Day 28

NaNo count:
Have: 46,722
Need: 46,676

A book recommendation: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. Hands down, one of the best books I've read this year. It just floored me, one of those books that I found myself unwilling to put down and devoured in under 48 hours. And we're talking weekday hours here, with work and sleep and NaNo writing and cooking and eating and attending to at least basic hygiene that all had to happen too. I read while I was brushing my teeth because I didn't want to stop for those few minutes.

We had an interesting conversation around the office the other day about where the line is between deeply flawed characters and irretrievably unsympathetic ones. I hadn't read this yet at that point, but it's a perfect example of a main character who is profoundly damaged and makes fairly tremendous mistakes, but who the reader (or at least this reader) supports without question. The basic plot is this: a Chicago newspaper reporter with a long history of self-destructive behavior and who is recently out of an institution is sent to her Missouri hometown to report on the unsolved murders of two young girls. While she's there she has to deal with the bizarre and creepy family she hasn't spoken to in years as well as become involved in the investigation.  It's all so rich and beautifully written, and intensely creepy in a way that is sustained throughout the book, growing imperceptibly until the final reveal.
Excerpt here.

Comments

[Cheryl]

Oh my goodness, I just read the excerpt and I kind of wish I hadn't because now I'm very hooked, and I don't really have time to get into an all-consuming book like that right now. Thank you so much for the recommendation though, I can't wait to read more!

[claudia]

Great pictures the last couple of posts!

You missed nothing on PR4. Not the most interesting episode.

[carolyn]

i know i already emailed you this but just wanted to again say how correct you are. that was a GREAT book. one of my favorite reads this year "fer shur". :)