Book Review: Dark Places

Author: Gillian Flynn

Read: 7/9-7/10/12

Snapshot (taken from the book cover): 

"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.

Mandy Thinks:

I loved this book! Typically I stay away from books that claim to be suspenseful thrillers, crime dramas, etc. because I feel like the books aren't very well written or at least not something that interests me.  I'd rather watch them in movie format than try and get through the book.  The last thriller type book I read was the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series and I really liked those, with the exception of the last one which I thought dragged on and on. That ended up being a disappointment just because I felt like I was let down after that third book. Anyway these are my thoughts on Dark Places, not the other series.  

The book's chapters alternated between Libby Day's perspective in real time and flashing back to either her mother's point of view or her accused brother's point of view.  Apparently there is a theme with the last 3 books I've read and the point of views changing each chapter… strange.  The book was really well written, kept my interest and the chapters switched back and forth enough to make me want to hurry and get to the next chapter to get back to each of the stories.  Sounds confusing… I know.  

The book dealt with several themes: living with a tragedy and despair, forgiveness and desperation.  The family's downfall peaked on this one fateful day where so many things happened simultaneously.  Throughout the course of the day the mother discovered that she had no idea what kind of life her teenage son was living.  She had so much on her plate…literally. Four kids, a failing farm, living alone and dealing with a crazy ex-husband.  I can't even begin to think how she would have handled it all and discovering several disturbing things about her son made her realize that she really didn't have control of any of it.  I think Gillian Flynn did a really great job of conveying the mother's desperation and the hopelessness she felt that day.  Its hard to say how you would react in a situation like this, but it definitely makes me even more nervous about raising kids… how easy it is for a teenager to get wrapped up in all the wrong things.  How do you even control that?? I consider this question frequently now that I'm going to have my own family soon enough.  

Libby Day was also a really complex character that Gillian Flynn created.  She had so much to deal with being the only witness to her family's murder (other than her convicted brother).  She was really angry, depressed and really was never taught how to deal with all of the emotions she felt after such a horrendous tragedy.  Even though she was counseled and had a loving aunt that took her in, there was no way she was able to put these events past her.  I think having a family that loves you - extended family beyond your own parents - comes into play here. If you have no one, or think you have no one, how can you begin to see any sort of light at the end of the tunnel? This family was very broken - they only had their aunt - and she wasn't enough unfortunately. Luckily she was able to get closure by really figuring out what happened that night.  Finding out the truth helped her see that she could move on and forgive.   

Top 5 things I learned from this book: 

1. Foreclosure is not a death sentence - it can be a new beginning! Embrace it.
2. Don't let your teenager lock their door with a deadbolt and never let you in their room.  Maybe just take the door off the hinges all together. Who needs privacy, right?
3. To avoid possible fatalities in your home: hide your guns and don't leave your axes out for anyone to find.
4. If you have a crazy ex-husband, file a restraining order or move to another city to get away from him. 
5. Stay away from girls that leave dead animal parts in your locker and think its funny. Bad news.