Poignant, vivid, and tragic, this tale of a series of child murders in a small Missouri town manages to haunt you even after the book is closed. It twists you heart and your gut, but holds you, fastened, in a morbid sort of curiosity. You know the truth will be grisly, but you have to know, and Flynn does a fantastic job in both her portrayal of a pastoral community gripped in horror, and the fundamentally flawed protagonist who must wrestle with her past and the blossoming truth that is her reality. 
 This book is a must, especially if you prefer gritty, hard-hitting stories in touch with human emotion in a non-exploitative sort of way. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in serial killers, and anyone who enjoyed the films Mystic River, Girl Interrupted, the Machinist, and also anyone who enjoys the television show Dexter. I'd equate this book with another if only I could think of any other thriller I've read that even comes close to Sharp Objects in quality.