Sharp Objects

Sharp Objects is the 2006 debut novel by American author Gillian Flynn. It is told from the perspective of Camille Preaker, a newspaper journalist who returns to her hometown in Missouri to report on a series of murders. There, she reconnects with her estranged mother and 13-year-old half-sister. A domestic noir, mystery, psychological thriller, and Southern Gothic novel, it explores femininity, trauma, and abuse. Flynn began writing the novel in 2001; she wanted to explore female violence and deviate from the popular chick lit novels at the time. Sharp Objects was first published by Shaye Areheart Books on September 26, 2006. The novel received critical acclaim, with praise for its prose, atmosphere, characters, and depth. Its initial sales were perceived as modest, but it achieved greater commercial success following the publication of Flynn's third novel, Gone Girl (2012), including selling over 230,000 copies in 2012. A miniseries adaptation aired on HBO in 2018 and became a critical and commercial success. Camille Preaker works as a journalist at The Daily Post, a small newspaper in Chicago.