Ep 18: Crime - Sharp Objects & Defending Jacob

In this episode of Parallel Fiction, Heather and Jeff dive into Crime.  Whether it be from the news or from Netflix, crime is a gigantic part of society and prevalent in every era of storytelling.  Jeff and Heather present two stories that have deviated from the norm, and include twists you’ll never see coming.

Heather kicks off the summary portion of the show, presenting the Gillian Flynn novel Sharp Objects.  Heather gives a brief trigger warning before getting into this story’s main character, who is struggling with self harm.  Heather takes us through the novel, from the main character’s return to her hometown to find a gruesome murder to cover, to her delusional and manipulative mother.  Sharp Objects has a lot of surprises and the ending shocked Heather, who is usually great at solving mysteries.

Did you know?  Prior to writing her debut novel, Gillian Flynn was a reporter for Entertainment Weekly.

Jeff takes us into pt 2 of the presentations with the Apple+ mini-series Defending Jacob starring Chris Evans as assistant district attorney Andy Barber, as he tries to protect his son Jacob from murder charges.  Jeff wraps up the 8 part series into a nice bow, including the twists and turns of a family struggling with uncertainty.  Jeff praises Chris Evan’s work as a standout role, drawing a strong line between his morally untouchable previous role as Captain America. 

Fun Fact!  Chris Evan’s played the older version of actor Jaeden Martel (Jacob) in the film Playing It Cool.

Following these reviews, Heather and Jeff dive into commonalities between the two works such as intrigue, investigation, morality, consequences, and punishment

Listen in to hear Jeff and Heather’s candid thoughts on the masterpiece scenes of each story, how Sharp Objects and Defending Jacob compare, and how Jeff and Heather relate the two. Share this episode with anyone who loves a great crime story!

Heather’s rating for Sharp Objects: Very Nice – One of the best Gillian Flynn novels, great for uncommon crime lovers

Jeff’s rating for Defending Jacob: Very Nice – A very suspenseful, thrilling mini-series.  Great performances by all cast members.

Watch Defending Jacob here: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/defending-jacob/umc.cmc.5h5mr0shyyqqahqdv55ywyilr

Read Sharp Objects: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18045891-sharp-objects

About Parallel Fiction:

Parallel Fiction is the perfect supplemental companion to all of the stories you consume. We will be covering movies, television, books, graphic novels, video games, and music whenever it applies. Learn more about things you love, and get to know us a little bit better as we give you a peak into our lives and opinions.

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