Gillian Flynn’s Psychological Thriller Books, Ranked
There was a void of deranged female protagonists portrayed in all their messy glory. Gillian Flynn was ready to answer the call, writing three immaculate books in this style. It has been some time since Flynn released a book, but that doesn’t diminish the perfection with which her written works are remembered.
Each book artfully harnesses themes such as misogyny, self-harm, and abuse in unique stories unlike any other psychological thrillers on the scene. Female characters are rarely written with such specificity and ruthlessness as they are in Flynn’s best-selling novels. All her books are a credit to her as an artist, making ranking them a difficult endeavor, indeed.
Sharp Objects Was an Impressive Start to Gillian Flynn’s Career
Image via Anne Marie Fox / ©HBO / Courtesy: Everett CollectionGillian Flynn’s first book was a harrowing debut, and one that should not be taken lightly. The shortest of her novels, Sharp Objects, is an excruciating exploration of parental trauma that bleeds off the page. Flynn’s first protagonist is Camille Preaker, a Chicago journalist who must return home to Wind Gap, Missouri, to cover the slew of child murders. The writer’s prose is as prickly and unsettling as Camille, whose childhood trauma is so severe that she resorts to self-harm.
Sharp Objects isn’t the typical Gothic thriller that lives and dies by its plot turns. Though there are many twists, the most interesting part of the book is the deep-seated wounds the characters carry that push them into the final climactic resolution. This book started the Flynn tradition of a completely unpredictable ending and was a surprising first entry into a world of psychological terror.
Dark Places Increased the Stakes Tenfold
Image via Doane Gregory/©A24/Courtesy Everett CollectionDark Places is perhaps the least known of Gillian Flynn’s works, likely because of the lackluster screen adaptation. Luckily, Dark Places is getting adapted for the screen again, a relief considering it is a highly ambitious work that sticks the landing. The mystery is a multi-perspective thriller that follows a woman who, in her youth, was the sole survivor of the massacre of her family. Libby is another of Flynn’s complicated protagonists who takes readers on a disturbing deep dive into the case that ruined her life and her family.
Closed off because of her trauma, Libby is convinced that her brother, Ben, killed her family in a Satanic ritual. Dark Places escalates the stakes of Sharp Objects while also delivering compelling twists that fans would have to read to believe. A commentary on the Satanic Panic of the ’80s and capitalism as a whole, Flynn’s book takes on the ills of America in a genuinely heartbreaking fashion.
Gone Girl Is Gillian Flynn’s Magnum Opus
Image via 20th Century StudiosGillian Flynn’s books just get better and better, and Gone Girl is the crowning achievement of her work. While the David Fincher adaptation gave the subject a certain caché, the book is even better — as hard as it is to believe. The Flynn-penned film hit all the significant points of the novel, most importantly, the criticism of misogyny in relationships. Amy Elliott-Dunne’s (Rosamund Pike) “Cool Girl” speech will go down in history as one of the best character-defining monologues in recent history.
This is present in the source material, but the book goes even harder in many respects. Amy’s character is far more complex, as is her hapless husband, Nick, who is just as reprehensible as she is. The book clarifies Nick’s misogyny, which makes him an equal participant in what happens to him. The ending is much more satisfying and is all wrapped up in an unreliable narrative that is a joy to read. Gone Girl is the undisputed crown jewel of Flynn’s work.
