Sharp Objects
Flynn's debut novel and a natural chronological starting point.
Author guide
Gillian Flynn Books in Order
Gillian Flynn is an American novelist, screenwriter, and former Entertainment Weekly critic. She is the author of Sharp Objects, Dark Places, Gone Girl, and the novella The Grownup. Flynn also wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of Gone Girl.
psychological thrillermysterycrime fictionhorror
Catalog record updated .
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Gone Girl
Her best-known novel and a representative psychological thriller.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (4)
- Sharp Objects
novel · 2006
NOW AN HBO® LIMITED SERIES STARRING AMY ADAMS, NOMINATED FOR EIGHT EMMY AWARDS, INCLUDING OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES FROM THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF GONE GIRL Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille…
- Dark Places
novel · 2009
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…
- Gone Girl
novel · 2012
On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year…
- The Grownup
novella · 2015
A canny young woman is struggling to survive by perpetrating various levels of mostly harmless fraud. On a rainy April morning, she is reading auras at Spiritual Palms when Susan Burke walks in. A keen observer of human behavior, our…
Frequently asked questions about Gillian Flynn
Who is Gillian Flynn, and what is she known for?
Gillian Flynn is an American novelist and screenwriter best known for psychologically intense crime thrillers. She also wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of Gone Girl.
Sources: penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)medill.northwestern.edu (opens in a new tab)
What did Gillian Flynn do before becoming a novelist?
Flynn earned a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and worked as a feature writer and television critic for Entertainment Weekly. She wrote her first novel while working there.
What influenced Gillian Flynn’s interest in dark stories?
Her father taught film and introduced her to horror movies, helping foster her interest in unsettling stories. She has also cited Dennis Lehane’s Mystic River as an important inspiration for pursuing crime fiction and explored female violence and aggression in her work.
Sources: cbsnews.com (opens in a new tab)time.com (opens in a new tab)theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)
What awards has Gillian Flynn won or been nominated for?
Flynn won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Gone Girl. The screenplay was also nominated for a Golden Globe.
Sources: members.criticschoice.com (opens in a new tab)penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)
What is Gillian Flynn’s legacy in contemporary thriller fiction?
Flynn’s Gone Girl helped make domestic thrillers a major mainstream trend. TIME credits its unreliable narration with inspiring a wave of copycats, while The Guardian describes it as instrumental to the popularity of domestic noir.
Sources: time.com (opens in a new tab)theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)