A friend handed me this book saying, "Here, I just finished it - good book, give it a read." The cover turned me off, the title turned me off. Looked like a psychological thriller which is not really my genre. But the caption: "Author of … GONE GIRL" completely changed my expectations.

The film GONE GIRL knocked my socks off. The acting and filmmaking were superb, but the source material appeared to be excellent as well. So I started in on SHARP OBJECTS. Indeed, the writing excelled. While not my go-to genre, the writing was so good I stayed in. Flynn brings you into a world of faulted characters, highlights their failings, anxieties, ill-motivations. The few good-hearted people mostly fade to the background, though they are still quietly there.

The main character is scarred and imperfect as well. Still, we as readers remain faithful to her despite her real time bad choices. Perhaps we are more faithful to her, than we'd be to ourselves - that's a well written character. The story is intriguing, but it's the prose that makes the book: Flynn's sharp details, biting analogies, and harsh direct unflattering insights into various flailing personalities. At the end of the day, the craftsmanship of this book inspires, not the story … but the story and its skillful unwrapping solidly engage.

"I was never really on my side in any argument."

"Bear gifts if you can’t bear anything else."

Read more Book Reviews by Author/Illustrator Ross Anthony.