October 1, 2018

A parent is a child’s first teacher and probably biggest influencer, regardless of whether we as children actively strive to follow in their footsteps or whether we stubbornly avoid any remote association to them. The apple does not fall very far from the tree.

'Sharp Objects' tells a thrilling, dark, and defiant story about the strong impact parents have on children and the particular scenario of that impact being disastrously damaging due to intensifying generations of psychological impairment. Author Gillian Flynn focuses specifically on motherhood. She challenges the broadly accepted idea that women are innately good and selfless — natural nurturers — by “giving women permission to be bad,” as an individual and as a mother. In the sheltered, snow-globe-turned-ghost-town of Wind Gap where most nice women are teachers or mothers, a woman was the last to be suspected of being the serial killer of two young girls in tragic and ruthless murders. After extensively investigating the cases and blindly pursuing male suspects, Wind Gap police and residents refused to acknowledge what could’ve been a deception all along.

Flynn stresses that being a good mother is not often as portrayed. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a skill that reliably kicks in or is awakened upon the welcoming of a child. Sometimes, it doesn’t kick in fully or at all. Not every women will understand or learn how to care for a child in a healthy way and also, not every women will make that conscious decision to do so. There are a variety of reasons why a mother may be challenged in her abilities to care for her child. Sharp Objects raises awareness of a less common and easily undetectable mental disorder called:

Children who are victims of MSP endure a constant lifetime of abuse from their caretakers for the illusion of being an attentive and doting parent. These parents intentionally sabotage children’s health by causing fake medical problems for their own emotional gratifications. It’s sick. It’s sad. It’s puzzling, but it happens, and it’s interesting to discuss and a great problem to shine a scrutinizing spotlight on.