AUDIO BOOK REVIEW FOR SHARP OBJECTS - BY GILLIAN FLYNN

pic and description taken from Amazon.com

DESCRIPTION:

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 psychiatric 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 13-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, she will have to confront what happened to her years before if she wants to survive this homecoming.

With its taut, well-crafted writing, Sharp Objects is addictive, haunting, and unforgettable.

MY REVIEW / THOUGHTS:

Camille is going back to her home town to report on a murder that happened there.  Camille is very hesitant about going home.  She never had a wonderful relationship with her "crazy" mother or her step-sister.  After her own sister passed away she seemed to feel even more alone in her home.

Camille's hometown isn't too keen on Camille bringing up ghosts in their town.  Camille finds herself in the middle of something very strange, that forces her to remember her past in order to solve the murders.

Camille's step sister seems to have a weird hold on the whole town.  Everyone either likes her or fears her.  Camille cannot quite put her hand on it, but she wants to learn more about her sister.  She finds ways to connect with her.  Even though connecting with her only seems to bring trouble.

Connecting with her sister is bringing up some painful memories from her past, and part of her past was self mutilation.  She has cut words into her body, and in so doing has been unable to really connect with another human.  She finds herself drawn to the "boy" the town has decided is the killer.

Camille, along with an out of town cop investigating the murders come to realize there is far more going on in this little town than any one can see.  When Camille finally connects all the dots the whole town is turned upside down, and Camille is left with the realization that her family is not what it seemed to be.

This story is haunting.  Camille's life is complicated, crazy, and sometimes mind numbing.  She has so many issues!  When the story unravels and we see why she has so many issues it's like a bomb has been dropped.  It was fantastic.  This story kept me listening and involved the whole time.  The ending was fabulous.  Totally caught me by surprise.  

Source:  I bought this audio book for myself.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.  These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.

Content:  There is a lot of language, sexual content, and some dark behaviors.

MY RATING:

WHERE TO BUY:

    

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

pic and bio taken from Goodreads

Gillian Flynn is an American author and television critic for Entertainment Weekly. She has so far written three novels, Sharp Objects, for which she won the 2007 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for the best thriller; Dark Places; and her best-selling third novel Gone Girl.

Her book has received wide praise, including from authors such as Stephen King. The dark plot revolves around a serial killer in a Missouri town, and the reporter who has returned from Chicago to cover the event. Themes include dysfunctional families,violence and self-harm.

In 2007 the novel was shortlisted for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar for Best First Novel by an American Writer, Crime Writers' Association Duncan Lawrie, CWA New Blood and Ian Fleming Steel Daggers, winning in the last two categories.

Flynn, who lives in Chicago, grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated at the University of Kansas, and qualified for a Master's degree from Northwestern University.