Quotes: Sharp Objects

"I was a lingual conservationist."

"Sometimes I think illness sits inside every woman, waiting for the right moment to bloom."

"Lately, I've been leaning towards kindness."

Book Review: Sharp Objects

ISBN13: 9780307341549

Author: Gillian Flynn

Pages  : 336 pages 

W&N, 2007

Format: Digital

Gillian Flynn! Gillian Flynn! Gillian Flynn! For me she sparkled right through 2014. Gillian Flynn had me first excited about her book, Gone Girl, which was my first tryst withe her creative brilliance, and then the movie, which she screen wrote herself. (To find out how I felt about her book click here.)  

So, I naturally wanted to progress onto her other works. But you know how you don't want to OD over heady, dark and gritty books? That's exactly what kept me away from this one for this long.

Let's now venture into what this book is about. Camille Preaker, a journalist who is just out of an asylum is dealing with her own self when she's handed her first major assignment, to cover a twin abduction and murder in her native, Wind Gap, which is the last place she wants to be. The turn of events following the investigation of the twin murders puts her face-to-face with a lot of issues she isn't equipped to deal with yet. As the story unfolds we find us reeling in a whirlpool of mess Carmille is in.

The story is intensely disturbing and complicated, fiercely raw, dark and gritty. This one is not for teenagers or kids, given the number of teen aged characters it has. Unless you are a grown up you don't want to read this, not for the sexual content (it's not the least bit erotic), but for the bod rawness.

I often wonder what being in Gillian Flynn's mind would be like. I read this book at a time when my mind was clouded with dealing with some of the toughest decisions of my life. It was a time when I questioned by sense of self worth and this book urged me to take control over my life. You know how sometimes knowing people with much more messed up lives than you puts your life into perspective? That's sort of therapeutic. That's what this book did to me. 

Rating: 4.5/5

Verdict: The book hits the right spots if you like dark, raw and gritty subjects. 

Book Review: Gone Girl

ISBN10: 1780221355

Author: Gillian Flynn

Pages  : 480 pages 

Phoenix, 2012

I watched the Bollywood flick Race, starring the likes of Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Khanna, Bipasha Basu and Katrina Kaif, some good 4-5 years back and loved it. The movie released in a rather unassuming low profile manner but was received well by the viewers. The primary reason why I loved the movie was that it was a festival of twists and

turns in the plot! Practically every 10 minutes into the movie the story jolts you with a unbelievably believable shocker. It was one of those stories where you couldn't go back home and tell someone the story because whatever little you tell would be a spoiler. Since the movie I've hardly read a novel that left me as baffled as this.Enter, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.
Though I try to keep my reading palette fairly balanced, if you've read more of my posts here, you would know how much of a sucker I am for thrillers and mysteries. So, as a part of my online research on what-to-read-next I'd come across some real rave reviews about this book on the Booktubers' community. From all the reviews the book sounded promising. But none of the reviews were giving out much of the story and I couldn't figure out why, up until I read it myself.
This is one those books which you must read knowing absolutely nothing about it. But, show a little patience with the book. If you are the kind who judge a book based on its first 10-20 pages, you might want to hold up until atleast Part 1: Boy loses Girl before you judge this book. The book takes us through the marriage between Nick Dunne and Amy Elliot Dunne in their individual points of view. Still sticking with my no-spoilers rule, not much can be said about the book. But, I shall tell you this: this story is about highly dysfunctional relationships. And though this could a saga of dysfunctional relationships, it is still about extreme commitment.
This book could be THE psychological thriller of the year, being skillfully written with finesse separating the narratives of the characters Nick and Amy(s) from one another. The story fares better as it is written in this 'He-said, She-said' mode. The brilliantly paced (after the first part, that is) book has everything to hook your nerves at the right time, in the right place.
Another reason why you would want to read the book ASAP is that the book has been made into a motion picture. The movie is directed by, one of my favorites, David Fincher and has the very delectable Ben Affleck playing Nick Dunne. Personally, reading the book, unlike ever, I do not have a favorite character in here. But just because Nick Dunne had Ben Affleck's face earned him some brownie points for me. For those interested here's the trailer of the movie set to release in October.

Rating : 4/5

Verdict: Discerningly dark and chilling, this psychological thriller deserves to made into a movie. But before the movie hits the screens you might want to read it. Defintely read it once to join the 'I -know-what-happened'club. Totally worth it!