Sharp Objects

via

Here's a book that is the exact opposite of last week's Why We Broke Up.  Gillian Flynn (the same woman who wrote this summer's smash hit, Gone Girl) wrote her first novel, Sharp Objects, in 2007, and it is somehow darker and more disturbing than GG.
Camille Preaker is drawn back to her hometown in Missouri to report on a story of two pre-teen girls who have gone missing.  It brings back memories of her sister who died prematurely, stirs up her complicated relationship with her mother, and especially reminds her of the fact that she just got out of a mental institution.  The deeper into the case of the young girls she gets, the more Camille starts to get claustrophobic in the small town.   She doesn't believe the police, who think an outsider did something with these girls; Camille sees the seedier side of home, and it brings out the worst in her.  At the end of the day, finding out what happens in this case may be the worst thing Camille can do.
Flynn has said she writes books about women doing evil things to prove that men don't have a stronghold on badness.  The problem is, I don't want to read books about men doing bad things either.
Let's be honest: this book gave me the creeps.  Not recommended for those who are faint of heart (I've figured out that I am).  Flynn did a great job of setting a mood, and certainly kept the disturbing mood throughout the novel.  For that, she deserves a lot of credit.  Just don't read it at night.

Gone Girl

via



Holy.  Bananas.  This book is intense.

Several people have personally recommended Gillian Flynn's new novel to me, and I've seen it all over the web since it was released over the summer.  It tells the story of Amy and Nick Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary, aka the day Amy went missing.  There are signs of a violent struggle in their home, but Nick insists on his innocence.  Told between alternating narratives from both Nick and Amy, this novel will keep you on the edge of your seat.  Why would Amy have planned her annual anniversary treasure hunt if she was planning to leave?  Why won't Nick answer his cell phone in front of Amy's parents?  And just what is in the shed behind Nick's twin sister's house? 

That's it.  I honestly can't tell you anything else without ruining the twists and turns of Flynn's latest work, which are many.  Summer read it directly after me, and sent this text upon finishing the last page, "Gone Girl was good but a little disturbing."  At the end of the day, that's the most succinct review I've read yet.