Lee Hunts

I just finished reading Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn. I have already read Sharp Objects (and I have a review of that), and I rather enjoyed that book for its atmosphere and its characters, even if the twists at the end were rather predictable. That motivated me to pick up another book by Flynn, and this is the next one on the block. This book is primarily about Libby Day, the sole survivor of a massacre of her whole family by her brother. She was the witness that helped put her brother behind bars. Now, she is pulled back into case twenty-five years later when a member of a true crime club contacts her. What follows is another novel steeped in dark emotions, disturbing sexuality, and violence, complete with a twisty plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat. As usual, for mysteries, I think the story is best consumed with as little information as possible. That the author is Gillian Flynn should be enough of a pitch. As such, I will only be doing a spoiler review. Overall, I loved ...

I just finished the book Sharp Objects, which is the debut novel of Gillian Flynn. Flynn is the author of the Gone Girl novel that broke out into the mainstream with the movie adaptation. Personally, I have seen neither the movie nor read that book—Sharp Objects is my first Flynn story—so my review will come from that perspective. Sharp Objects is a psychological horror novel that follows Camille Preaker, a severely disturbed woman who works as a reporter in Chicago. After a murder, followed by another abduction, in her hometown, she is sent back home to investigate for the purposes of a story. Camille is resistant from the outset—and once she does arrive, her complicated relationship with her mother, and the detached relationship with her half-sister, give light to the reasons. This is not a story about an investigation nor is it really a thriller—this is a story about the dark side of femininity and psychological trauma, and it is heavily focused on character instead of plot. Overall...