John Keene Character Analysis in Sharp Objects

John Keene is Natalie Keene’s older brother, who is a senior in high school. An emotional teenage boy, John Keene is soon singled out as a suspect in Natalie’s murder, and becomes something of a pariah throughout Wind Gap. As rumors that John and Natalie were close in an “unhealthy” way and it is revealed that John has no alibi for the night of Natalie’s murder, pressure mounts, and John becomes even more emotional and withdrawn. As Camille’s suspicions about Adora intensify, she seeks solace at a bar on the outskirts of town, and when she finds a drunken John Keene there, he begs her to believe that he had nothing to do with Natalie’s murder. The two then go to a motel and sleep together; John Keene is the first man to ever see Camille’s scars, but he does not recoil at the sight of them and instead allows Camille to feel seen, accepted, and even “exorcised.”

John Keene Character Timeline in Sharp Objects

The timeline below shows where the character John Keene appears in Sharp Objects. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Abuse, Victimization, and Control Theme Icon

...who “he” is, Amma replies, “Natalie’s brother.” One of the other girls, Jodes, adds that John Keene has “a little-girl thing.” The girls saunter off, bumping past Camille, who senses in... (full context)

...who always stares at her breasts in the grocery store, is responsible. Another mentions that John Keene has moved out of his parents’ house and into a carriage house in the... (full context)

Toxic Mother-Daughter Relationships Theme Icon

...remembering what Amma and her friends told her the other day, asks the women if John Keene really could be responsible—she mentions that she heard some gossip from some local teens.... (full context)

...for the crimes—he can’t picture a woman “doing all…that to a baby.” Bob suggests that John Keene, who has no alibi, might be guilty, and confirms that others in Wind Gap... (full context)

...red convertible and calls out to Camille by name. The girl introduces herself as Meredith Wheeler—John Keene’s girlfriend—and says she knows who Camille is, though she was “just a little goofball”... (full context)

...doorbell rings, and when she peers through the front door, she sees Meredith Wheeler and John Keene standing outside. (full context)

...dressed in a cheerleading uniform, and speaks in “wheedling tone[s]” as she introduces Camille to John—a beautiful, “almost androgynous” teen with thick black hair and full lips. Camille asks the two... (full context)

Camille makes some sweet tea and then sits down with Meredith and John. She tells John that all she wants is to get a fuller picture of Natalie,... (full context)

As Camille begins asking John questions about Natalie, Meredith keeps interrupting to offer her two cents. When John says that... (full context)

When Camille asks John about his lack of an alibi—he was out driving around town, he says, on the... (full context)

Switching the subject, Camille asks about Natalie’s violence back in Philadelphia. John admits that Natalie—a little girl with a temper—attacked a classmate up north with scissors. Natalie... (full context)

Camille’s most recent article, featuring extensive quotes from John Keene and a focus on James Capisi’s overlooked testimony, goes to print. The morning the... (full context)

...for the rest of the afternoon, discussing Ann and Natalie’s murders. When Camille asks if John Keene is a suspect, Richard confirms that he fits the profile: plus, he says, John... (full context)

...the pool. Camille hides herself and watches Amma rub sunscreen lasciviously over her body while John Keene, sitting in the shade at the other end of the pool, watches her. When... (full context)

...her presence and enters the pool area with a hello. She asks for Meredith, and John says she’s gone to the store to buy sugar. Camille asks John, quietly, how he’s... (full context)

...really ready, Camille starts her tape recorder and asks about the gossip around town concerning John, and why people might think he’s responsible for the murders. Meredith says she believes John... (full context)

Camille calls Meredith out for lying, but Meredith confesses that John would hate her if she told Camille the truth. Meredith attempts to bargain with Camille... (full context)

...in bed after sex, Richard and Camille continue discussing the case. Richard says he thinks John Keene is the murderer—he was close to Natalie in an “unhealthy way” and has no... (full context)

...one of Wind Gap’s largest mansions, Camille is feeling loose and “game.” When Meredith and John Keene arrive shortly after their group, however, the party is infused with a scandalized, gossipy... (full context)

Amidst the whispers and jeers from their other classmates, Amma greets John with a syrupy-sweet “Hiiiii, murderer,” causing Camille to feel a rush of sympathy for the... (full context)

...bar at the edge of town, near the hog farm. There, she finds a clearly-intoxicated John Keene. When she asks how he’s doing, he replies that he’s afraid both that Meredith... (full context)

John tells Camille she’s the only one who understands him, and asks her about her own... (full context)

In the parking lot, John fumbles with his keys, but then realizes he is too drunk to drive. Camille, who... (full context)

John pulls Camille’s clothes off, and reads her scars word by word. He touches and kisses... (full context)

...the other side—he asks if Camille is inside and demands she open up. Camille and John begin dressing frantically. When Camille opens the door, Vickery is there—and so is Richard. As... (full context)

Camille drops John off at his parents’ house, and he tells her that she “saved” him. Camille tells... (full context)

Amma wonders dreamily whether John will be executed and sent to the electric chair. Adora replies that he’ll be given... (full context)

Camille receives a letter from John Keene. In it, he writes that he suspected Amma all along, and moved into Meredith’s... (full context)