Review – Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

When two girls are abducted and killed in Missouri, journalist Camille Preaker is sent back to her home town to report on the crimes.

Long-haunted by a childhood tragedy and estranged from her mother for years, Camille suddenly finds herself installed once again in her family’s mansion, reacquainting herself with her distant mother and the half-sister she barely knows – a precocious 13-year-old who holds a disquieting grip on the town.

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.

Anyone that’s read Gone Girl would agree it has the best twist in it – and that the characters are seriously messed up. I can’t decide if the characters in Sharp Objects are AS bad, worse or better.

It’s written first person, which I always prefer (when done well) as it means you get really into the character’s mind, and discover things at the same time as they do – and as this is a mystery it’s good. Flynn does it very well.

When the novel starts, you have no reason to think that Camille has any serious reasons not to go home, but then the reasons start stacking up, and you meet her family, and discover her secret, and realise, she does have some very major issues with returning ‘home’. The tag line on the book is right – her family are toxic.

As little things started coming out (not giving anything away), I got more and more hooked on it. It got to the stage where I just wanted to read and read. I was slightly disappointed in the ending, in that it happened very quickly over about 10 pages, but what an ending! I was surprised, but I wasn’t if that makes sense. I finished it on Sunday, and am still thinking, ‘wow.’ It’s really hard to say anything else without giving anything away – so go read it, we’ll talk about it then!

I’ve recommended it to a couple of people, and will keep doing, I really enjoyed it (if am not slightly disturbed by it). I’m looking forward to having another of her novels, Dark Places – I don’t know what it’s about, but I’m quite sure I’ll enjoy it – and will definitely read anything new she brings out.

(Published by Phoenix, 2007.) 

by

Helen Jackson