Friday, May 3, 2013

Review: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Sharp Objects WICKED above her hipbone, GIRL across her heart
Words are like a road map to reporter Camille Preaker’s troubled past. Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, Camille’s first assignment from the second-rate daily paper where she works brings her reluctantly back to her hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls.
NASTY on her kneecap, BABYDOLL on her leg
Since she left town eight years ago, 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 again in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille is haunted by the childhood tragedy she has spent her whole life trying to cut from her memory.
HARMFUL on her wrist, WHORE on her ankle
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.

This book was completely different to what I normally read. Instead of the usual YA and Romance stuff that I read, I decided to go for something out of my comfort zone. Sharp Objects, beautifully written by Gillian Flynn, is Mystery Thriller. Some go as far as saying that it's a Horror book and I completely understand. Sharp Objects was Gillian Flynn's debut book published in 2006. Her more recent book Gone Girl is more popular. If you read the description, you'll see that it is a pretty twisted book. I gave this book a 4.5 STARS. I have so much to say about this book which is why you have to keep reading, I won't have any spoilers. If you're too lazy to read the whole review though, to sum it up: I recommend it, go and read it, but only if your ready.
Characters & Themes:
Alright, I'll try my best. The characters and the themes played a very huge part in the story to me. The protagonist is a very unique character and all the people she meets are too. I can't say much about them but they are portrayed very cleverly by the author. Nobody is simply black and white. They're not if even black, grey and white. Every single character has so many layers and secrets. The author's innuendo's did help me unravel the mysteries before the protagonist did but even so, there were many things that I found out about the characters that still shocked me. The themes were what really got me into the story. So many different things were explored. To list a few: mental illness, sex, drugs, 'don't judge a book by it's cover', pain, grief and I could go on forever.
Pros:
I'm still trying to really wrap my head around the story. I apologise for this scattered review. I really loved the writing because I felt like Camille was telling the story and not the author. This really brought the story to life and with the use of inclusive language I was very compelled. This book left me holding my breath during most of it. It is a fairly short book, under 300 pages, which seems very little for a mystery book. You'd think that the story wouldn't be in detail but trust me, it is. It's so well thought out and intelligent. There's always something happening that evokes a different kind of emotion. Many parts were jaw dropping, literally.
Cons:
The reasons why this book didn't get a perfect score from me are because I wasn't ready and I hated the ending. I felt like some of the issues were just too much for me at this point in my life. Some things were too gruesome or too twisted and wrong. I'm just glad that I know not to be influenced by anything that happened. This is an Adult Fiction novel and I only suggest reading it if you're ready for very heinous things. And then there's the ending. If you've seen my past reviews, you'll know how I am about endings. They have to be good. The ending just wasn't happy enough for me. Being the optimist that I am, I crave a happily ever after.
Summary:
Sharp Objects was an amazing and absolutely spectacular book. I just wish I would've read it when I was older. I would've been able to appreciate everything a lot more than I do now. I definitely recommend this to more experienced readers. Even if you're a teenager, just make sure you're ready. It was a fantastic murder mystery.

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