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started this book today, chapter one. I am intrigued

I read this last month, looking forward to discussing it. Unfortunately I predicted who the murderer was upon their first introduction, and just didn't find the novel engaging for this reason. It was still enjoyable though and I hope other people didn't experience it the same way.

I listened to this on audiobook a couple of months ago. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Gillian Flynn is definitely on my list of author's to watch.

Oh, and happy birthday month Dawn �

I really enjoyed this one, too. Like Celise, I predicted the whodunnit, but for Flynn's first book, I think it's pretty awesome. I love the ugliness of it. I'm a strange duck. :D

I loved the ugliness too. And the main character I found I related to in the strangest ways and I liked her. I'm glad I'm not the only one who predicted who it was! Personally I think she could have been a tad more subtle. I must say I liked Gone Girl better, but agreed, this is a pretty awesome debut.

Agree with every word, Celise!

Though to be fair, there was still a little bit of a surprise. (view spoiler)[ I hadn't suspected the mother so I was very surprised when she was arrested because I'd pegged it all on Amma from Amma's first introduction. Of course that was a twist that resolved itself, but for a second I was caught off guard! Really though, everything about Amma just screamed "I'M INSANE." (hide spoiler)] This spoils the ending, don't click it unless you're finished.

LOL Yeah. Pretty much. But I loved seeing how things got to be that way. (view spoiler)[ The Munchhausen by Proxy, and Amma's reception to it was super creepy... she knew it was going on, and not only accepted it as normal, but THRIVED on it in the same way her mother did. It justified her special snowflakeness, and man... was that whole situation fucked up!

But you know what really disturbed me more than anything else in the whole book? (view spoiler)[ The scene where Amma goes to watch the pigs. Ugh, that made me nauseous. And that's RARE for me. (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

YES (view spoiler)[ The PIGS. I already suspected her of murder but I think that messed me up more. And her little doll house just freaked me out. For good reason, clearly. A floor of teeth. The Munchausen by Proxy was actually one of my favourite disturbing aspects of the book. I was reading it just thinking "Wow, give me all the darkness." (hide spoiler)]

Indeed. Creepy as hell. But I loved it for that. :)

Have you read Dark Places?

Not yet, though it's on my list. You have?

I have. I enjoyed that one as well. It's good, but less depraved than this one, if that makes sense. Out of Flynn's books, I'd rank that one as 3rd, but still, it's Gillian Flynn so it's still pretty damn good.

Anyway, didn't want to derail here, I was just curious if you'd read that one too. :)

Well I'll be looking forward to it then!

Happy birthmonth, Dawn! Excellent choice.

I agree with Chris, that Gillian Flynn is now on my watch list for new books. I've enjoyed all three of her books, although I read them in reverse order of their publication. I also rank them in the order in which I've read them, almost as if Ms. Flynn's writing has matured with each book.

One of the things that I love about her writing is that she makes no effort at all to make her characters likeable. In fact, she tends to play up those characteristics that make them less sympathetic to the reader, and yet I still love her books.

Having said that, I think (view spoiler)[the characters in Sharp Objects are her most likeable. Camille is a f**k up, no doubt, but I could sympathize with her. At some points in the book I wanted to slap some sense into her, but at other times I just felt sorry for her. (hide spoiler)]

Valerie, I'm curious. (view spoiler)[ What specifically made you feel sympathy towards Camille? I haven't heard that perspective before! (hide spoiler)]

Valerie, I read them in the same order (GG, DP, SO) but rank them (GG, SO, DP). I do agree with you about the likeability of the characters though. I think that maybe because SO was the first book, she wanted to maybe edge her readers into the unlikeability?

Celise wrote: "Valerie, I'm curious. [spoilers removed]"

I think it was that (view spoiler)[Camille was actually getting her life on track before being sent back to her hometown. Obviously, part of her problem is her total lack of backbone. She lets other rule her life, but seeing the extreme dominance of her mother and the total dysfunction, I can understand that. Also, most of negative behaviors are self destructive rather than lashing out. She does make some pretty sh***y decisions, but most of them come after her mental stability has pretty much deteriorated. I guess I felt that she had the potential to be a good person in the right environment. (hide spoiler)]

On the other hand, when looking at the main characters in DP and GG, they are really just assholes. So many times pre-GG, I had cited unlikeable characters as a reason for not liking a book. Ms. Flynn made me realized that I could hate every single character and still love the book.

Oh no! I got my characters confused. I thought Camille was the mother when I wrote that and read your comment. My bad, sorry. I have a problem keeping character names straight.

No prob. I do, too. I actually had to refer back to the book blurb to be sure I was using the right name, LOL.

I finished this last week and really like it. Flynn is definitely on my watch list. I read Gone Girl first and loved it, than Dark Places and thought it was awesome too. Fylnn is just awesome and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next.

