Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn is a dark and disturbing psychological thriller that follows reporter Camille Preaker as she reluctantly returns to her hometown in Wind Gap, Missouri to investigate the murders of two young girls. The book delves into the small town's secrets, the complexities of family relationships, and Camille's own troubled past, including her struggles with self-harm. The narrative is intense, gripping, and filled with unexpected twists that keep readers on the edge of their seats.
The writing style in Sharp Objects is described as atmospheric, bleak, and engrossing, with excellent characterization that brings the dark and twisted psyches of the characters to life. Gillian Flynn's debut novel skillfully weaves together elements of mystery, family drama, and psychological suspense, creating a chilling story that explores the depths of human darkness and the impact of past traumas on present actions.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include self-harm, emotional abuse, childhood trauma, alcoholism, sexual violence, and unsettling descriptions of murders.
From The Publisher:
NOW AN HBO® LIMITED SERIES STARRING AMY ADAMS, NOMINATED FOR EIGHT EMMY AWARDS, INCLUDING OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES
FROM THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF GONE GIRL
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.
Praise for Sharp Objects
"Nasty, addictive reading."-Chicago Tribune
"Skillful and disturbing."-Washington Post
"Darkly original . . . [a] riveting tale."-People
Ratings (380)
Incredible (65) | |
Loved It (147) | |
Liked It (107) | |
It Was OK (45) | |
Did Not Like (9) | |
Hated It (7) |
Reader Stats (695):
Read It (394) | |
Want To Read (221) | |
Did Not Finish (11) | |
Not Interested (69) |
8 comment(s)
Perfect. Great twist at the end.
Reading this book is like walking through a David Lynch movie. You recognize things, people, relationships: that is a town, this is a cop, she is her mother, etc. But everything is just a little bit left of normal, and I was left feeling like Camille moved in a fever dream.
Flynn has created a wonderful character in Camille, whose unhappy childhood led her to be a unique kind of cutter: she carved words into her flesh from the nape of her neck to her ankles before checking herself into a psychiatric hospital. The words seem random, but certain ones burn or flash at certain moments in the book as she investigates the murder of the two girls in her hometown. Her past is literally written on her body, but she hasn't been able to read her own story until now.
There are a lot of interesting themes in the book: the predominance of femininity in Wind Gap, the lack of fathers (Camille's father figure is in Chicago; her actual father is unknown), the coldness of mothers. This is a more literary book than
Gone Girl in the sense that Flynn has created a mood as thick as molasses as the backdrop of the story. There are still awesome twists, though, and even though I called one of them I did not get them all.
The "twist" is probably the least shocking part of this book. The whole thing makes your skin crawl.
twisted as a candy cane but definitely not sweet !!!!!
I've never done drugs, but this must be what it feels like.
Sharp Objects focuses on the ways women hurt each other and the way we hurt ourselves - both physically and mentally. Gillian Flynn is a master at setting the scene and creating characters that feel flawed and unbearably real. This was a completely gripping read, made only slightly less engaging by the fact that - not to brag - I knew who the killer was from the moment we first saw the character, and by the fact that it was more graphic than I was anticipating.
Definitely worth reading, and an amazing first novel.
Ugly in the most perfect way
Too crude and vulgar. Not my cup of tea.
Psychological thriller
Complex characters
Small-town secrets
Dark atmosphere
Uncomfortable realism
Mental health struggles
Family dysfunction
Societal hierarchy
Twists and turns
Narrative tension
Character psychology
Exploration of trauma
Social commentary
Subverted expectations
What can you read after
Sharp Objects?
About the Author:
Gillian Flynn is the author of the runaway hit Gone Girl, an international sensation that has spent more than 95 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Her work has been published in 40 languages. Gone Girl is a major motion picture from Twentieth Century-Fox. Flynn's previous…
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