Jessica Knoll Would Like a Word About the "Unlikable" Women She Writes

A photo of Nikki Ogunnaike with an inset photo of Jessica Knoll and text reading Money. Power. Style. Nice Talk with Nikki Ogunnaike.

Jessica Knoll doesn't mind if readers find her characters unlikable, but sometimes she is a little surprised when they do. Knoll made a big splash with her first novel, the 2015 mystery Luckiest Girl Alive. It made the New York Times Best Seller list, and was adapted into a 2022 film starring Mila Kunis. Knoll wrote the screenplay herself.

And while the author can understand why people might not love Ani, the main character from her debut, she's not really seeking out to write divisive women.