I just finished this book the other day. I had borrowed it from the library and it was set to expire at 7:30pm on Tuesday night. I knew it was going to expire and had to finish it or else I would be back on the 54 person waiting list. So I ignored the kids made them play by themselves and read like a mad person. I finished it with about 10 minutes to spare. And it’s been a while since I read a book that wasn’t for book club. But when it came available at the library, I jumped on the chance to read it.
Here’s a little about the book:
I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ.
Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” As her family lay dying, little Libby fled their tiny farmhouse into the freezing January snow. She lost some fingers and toes, but she survived–and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, Ben sits in prison, and troubled Libby lives off the dregs of a trust created by well-wishers who’ve long forgotten her.
The Kill Club is a macabre secret society obsessed with notorious crimes. When they locate Libby and pump her for details–proof they hope may free Ben–Libby hatches a plan to profit off her tragic history. For a fee, she’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club . . . and maybe she’ll admit her testimony wasn’t so solid after all.
As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the narrative flashes back to January 2, 1985. The events of that day are relayed through the eyes of Libby’s doomed family members–including Ben, a loner whose rage over his shiftless father and their failing farm have driven him into a disturbing friendship with the new girl in town. Piece by piece, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started–on the run from a killer.
I loved Gone Girl and I am looking forward to reading her other book, Sharp Objects one day. This was such a twisted and engrossing book. There were times I was horrified by what I read, but, like a train wreck, I couldn’t stop reading. The characters were strange and lovable. I highly recommend picking this up or getting on the waiting list at your library. Oh, and I read this will be turning into a movie, too (Gone Girl is being made into a movie with Ben Affleck).
Happy reading!