Winter is the best time to catch up on reading! I just completed over 1,000 pages of reading. A couple months ago, I downloaded The Complete Gillian Flynn on my Nook reading app. I had heard a lot about Gone Girl, and figured I would take a chance on reading all three of her books. The complete collection includes Gone Girl, Dark Places, and Sharp Objects.
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Gone Girl (2012) is the most well known, I believe, as it was made into a major motion picture in 2014 starring Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, and Neil Patrick Harris. Gone Girl tells the story of a wife's disappearance, a husband's infidelities, and the complex issues and personalities that usually stay behind closed doors. I felt like the book began somewhat slowly and I was unsure that I was going to like it. However, I distinctly remember a point in the story that hit me, hard - and I did not want to put it down from that point forward. The twists and turns and intriguing writing made this a quick and engrossing read.
Dark Places (2009) follows a mess of a 32-year-old, her life thrown into disarray at a young age because her family was murdered. Down and out and desperate for money, she begins meeting up with a "kill club", people who fancy themselves amateur detectives who meet and discuss famous murder cases. Reluctantly, she begins to see things differently and embarks on a mission to discover the truth. Dark Places was good, but my least favorite of the three. I felt like it was slow in places, although the storytelling did leave me guessing throughout. I was not as glued to the pages as with the other novels, but like the main character, Libby, I wanted to know what really happened.
Sharp Objects (2006) was the third book within The Complete Gillian Flynn. Again, I was not sure what to think in the beginning, but quickly became engrossed and did not want to put the book down. A mediocre news reporter is thrust back into her small and twisted hometown and the home of her wealthy, smothering mother from whom she has been estranged for many years. The story has many sick and twisted characters and events from last and present. It was disturbing to read, but so intriguing that I had to keep going. I deduced much of the ending early on, but was never fully sure.
Gillian Flynn's writing definitely leaves you guessing and sucks you into the messed up worlds of the well-developed main characters. I would recommended these novels for fans of mystery and suspense, as long as you don't mind a little bit of crazy, racy, and disturbing mixed in. Not for the easily offended or faint of heart! Ideal reads, however, for a cold winter's day when the kiddos are at school (or napping) or for those late evening in your PJs.
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