Camille Preaker is a reporter in Chicago, originally from a small town in Missouri. Her dysfunctional childhood led to self-harm (cutting) -- she covered almost every inch of her body with random words cut into her skin. In the book, we hear words "spoken" from her skin that match how she's feeling. Just 6 months after being treated in a psych hospital, she's assigned to report on young girls disappearing/killed in her hometown. So she returns to her childhood home, ruled by an overbearing mother. The premise is a bit of a stretch, and I figured out the villain by about page 40. There's ample unnecessary GORE, and unnecessary description of young-adolescent sexiness, unnecessary alcoholism (Camille drinks morning, noon, night, midnight). And there are many unnecessary side stories (I do NOT care about Camille's ex high school peers; none were really germaine to the story). I started skimming the gore, then skimming the extraneous side stories.
I cannot recommend this book. I finished it because it's the only book I brought on an international vacay. I guess there's a movie. But knowing the extent of the pure meanness and gore, I won't be watching it.
SPOILERS AHEAD
SPOILERS AHEAD
TURN BACK NOW
I figured out the villain on pg 40-something. All along, it seemed it was one of two people. There's a surprise ending (2 villains) -- kind of clever in an unbelievable way. But the book is boring.
No comments:
Post a Comment