Peter's review
Sharp Objects: A Novel by Gillian Flynn
This book succeeds throughout in making the reader squirm a little (and in some places, more than a little). A book populated with psychologically damaged females of all ages and types, headlined by the narrator, a journalist returning to her hometown ostensibly to cover a pair of murders and inevitably to confront the troubled childhood that drove her to half a lifetime spent cutting words into her skin. Her tendency throughout the novel to have uncomfortable events trigger recall of words etched in various locations of her body proves an effective literary device.
Although the book has its share of suspense and mystery, the struggles of its female characters to deal with the screwed-up aspects of their lives really takes center stage. There is some overlap in this regard with the movie "Mean Girls," but the novel format provides more opportunity for depth, and the content is overall more adult-oriented and more unsettling.
Although the book has its share of suspense and mystery, the struggles of its female characters to deal with the screwed-up aspects of their lives really takes center stage. There is some overlap in this regard with the movie "Mean Girls," but the novel format provides more opportunity for depth, and the content is overall more adult-oriented and more unsettling.