This is my second Flynn (of course, Gone Girl being first). I am really enjoying this and I will probably track down Dark Places now

I'm curious, it seems people here generally loved this book and Flynn's other novels. Are you all generally horror/thriller readers and do you think that affects your view on it? I don't read a lot of the genre so I'm wondering if this is really different than most mysteries or if I'm just wowed by her work because I don't often read anything this dark.

I read all over the board, but my go to genre, Urban Fantasy, typically incorporates a blend of horror and suspense.

But then I feel that reading a thriller that contains no fantasy element has a totally different feel.

I'll read anything that sits still long enough, but I do love horror and thrillers, so I guess I'd fall under the category you're describing. ;)

But, I think that Flynn is unique. She's not afraid to go very dark and very depraved. Usually you don't find that from a woman writer. Or at least it's pretty rare.

That's what I was wondering- if she was unique in her depravity or if it was a genre thing. Thank you, you both answered my question.

Most of the mystery I get is usually in Urban Fantasy for me as well, Valerie. Specifically the Women of the Otherworld series. Though I think once you incorporate a fantasy element it doesn't seem nearly as dark. Something about human beings being absolutely disgusting creatures has a more disturbing effect than a supernatural being doing the same.

Celise wrote: "Something about human beings being absolutely disgusting creatures has a more disturbing effect than a supernatural being doing the same. "

I completely agree. It does have a much more disturbing feel when it's just people, and not some supernatural force. I think it's because supernatural forces aren't real. There's no such thing as vampires or werewolves or zombies or ghosts, so it feels less threatening to read about them. But people... people are your neighbors, your friends, your family, you... People are everywhere and seem so normal... until they're making clothing out of your skin. O_o

Celise wrote: "That's what I was wondering- if she was unique in her depravity or if it was a genre thing. Thank you, you both answered my question.

Most of the mystery I get is usually in Urban Fantasy for me a..."

I have friends who cannot watch horror movies because they get too scared. This baffles me because while I love horror, I don't find these movies nearly as scary as a thriller with a human psychopath. I was a criminal justice major and I know that these shady characters are all too real among us.

I'm one of those weird ones, Valerie. I love horror, and can read it with no problem, but horror MOVIES freak me out. I think it's the visual aspect. Thrillers I love in book or movie form, though.

Becky, you are not alone. I have more friends who can't watch them than who can. Perhaps I'm the weirdo.

I used to be able to watch them, no problem... but as I've gotten older, the part of me that is a wimp got much bigger! LOL

I'm in film production school right now and I already couldn't watch horror films before. Now I DEFINITELY can't watch them because I've studied all of the little cues that tell you something really awful is about to happen and while any viewer picks up on these, I just can't ignore them at all anymore.

I think what's great about the way Flynn writes her novels is that she doesn't really approach it with solving the murder as the primary goal. Yes, they're "whodunnit" stories but it's not the "holy crap he or she did it" part that the books revolve around. It's really the reveal of her characters' various depravities and issues. I was more interested in learning about (view spoiler)[ Adora's Munchausen by Proxy, and Camille's writing in her skin, and Amma and the pig farm, than I was about the actual reveal of their guilt. Partially because I guessed it, but really I think it just wasn't as important as revealing how dark the characters were. (hide spoiler)]

I finished this one yesterday, and I must say I enjoyed it very much. I enjoy Gillian Flynn, and her journeys into the hidden depths of psychology. Nice and creepy.

I went to see a horror when I was 16 that was so scary, gross and freaky that I think some of the movie goers vomited. I was pretty freaked out myself but since then no horror movie really scares me. I have no idea what the name was it might have been Italian. I find physiological thrillers to be more scary especially thinking about them afterwards. Something like Fatal Attraction or Play Misty For Me is much worse then Friday the 13th or Halloween.

I just finished Sharp Objects the other day and really enjoyed it. (view spoiler)[I thought the killer would be either Adora, Amma or both. (hide spoiler)] I agree this with others that this was much more a look at the dark characters that a whodoneit. This was my first Gillian Flynn but I'm sure I'll read the others in the future.

Becky wrote: "I'm one of those weird ones, Valerie. I love horror, and can read it with no problem, but horror MOVIES freak me out. I think it's the visual aspect. Thrillers I love in book or movie form, though."

Not just the visual aspect, the soundtrack.. Oh dear, everytime the music starts building up to something creepy. I just shut my eyes or turn of the tv! The tension is just too unbearable!
I especially get freaked out by psychological thrillers, but the paranormal horror movies are also very bad for me!

I enjoyed this book too. I have never read anything by Gillian Flynn before, so it was nice to read her debute first. I also knew from the start who the 'bad guy' was.
And yes, I too wanted to slap Camille around from time to time because of her bad decisions!