Review: Sharp Objects by: Gillian Flynn

      Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects is a about Camille, a reporter for a low level Chicago newspaper, who goes back to her hometown in Missouri to cover the disappearances of two young girls.  While covering the case Camille stays in her mothers Victorian mansion and reunites with her half sister Amma, a beautiful, seductive and at times disturbing child.   

      Camille is a fascinating character, she is beautiful yet she holds a black ugliness inside her.  She is the "good" person in Flynn's novel (but is she really?) yet she has so many dark qualities, ugly obsessions and dark habits--and it's refreshing!  Women are not picture perfect house wives, the victimized woman does not always become a heroine or gain strength, and virginal qualities are not always present.  Flynn embraces this idea with her characters-blades sharpened and booze bottle half empty--I personally love it!  Camille, despite her bad girl tendencies is someone that I identified with, she has a realness to her, a rawness that  made me wish I knew her in person.  The same is the case with all of Flynn's characters, they are written in a way that does not apologize for the dark side of the mind.  Even the most sinister of characters, I could not help but love.  There is so much screwed up about each one of them, so many intricacies behind each action, that I cannot help but admire Flynn for the time and care that went into each morbidly wonderful character.

      There were certain points in the novel where the images that Flynn creates were so strong that they lingered in my memory for days.  One in particular, dealing with an animal in a factory, had me cringing throughout for hours D:  And than there were others, equally as disturbing, but with mixture or evil and innocence that was both wonderful and terrifying!

      And the plot-wonderful.  Just when I thought I had it all figured out-I didn't.  And as I continued to read I began to have the "AhHa!" moment (which didn't come until the last few pages, the suspense was wonderful!), putting together the tiny and clever clues and shattered pieces of the puzzle that makes up Sharp Objects.  Flynn had me guessing up until the last soul shattering page, which was horrible, unexpected but still totally awesome!  I do not have one single complaint about this novel, but I have already obtained Dark Places, and soon I will have Gone Girl.  Flynn is one of those authors that has me hooked, and I shall read whatever she has to offer. :)