Rating: 9.5/10
Camille Preaker is forced to return home after a grisly murder and a kidnapping occur in her home town of Wind Gap, Missouri. As a journalist, she has to go to uncomfortable places to get information. Her boss insists that, since she is originally from Wind Gap, she is the best person to go down there and get the story. Her return home isn't very welcome. The people of the town are weary of her, especially since she's in the press. Her mother, who has never been warm toward Camille, is especially put-out by her daughter's arrival. Not that she would show it, it's very important that Adora put on a specific face for the town and even her family. Camille is now confronted with her past and the eerie similarity between her half-sister Amma and herself when she was 13. Amma makes Camille uncomfortable, she's a brat to say the least. She has a dreadful mean streak and she runs the town without a bit of empathy. Amma and her clique are everywhere and they always know what's going on in Wind Gap. Sometimes this is helpful for Camille, especially since the police refuse to speak on the case at hand. Especially after the missing girl is found in the same situation as the previous. Richard Willis, the detective brought in from Kansas City doesn't seem to know anymore about the murders than the town's own police. He and Camille help each other, and something akin to love begins to bloom. He doesn't know about her stay in the mental institution. He also doesn't know that Camille has a big secret, hidden beneath her clothes. It's a secret that she has worked hard to hide and is remiss to stop.
This book was undeniably consuming. Flynn writes things that I feel most people wouldn't dare. It makes her characters feel raw and open. And for Camille, that's true in more ways than one. This story felt unique, not some off-the-wall thriller that has the same tone as all the others. This one is unique in the main character's own darkness being boldly on display for the reader. Hearing of her own dark past and how it commingles with the events happening at present makes for a great narrative. It was a very interesting story, full of characters that are just full to the brim with an awful energy. You don't ever feel like there's anyone you can trust because everyone seems to have this deep, nasty well of anger toward one another. This is the quintessential southern town to be sure. Wind Gap is chock full of condescending, nosy, morally superior people who don't do anything but gossip and drink sweet tea.
My chief complain with the book, is that Camille's time in the mental facility was sort of glazed over. It was made to seem like this key factor on the back of the book in the description, but it was never really brought up. There was probably only a page's worth of information given throughout the whole book, maybe two if you squint hard. Hearing more of Camille's experience between Wind Gap and the mental hospital would've been nice as well. How did she really fare outside of her home town initially?
Above all, this work was great. It isn't very long, and from what I can tell it's Flynn's debut novel. This is an amazing debut novel to be sure. It certainly competes with Gone Girl. Flynn knows how to put a twist in a book. If you've read her pervious works, you know it can't be the obvious person. But the thing is, you never really know who it actually is either. It's always right at the very end that Flynn gives up her secrets. I think this is an amazing quality in an author who writes thrillers. So often, the twist is obvious halfway through the book. Once it's obvious then it's no fun. This one is particularly fun because it's wild. Sure, you may have guessed the person and then brushed it off because it was so unlikely. But with a novel like this, everyone should be a suspect. If you like Flynn's other works then read this one. Hell, even if you've never read anything from her before and are looking to start, this is a great one to start with. It keeps you up and going literally to the very end. Plus it isn't dreadfully long which makes it even easier to digest.
SPOILERS BELOW
I knew it wasn't Adora, even when that kid said that it was a woman in white I knew it couldn't be her. That would be way too easy, definitely not shocking enough for Flynn. You don't think that it could be the nasty thirteen year old. That doesn't seem too easy it just seems wrong. I can't say that I was shocked that it was Amma, but it was kind of unexpected. You think that she just the girl who may be hiding a soft streak. But no, she's just a hellion who never learned how to participate in the world without causing pain.
"A child weaned on poison considers harm a comfort."
The Munchausens By Proxy was pretty obvious to me whenever we learned about Camille's little sister always being sick. With the Hulu show (The Act) about Gypsy Rose's mother doing the same thing to her, it really rang true. However, I think when this book came out in 2006 Munchausens wasn't widely known about or reported on which meant it would've been wild to read about back then. Looking at this book through the perspective of someone from before the Act, this was a great addition to the story. Super chilling and just awful.