Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (2006, Hardcover)

This is the story of Camille Preaker, who works as a reporter for a newspaper in Chicago. She has been assigned to cover the story of a possible child serial killer in a small town in Missouri. She was given this story mainly because this small town happens to be her hometown.

We know that Camille is a physically beautiful, but very troubled young woman. We know that she does not want to go home, and throughout the course of this disturbing novel we find out why.

I found this to be a very interesting story, and a page-turner which is high compliment. This book does an excellent job of showing the repercussions of child abuse, and what life is like in a small town.

The only reason this book did not get 5 stars is the mystery aspect. I cannot say more without a spoiler, but I found that part of the resolution improbable for a variety of reasons.

Still, this is a suspenseful, *different* book, and I think that the character of Camille Preaker will stay with me for a long time. I would definitely give Gillian Flynn another try.

I purchased this book as a selection of my book club. I enjoyed the book although not all of the people in my book club did. I would recommend the book for someone who enjoys books about dysfunctional families written with some flashes of dark humor. It was a quick read.

This was a fun book to read. It's not funny, by any stretch, but it is a good mystery. It takes place in a less than festive small town. If you don't have time to read a huge mystery but enjoy them. This book packs a punch and you won't be able to put it down for a couple of days until you finish it. You won't be disapointed. The girls in the small town are pretty nasty....and the heroine, you root for her scars and all. This book stays with you too, you don't forget it quickly. I think it was a debut novel and a very good one at that!

I loved this book! I bought it after reading a review about it in Cosmopolitan magazine. The glowing review by Steven King also helped fuel my choice. I liked it because it had twists and turns and just when you thought you knew the ending it flipped you the other way. When you finished,you were like,"wow".I definitely recommend it. It is a little bit graphic at times so if you are turned off by that sort of thing then this isn't the book for you. In my guide it gets 4 out of four stars. I can't wait for her next book(this was her first by the way)

I loved how this new author wrote. I could not put this book down. I am anxious to read her next novel. You won't be disappointed.

From my Grade 10 response essay - September 2008
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The main character of Sharp Objects is Camille Preaker, a thirty-some year-old journalist for a "second-rate" Chicago newspaper. She has just been released from a psychiatric hospital. Gillian Flynn, the author, does a good job at making all of the characters seem realistic and the careful wording she chooses causes the reader to feel sympathetic to the problems that the main character is facing. Camille is sent to her home-town, Wind-Gap, to write a report on two missing girls. Camille has to overcome tragic memories and face her family, who she hasn't seen in eight years. The novel also explores the struggle that Camille has in overcoming her compulsiveness to cut herself and carve words into her body. Flynn keeps the readers interested in Camille's conflicts by wrapping them into a storyline about the missing children.

The story takes place in a small town of just over two thousand people. The small-town atmosphere is important because everybody knows each other and knows one another's personal struggles. Camille acquires most of her information from other people's gossip about fellow "Wind-gapians". The entire town is described in great detail, right down to the names of the restaurants, how many bars there are and the economical housing divisions within the town. My grandparents live in a small town of under two-hundred people so I think I can relate to how Camille, and all others who were raised in Wind-Gap for that matter, may feel claustrophobic and want to get out. I can also relate to how John Nash, the brother of one of the missing children, might have felt after moving from a big city. Overall I liked the small-town setting and I believe that it is necessary to the story's plot.

I think that the main theme of the novel is about how family conflicts can eventually cause so much damage that they can ruin people's lives. This is demonstrated in the psychological problems that Camille is facing after her father left, her sister died and her mother re-married. There are also other themes that come through like the necessity to overcome grief. This is demonstrated by the grief that Camille's mother still holds onto from her daughter's death. After reading this novel, I know I will try to always resolve conflict within my family quickly so it cannot escalate into a major, more severe problem.