This is a first - I'll be reviewing a book! I will be following a general outline for my reviews (which I hope to do more often) - the book, the premise, the negative, the positive, and my recommendation.
Disclaimer: All the books that I review have been purchased by me, or lent to me. I am not sponsored in any way to review this novel, and no money changed hands, except for the initial purchase. All opinions are my own. Please bear in mind that what I like or dislike may not be the same as someone else's.
A couple of months ago, I texted my friend, The Cat Lady, and we were chatting. I mentioned that I was rereading The Chronicles of Narnia for the sixth time, and was getting a little frustrated because I did not have any fresh reading material. She offered to lend me a few books to read, since her birthday had recently come and gone and she received a lot of books for gifts. I jumped at the opportunity. Last month, I saw her in Alabama for a wedding, and we traded some books to read. Among those was a novel by Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl. It was entitled, Sharp Objects.
The Book:
Published in 2006.
First distributed by Shaye Areheart Books, then subsequently printed through Broadway Books.
It is 254 pages.
IBSN: 0307341550
The Premise:
This novel follows Camille Preaker, a journalist from Chicago. She has been sent on assignment to her hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri, to report on a series of brutal murders. Throughout the novel, clues are revealed about the main character's past, and ends with a way-out-of-left-field twist.
The Negative:
I'll be honest. I'm not the world's biggest fan of Gillian Flynn. She is an amazing author, and incredibly creative. However, all of her books have thrown me for a loop. When I read Gone Girl, I was completely thrown by how horrible the characters were. I feel like Flynn intentionally writes her characters to be incredibly unlikable, and that makes it very difficult for me to connect with them, and subsequently her books. I couldn't even like the charismatic detective from Kansas City. Additionally, the settings of her books in general, but more specifically Wind Gap, seem to be intentionally written to be incredibly dull, leading to some pretty terrible people (again, see Gone Girl).
The Positive:
Regardless of how the characters and settings are written, Flynn writes in a compelling style that kept me at the edge of my seat. I may have hated all of the characters, and the settings, but I was so desperate to find out who the murderer was. And even though Flynn dropped hints throughout the book, the murderer's identity was out of left field. I had some suspicions early on, but decided that I was being unrealistic. Even though my suspicions turned out to be right, I still wound up being surprised.
My Recommendation:
I'll be honest - after reading Gone Girl I was very reluctant to read this one. Gone Girl threw me for a loop, and even though I read the book months ago, I'm still having trouble grasping how inherently horrible the characters were. However, Sharp Objects, while written in a style similar to Gone Girl with intentionally dull settings and terrible people, didn't throw me off so much, and I'm grateful. If you're interested in psychological thrillers with unexpected twists, and you don't rely on a connection with the characters this book is for you. I would still recommend you read this one, if just to have a look at living and surviving traumatic pasts.
Disclaimer: All the books that I review have been purchased by me, or lent to me. I am not sponsored in any way to review this novel, and no money changed hands, except for the initial purchase. All opinions are my own. Please bear in mind that what I like or dislike may not be the same as someone else's.
A couple of months ago, I texted my friend, The Cat Lady, and we were chatting. I mentioned that I was rereading The Chronicles of Narnia for the sixth time, and was getting a little frustrated because I did not have any fresh reading material. She offered to lend me a few books to read, since her birthday had recently come and gone and she received a lot of books for gifts. I jumped at the opportunity. Last month, I saw her in Alabama for a wedding, and we traded some books to read. Among those was a novel by Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl. It was entitled, Sharp Objects.
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| Image retrieved from: https://btbpd.wordpress.com |
Published in 2006.
First distributed by Shaye Areheart Books, then subsequently printed through Broadway Books.
It is 254 pages.
IBSN: 0307341550
The Premise:
This novel follows Camille Preaker, a journalist from Chicago. She has been sent on assignment to her hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri, to report on a series of brutal murders. Throughout the novel, clues are revealed about the main character's past, and ends with a way-out-of-left-field twist.
The Negative:
I'll be honest. I'm not the world's biggest fan of Gillian Flynn. She is an amazing author, and incredibly creative. However, all of her books have thrown me for a loop. When I read Gone Girl, I was completely thrown by how horrible the characters were. I feel like Flynn intentionally writes her characters to be incredibly unlikable, and that makes it very difficult for me to connect with them, and subsequently her books. I couldn't even like the charismatic detective from Kansas City. Additionally, the settings of her books in general, but more specifically Wind Gap, seem to be intentionally written to be incredibly dull, leading to some pretty terrible people (again, see Gone Girl).
The Positive:
Regardless of how the characters and settings are written, Flynn writes in a compelling style that kept me at the edge of my seat. I may have hated all of the characters, and the settings, but I was so desperate to find out who the murderer was. And even though Flynn dropped hints throughout the book, the murderer's identity was out of left field. I had some suspicions early on, but decided that I was being unrealistic. Even though my suspicions turned out to be right, I still wound up being surprised.
My Recommendation:
I'll be honest - after reading Gone Girl I was very reluctant to read this one. Gone Girl threw me for a loop, and even though I read the book months ago, I'm still having trouble grasping how inherently horrible the characters were. However, Sharp Objects, while written in a style similar to Gone Girl with intentionally dull settings and terrible people, didn't throw me off so much, and I'm grateful. If you're interested in psychological thrillers with unexpected twists, and you don't rely on a connection with the characters this book is for you. I would still recommend you read this one, if just to have a look at living and surviving traumatic pasts.
You'll definitely like Dark Places more than Sharp Objects, I had a really hard time getting through Sharp Objects. Gone Girl was more of "what...they really did that?" thriller/mind-screw than the character relationship with the readers. I think that was her goal.
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