Tag: gillian flynn

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books and reading

Dark Places

I now have read everything Gillian Flynn has written. Funny, because she is the polar opposite of Rainbow Rowell and I really love them both! As expected, this one is equally as insane as her others.

Nothing will top Gone Girl, because it was the first I read and so memorable. But once you understand what kind of writer she is, you see patterns. Mostly in dysfunctional families. This one was just is nuts. Told partly in present day, partly in flashbacks, you meet a few members of the Day family and follow them around a bit. Only the present day story is told in 1st person, which I thought was an interesting writing choice.

As the story progresses, there is a mystery to solve, like all Flynn’s other books, and I really got caught up in trying to figure it out. Flynn is a great writer. She isn’t subtle with her subject matter, but manages to weave seemingly insignificant details into the greater picture. And I’ll leave it at that, to avoid spoilers.

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books and reading

The Grownup

I am cheap when it comes to buying books. If I love it, I will buy it for full price. But I usually wait for Kindle sales or use the library. Part of the problem is that I read SO MANY BOOKS that I just can’t afford to buy them all, as much as I would like to. And, although, Gillian Flynn has yet to disappoint me, I couldn’t spend $3 for a 60 page story. However, my library actually has 11 copies of this in hardback, so I requested one.

After an hour, I had finished and what a fun little treat. There are no chapters or stopping points, but you don’t need them. The story is quick and easy, but definitely makes you think about what you just read. And it all comes down to perspective. Whose story do you believe? I honestly have no idea who to believe in this story, and I really don’t care. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because that’s the entire point. We are left wondering, and I really appreciated what she did as a writer. I only have one Flynn book left to read and I can’t wait. She has proven to be tried and true.

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books and reading

Sharp Objects

I’ve only read one of Gillian Flynn’s books, Gone Girl, and was blown away, like most. And I’ve been meaning to read her other works, but just kept putting it off. So my early New Year’s Resolution is to read books that I’ve been meaning to get to. Since I finished the 2015 book challenge, I figured I might as well get a head start on my 2016 list. And thanks to my library, I have access to them all!

Having read two of Flynn’s books, I’m sold. She’s got what it takes. I will read Dark Places when I get it from the library, and already can’t wait. I knew absolutely nothing about this book other than the title. I’m not even sure I had ever seen the cover. Sometimes this is the best way to enter a book- completely blind. The story follows Camille, a reporter, who is sent back to her small hometown in Missouri to investigate a missing girl.

This book is like an onion of reveal. First there’s a missing girl. Turns out there was another girl murdered a few months before. Camille has issues with her family, to put it mildly, and you are slowly brought into the world of crazy that is her family, former friends, police, and suspects. There are few red herrings, but all are plausible and aren’t distracting to the main plot of “who is behind all the crimes” that you are pulled into.

I really loved this book. Excellent thriller, but not in an overdone way. Camille is seriously flawed, but we understand why. She isn’t just some crazy woman for the sake of the story. There’s depth to her, which makes her even more fascinating. Highly recommend this one!