While a heat wave rages in 1970s London, a charming family is in crisis. The head of the household--Robert Riordan--has disappeared. The youngest daughter, Aoife, who left for New York, returns to help her family deal with her father's disappearance.
Aoife and her sister Monica who have a strained relationship attempt to settle their differences. Monica blames Aoife for divulging a secret to her ex-husband. Aoife denies revealing anything to Rob, Monica's first husband.
In fact, none of the Riordan's have problem-free relationships. Michael Francis and his wife have a troubled marriage. Despite believing she had a wonderful marriage, Gretta suspects her husband abandoned the family after they find money taken from their account.
Aoife is in love with someone but she hides the fact that she is dyslexic from him.
O'Farrell does a wonderful job of balancing the different points of view of the siblings with those of Gretta. The problems in the Riordan family are well-developed and handled with humor and irony.
Sharp Objects' subtext suggests that everyone needs mentors to guide them. Without mentors, people end up hard-edged and damaged. They can even, in some cases, become monstrous.
Mothers are a child's natural and first mentor but as the novel makes clear some people are terrible at mothering.
As Camille wryly points out, "I just think some women aren't meant to be mothers. And some women aren't meant to be daughters."
According to Adora, Camille wasn't "good." What Adora means is that Camille wasn't vulnerable or weak the way Marian was.
Marian dies when Camille is thirteen--a circumstance that further estranges her from her mother. Camille says, "Its impossible to compete with the dead."
Camille has always felt unloved by her mother. She engages in risky behavior and becomes a cutter--perhaps purposely putting herself in danger to find maternal love.
Like her half-sister Amma will find out, Camille's hometown is oppressive.
Camille decides to write about pain; that is, become a crime reporter.
After she leaves her hometown, she vows to never look back. She revels in the role of "cubby" or that of cub reporter. With her editor, Camille has finally found the mentor she needs.
But then Curry sends her back to her hometown to report on a story that he thinks will "make" her career.
