Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

 Sharp Objects
by Gillian Flynn
Hardcover, 254 pages
26 September 2006, Shaye Areheart Books
5 stars

Gillian FLynn is the undisputed master of dark and twisty - and I think I liked this one even better than I did Gone Girl.

Camille is a cutter.  She’s spent some time in some psych wards to deal with her self mutilation, and is now working at a paper in Chicago as an entry-level journalist.  Her boss assigns her a case that sends her home to Wind Gap, Missouri to investigate and report on the murder of one young girl, and now the disappearance of another.

Camille doesn’t want to go - because clearly if you have a history of self-abuse and an ugly childhood, who wants to re-visit that?  But of course, news is news, and having a reporter with such an unquestionable in is too much for a paper to resist, so Camille has little choice in the matter.  She returns to her home town and gets re-acquainted with her younger half-sister Amma, who is 13 (town mean girl, mama’s baby) and her mother Adora, who holds the cash and the keys to much of the town’s inner workings.

Camille helps unwind the mysteries of the current case, and is also forced to learn the truth of her own past in order to move forward and write her story.

This is a fascinating, dark and twisty book, and is perfect for fans of Law & Order SVU - after all, isn’t that where most of us get all our vocabulary for the worst criminals?

Cheers,
- Karli

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

The Grownup
by Gillian Flynn
Hardcover, 64 pages
Crown, November 3, 2015
4 stars

An unnamed young woman reading auras at Spiritual Palms is approached by a anxious woman, Susan, asking for her help in clearing evil spirits from her home. Seeing this as an opportunity for some extra income, she agrees to help. After arriving at the eerie Victorian home, she realizes she might be in over her head. After the appearance of a possibly disturbed stepson and strange occurrences that can't be easily explained, she begins to question what's real and what is all in her head.  

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"People are dumb. I'll never get over how dumb people are."

The unnamed main character in Flynn's short story is exactly the kind of character you'd expect from the writer of Gone Girl and Dark Places. Having been forced to panhandle on the streets as a young child, the protagonist eventually finds herself answering an ad for a "receptionist" that turns out to be a position as a sex worker in a shady spiritualist shop. After an on-the-job injury she is promoted to "aura reader" while continuing to service some of her regulars. She's like many of Flynn's female protagonists - intelligent, from a less-than-ideal childhood, and, in this case, a con-artist. Even though there wasn't a lot of room for background given the short story format there was a surprising amount of character development. I wish she could be featured in a longer story...I have the feeling her life would make for an interesting read.

While in her new position, a customer, Susan, offers her an opportunity to make some extra money "cleansing" her home. Our main character jumps at the chance, despite having no experience and not actually being psychic. Slamming doors, blood stains on the wall appearing out of nowhere, and strange smells convince her that she's in over her head. With an absentee father, the uneasy relationship between Susan and her stepson Miles comes to the forefront, and our protagonist questions how much of Susan's story is true and how much is the result of a step-family struggling to adjust to their new circumstances.

In the end the story takes a few unexpected twists and turns until finally plopping the reader down in the midst of an unresolved ending, which has gained Flynn criticism from readers looking for a tidy resolution. The ending leaves the reader unsettled, conflicted, and perhaps even a bit frustrated. Some called it a cop-out. I call it the perfect kind of ending. Who wants a melodramatic villain unmasking when you can have an ending that leaves you awake at night, wondering...?