Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Sharp Objects
by Gillian Flynn
Pub. Date: July 2007
Genre: Fiction
272pp

Synopsis from BN.com:
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.

Why I Picked It:
I read a review by Stephen King about this book. Stephen King, in my opinion, is an evil genius, brilliant writer, even if I haven't been able to read much of anything by him since It terrified me into abstinence. I take his recommendations seriously, and downloaded the audiobook.

My Review:
Maybe I should've known better (see my "why I picked it" above). Dark. Dark. Dark.

There have been two horrific murders of young girls in Camille's hometown. She is a reporter for a Chicago daily newspaper, and her editor sends her back to her hometown thinking a former resident is sure to score the inside story that even the big newspapers can't get. As she investigates the murders, the haunting story of her own past is slowly revealed along with each word that she carved into her own skin. Camille is a reformed cutter - a fact she doesn't want anyone to know, covering up in long sleeves and pants, even in the heat of summer.

Camille's investigative digging turns up facts and memories of her own past along with leads from family, friends and acquaintances that seem to lead nowhere. The frustrating inability to find a legitimate answer to the outrageous killings haunts the reader and Camille throughout her interviews and legwork. It's a twisting path that leads to a chilling conclusion, and Camille is horrified at what she's found that certainly has implications for her own future. And yet, the story doesn't end there.

You have to resist the urge to throw the book (or, in my case, ipod) across the room and SCREAM! This book has some F'd up and literally scarred characters that leave you raising your hands to heaven wondering how it's possible that people can be so horrible. There was one night that I tossed and turned so violently, waking up with my eyes crusted shut. I know I'd been crying. The damn book was causing me fitful dreams.

There are moments in the book that stung me to my core. In one scene, Camille's mother is sitting on the steps having a drink when Camille walks in. Her mother says only, "I think I know why I don't love you." As Camille's mother's story is revealed, you learn how being f'd up just carried along from generation to generation. Heartbreaking cruelty dished out over and over again.

In the end, I am left with the ability to say only that it was truly a compelling story. Flynn uses Camille's rich crazy family to draw Camille into and out of memories that include her girlhood, rebellious "please love me" teen years, and attempts to define herself by cutting words into her own flesh. The queasy tension of the story is fed by Camille's misgivings about the assignment, the resentment of townies toward the rich, and Camille's growing relationship to her very young ring leader (think "Heathers") step-sister. Nothing is as it seems or as simple as we remember on the surface here, just as we often find in life as we mature.

Storytelling here is knowing and masterful, and it feels true. You don't have to be from Podunktownsville to appreciate the supporting characters, and Camille's aching tarnished sarcasm could pull on anyone's heartstrings.

But, I'll say it again, Dark. And so very sad.

2010 Challenge: 4 Read, 46 to go!