Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn Review

Title: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn 
Genre: Crime / Thriller 
Pages: 321

Synopsis:

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.

Review

Sharp Objects was an intensely interesting read. I went in a little apprehensive, having attempted to read Gone Girl in the past and struggling to the point I just put it back down. Sharp Objects was a nice surprise though, the plot of the book follows Camille as she returns home to report on two murders of young girls. In a quite town, the murders are shocking and the way they are murdered and handled when dead brutal. The young girls are strangled and then the murderer removes all their teeth. This was something that had me shuddering especially when the victims are so young, Gillian Flynn definitely has a descriptive writing technique which leaves you hooked and emotionally invested in the story.

The plot as a whole was fast paced, I read this book in a matter of hours as I couldn’t put it down. At first I thought I guessed who the murderer was but then there were twists and turns and ultimately the ending shocked me. Gillian has you questioning so many characters and the town itself such as ; many people act so strangely, why is that?

Set in a little town in Missouri, Sharp Objects gave me a sense of Stepford Wives vibes. The rich suburbia part of town giving the sense that everything is ok but in reality it’s actually not. The characters were strange and often showcased weird behaviour such as Amma. Camille’s 13-year-old step sister, Amma is a very odd character. At 13 she drinks, she does drugs, hangs out with older boys. At one point in the story she wears a mini skirt and opens her legs to show the Detective her panties. She’s a character who has bipolar behaviour, a Jekyll and Hyde if you will because her mother also babies her immensely and it is no surprise she acts so strangely as you read about her mother Adora who is the picturesque Stepford Wives character.

Camille herself is an interesting character and one who may be potentially triggering for some people as the book delves into her experience in a Psychiatric Unit as well as her Self Harm journey. Camille’s self harm is talked about often in the book as her whole body is scared with the words she carved into her skin growing up.

There is also a slight romantic element in this book through Camille and Detective Willis which ends somewhat unresolved which was frustrating. I wanted there to be one final interaction between the pair but sadly there wasn’t. Their ending moments would reveal big spoilers if I mentioned it so I’m afraid I can’t mention much more!

Overall I really liked my reading experience of Sharp Objects, the story hooked me from the beginning and I was left open-mouthed just repeating the words ‘that was insane.’ It was weird and wonderful, a true thriller. I just wish there was more to the ending of Detective Willis and Camille’s friendship/relationship. A 4 star if not 4.5 star read for me, one I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of Thrillers or wants to get into them!

 

Useful Links
Goodreads | Where To Buy Me | www.gillian-flynn.com