Dark Places: A Novel
by Gillian Flynn
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Book Summary Information
Author: Gillian FlynnEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-05-05
ISBN: 0307341569
Number of pages: 368
Publisher: Crown
Book Reviews of Dark Places: A Novel
Book Review: More Twisted Than a Jerry Springer Episode
Summary: 3 Stars
THREE QUICK POINTS:
* Point 1: Multiple personality disorder. The book alternates between three different perspectives, the main character Libby Day (in first person), and Patty and Ben Day (in third person).
* Point 2: A twisted Jerry Springer episode. None of the characters had any redeeming qualities, but on some level, they were truly human. And the situation, as it unfolded, was twisted but on some level you had to wonder could this possibly happen?
* Point 3: Smartly written. I am surprised and delighted by Flynn's fluid writing style.
SHORT SYNOPSIS:
Twenty-five years after her mother and two sisters were slaughtered, Libby Day finds herself nearly penniless, which is why she was willing to dredge up her past by the offer of quick and easy cash.
Back in early January 1985, when the murders occurred, Libby's brother Ben had been accused, arrested, and convicted--partly due to Libby's own testimony. But as Libby starts looking at the actual events of the day, she realizes that her memories might not have been accurate.
As Libby puts the pieces of the puzzle together, working from the present to the past, we the readers get to see the events unfolding from the past to the present through Patty and Ben Day's perspectives beginning on that fateful morning.
MY THOUGHTS:
The prose and flow of this novel is enthralling. Flynn has this way with words that just tugs at your physical senses, and she deftly handled switching between the various points of view (Libby, Patty, & Ben). One problem, however, was that it became difficult to connect with the characters on more than a superficial level. Right when I thought I was finally connecting with Libby, bam I'm thrown into Patty's or Ben's story and vice versa. Some of the switching also provided lulls right when the action from one character's perspective began to pick up, so it was constantly building tension then dropping like a stone.
That said, it could have much more to do with the actual characters than Flynn's shifting between them. Libby is a bitter kleptomaniac who's deeply troubled, partly due to what happened to her family and partly because that's who she is.
Patty, though I hate to admit it, is probably a good reflection of most struggling mothers and, of the three characters, seemed most genuine. Her stress was understandable, her motives were clear, and her actions reflected it. She was real.
Ben was just twisted in ways that I'm still trying to piece together. How much can be blamed on just being a teenage boy in a bad situation and just plain having a screw loose isn't exactly clear. He may very well reflect some teenage boys (actually, I'm certain he does), but he was just too incongruous. Either way, it was difficult to get beneath the surface. Then there's the Ben after he's all grown up. We get a clearer picture of who he is and I was glad to see that he'd learned much from his youth (spent mostly in prison).
One section of the book completely took me out of the story. Unfortunately, I can't say much else because it would be a HUGE spoiler. Let's just say that a chapter just randomly appeared out of nowhere from a different perspective and it left me scratching my head and wondering what just happened?
At the end of the day, this story needed at least one redeeming character to provide some level of balance. And it would have helped if the momentum and tension of each character's story built upon each other. (Not to say every chapter was jarring, but a few toward the middle and end were.) The story and climax were exciting, but not especially so.
Aside from the characters, I loved the common thread throughout the book: Money (or the lack thereof). It was interesting to watch how the desperation caused by a lack of money could destroy the lives of everyone involved and leave those in its wake an empty shell of a human.
I fluctuated between really liking and just liking this book. I loved the writing and liked the story, but unfortunately, the characters and the balance just left too much to be desired.
Summary of Dark Places: A Novel
I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ.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 toes, but she survived?and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, Ben sits in prison, and troubled Libby lives off the dregs of a trust created by well-wishers who?ve long forgotten her.
The Kill Club is a macabre secret society obsessed with notorious crimes. When they locate Libby and pump her for details?proof they hope may free Ben?Libby hatches a plan to profit off her tragic history. For a fee, she?ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club . . . and maybe she?ll admit her testimony wasn?t so solid after all.
As Libby?s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the narrative flashes back to January 2, 1985. The events of that day are relayed through the eyes of Libby?s doomed family members?including Ben, a loner whose rage over his shiftless father and their failing farm have driven him into a disturbing friendship with the new girl in town. Piece by piece, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started?on the run from a killer.
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