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A review by michellekiara
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.25
This book does a fantastic job pulling you into that small, stifling town where everything feels both familiar and foreign. The isolation, the weird comfort of being surrounded by people who know you too well, or think they do… it’s all there, and it’s done so well.
But the way the book tries to catch you up on everything feels exhausting sometimes. There were so many moments where I just wanted the story to move forward, but instead I was stuck reading about the history of a place or all the names and backstories of people never even show up again. It slowed everything down and made me feel like I was wading through a swamp of details I didn’t ask for.
It’s not a bad book at all, but because this book is treated like a classic of the psychological thriller genre (especially from that pre-trend era), I thought it would leave more of a mark. Kind of like how I felt with The Girl on the Train. Good, but not the earth-shaking read I expected.
Also, there were a few scenes that made me deeply uncomfortable, especially the ones involving kids and sexuality. I get that it’s necessary for the plot, but still, you might want to check trigger warnings beforehand.
But the way the book tries to catch you up on everything feels exhausting sometimes. There were so many moments where I just wanted the story to move forward, but instead I was stuck reading about the history of a place or all the names and backstories of people never even show up again. It slowed everything down and made me feel like I was wading through a swamp of details I didn’t ask for.
It’s not a bad book at all, but because this book is treated like a classic of the psychological thriller genre (especially from that pre-trend era), I thought it would leave more of a mark. Kind of like how I felt with The Girl on the Train. Good, but not the earth-shaking read I expected.
Also, there were a few scenes that made me deeply uncomfortable, especially the ones involving kids and sexuality. I get that it’s necessary for the plot, but still, you might want to check trigger warnings beforehand.