Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Cry Baby - Scharfe Schnitte

This is my first Gillian Flynn read and I’m obsessed!!!! Deciding whether or not to start Gone Girl immediately after…. I love the pacing of this book; it feels mysterious, dizzying and captivating all at the same time. The ending was a bit of a twist and satisfying in a way that seemed realistic to the end of a plot. I’m too sensitive so the allusions to and descriptions of the pig farm made me upset and feel sick but that’s the mark of a good book innit. Hoping the TV show holds up since I enjoyed the book so much!

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kaaaaaaaa's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is the first of Flynn's books that I've read, and it's the first of her books to be published. It was good, I just wasn't able to emotionally connect to the characters for some reason. In general, the mystery kept me interested more than the characters. To me, this book reminded me of Stephen King and Shirley Jackson, but it didn't have whatever secret sauce Jackson and King have that pushes the writing and the characters into top-tier. That disconnect makes some of the "disturbing small town details" come off a little forced, despite the fact that I'm well aware of and familiar with disturbing small-town details. I find them believable, but they're missing... something... that integrates them fully into the story; so instead, IMHO, they give a Hostel-style "violence for violence's sake" vibe.

I have a couple more of Flynn's books on hold from the library, so it will be interesting to see how she grows as a writer and if she can clear whatever this je ne sais quoi hurdle is.

Also, this isn't a real make-or-break thing, but how flexible is Camille

that there's only one spot on her back missing the words? How good at writing backwards while looking in a mirror can she be?

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loujanae's review against another edition

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1.5

I don't have an issue with dark subject matter. In fact, I tend to be drawn to media with fucked up plots and traumatized characters, but this was just ridiculous. There was such an overwhelming amount of horrible shit occurring on every page... and for what? I truly don't think Flynn has a single idea what the point of it all was. I could have enjoyed myself if I believed Flynn was trying to say literally anything. This felt like a teenage boy attempting to be as edgy as possible to get in with the big boys. It was just gross.

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ebsnewts's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Gritty, gripping, f***** up.

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catsonthewindowsill's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I had a good time, sure the plot twist was not as twisty as intended. (Maybe I’m too shrewd?) and I also almost wished for more focus on Amma but ultimately the book is a good time. I saw criticism for the way the book approaches teen and pre-teen bodies, I concur it’s in a nearly brutal always graphic way I think this is just a reflection of the brutality Camille unloads on others. She didn’t escape her mother by turning inwards fully so her tone when describing the tween girls around her is a super imposition of what was done to her body when she was their age, she’s projecting what she thinks others saw in her as a justification, to make sense of herself. And maybe to make a point about how especially Amma is trapped between beguiling childishness and weaponising her own body. It didn’t bother me so much that I feel the book fell underneath this internal narrative but I’m still glad it’s over.

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inneraman's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book is dark and mysterious. It will make you reflect on the actions of the characters, a lot. I found myself trying to find way to ‘root for’ the main character but through some of their actions, I couldn’t decide. The main character is broken, flawed and emotionally unstable because of her upbringing and her toxic mother/environment. I found the book engaging and well written. I will be reading other books by Gillian Flynn. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a mysterious and dark story with troublesome characters who are beyond help.

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courtnyklly's review against another edition

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dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

this was my first gillian flynn novel and i absolutely tore through it. her writing style is incredibly easy to read and the no-nonsense way she describes things makes the chapters fly by. i did however predict the ending from about a quarter of the way through the book (maybe just under halfway) and spent the whole rest of the book trying to piece together how it could be someone else as the culprit as a way to redeem the predictability - which obviously didn’t happen. i felt like some of the characters were quite 2 dimensional and the main character’s trauma causing her to self harm would’ve been one thing but the extent to which it was used and described in this just felt like shock factor rather than anything else. i also didn’t like how we never got an explanation for what her condition was and were just palmed off with a generic overview.

the mother’s MBP condition was a nice touch though and very different to see in books as it isn’t much discussed in media

i would’ve liked this book more if the plot hadn’t been so predictable and if the characters had a bit more depth. i also felt like the victims in this got washed out amongst all of the family drama, which i know is the main focus of the book but it would’ve been nice for there to be some circling back round to that and their families etc. i also didn’t like the fact that the MC had sex with someone who had *just* turned 18, as a 30 year old. it just made me extremely uncomfortable. the moral greyness of her character for me was just tipped over the edge by that act and it became unnecessary almost just to prove a point that she didn’t care about the “rules” or something.

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abhirupa's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is so haunting. I had read it before and I don’t know why I felt compelled to read it again but I just had to get my hands on it. It’s just as spooky and devastating the second time around as it was the first, which is impressive considering I already knew the twist. There’s so many layers to the plot and the history of the characters in this novel, especially with the perversion of widely held beliefs like a mother’s love and the idyllic setting of a small Southern town. I’ll always be thinking about this quote in particular: “a child weaned on poison considers harm a comfort”

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