Flynn's "Sharp Objects", you know you're not reading a dime mystery novel. From the get-go, Flynn's sharp writing drives the story with the force of a turbine engine. Her prose is easy to follow, compact, and beautiful - written with the type of thin, "Say-What-You-Mean" edge that would make Stephen King drool.
For her debut novel, Flynn has crafted a beautifully twisted story dealing with the intricacies of small town wickedness (hello again, Mr. King), dysfunctional families, and the dark places of the human mind. The story's leading lady is a compelling, and disturbed journalist named Camille Preaker. Flynn leads Camille through a serious of disturbing murders which continually reflect her own childhood, forcing her to confront demons of her past.
For a first release, Sharp Objects is captivating. A feat many other authors would be jealous of. The book will haunt you, begging to be picked up again. While it won't scare the living daylights out of you, you'll probably find yourself squeeming in your chair.
However, Sharp Objects does have it's flaws - for all it's twists and unpredictable moments, there are equally predictable and forseen moments. The conclusion feels rushed, and almost forced (though satisfying at the same time).
Sharp Objects will appeal to any thriller/suspense/mystery/horror fan. It's non-literary, so-real-it's-twisted reading. Definitely worth checking out. Puts Gillian Flynn on the map for future reading.
Book Review: Well written, but can guess killer easily
Summary: 4 Stars
A newspaper reporter at a small Chicago newspaper is sent on assignment to her old hometown in Wind Gap, Mo. to find out why young girls keep showing up dead.
This was a really quick read. I found it very enthralling, especially the parts where the main character described why she cut herself when she was younger. I never understood cutting, so reading a character trying to describe why they say it and what they are thinking when they do it, helps to understand why young girls do it. That isn't the main part of the story, but just a subplot that really helps the reader get inside the main character's head while she is trying to work on the murder story for her paper in a town she did not want to return. She ran away to get away from her mother, but she was back living with her mother and her young half-sister that her mother adores, while also dealing with the haunting reminders of her dead younger sister that her mother obviously loved more than her.
There is a lot going on in the story, but it is very well written. My only complaint was I saw who was committing the murders about halfway through the book. I didn't guess the full reason, but it wasn't surprising when I found out the full reason behind it. Gillian Flynn is a writer for Entertainment Weekly. She reviews television. I wonder if watching and reviewing crime shows gave her some ideas for the book, but from watching my fair share of them myself, I think that was what helped me guess the killer.