Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - Темные тайны

Fantastic read! I adore Gillian Flynn's writing. Her characters are just next level assholes, but I really love to read about them. The characters in this book were no exception. Could not get enough of the story either! Stayed up late night after night just devouring it.

Content Warnings

alex_thomps's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

clemmiem's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

machuvicchu's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Holy shit. I'm definitely going to have to go back on this because I will likely have residual thoughts on this book 48 hours from now.

This book was loaded. Every second spent reading this book my hairs were standing straight up.

I liked the ambiguity. A lot of true crime narratives are very black and white. Killer - bad, cops - good. But there's two conflicting aspects of Libby Day. As a victim, she's been touted as this poor angel and she willingly capitalizes off of it with her bs book with a ghostwriter. So she's also idle and apathetic. She's disappointed that the money she made off of people's pity for her is drying out, and turns to true crime fanatics paying money for her to get the answers she never wanted to face. Even when I'm typing this out I feel like a piece of shit because duh, her whole family was murdered when she was 7, she's been through a lot. There's times where you're frustrated with Libby and then there's times where you're rooting for her.

I think Flynn did that with Ben as well. Through Ben's perspective on the day of the murder, we feel a lot of sympathy for him. We read Ben's 15-year-old perspective as he tries to make sense of the world between the poverty he and his family experiences and his insecurities and manhood. These scenes between his classmates, these people he's hanging out with, his girlfriend - you feel for him because he just wishes he had a normal life where he can fit in. But he has also done some gross, disgusting things that you can't just dismiss as teenager things, as well as his penchant for violence or "Annihilation".

Whether I actually liked the characters or not, I really felt how well-thought out they were. Having different narrators/perspectives can be difficult but I appreciate that Flynn gave all characters a very distinctive voice. The kind of tension and angst we get from present-day Libby, the immature and insecure voice of Ben, as well as the sheer despair from Patty (Oh, Patty. You really feel for her by the end. I know she's just a fictional character but I wish life was a little easier on her she's been through a lot).

I really liked the alternating perspectives between present day versus the day of the murder. They start kind of awkward but as you progress into the novel the more these alternating narrators makes sense and adds to the suspense.

I really appreciated the little Easter eggs that came in handy as you, the reader, are asking the same questions as Libby, the "whodunnit".

Ben's notebook with the girls' names, Michelle was choked which was more personal than Patty and Debby's murders, Ben's -olly tattoo, etc. etc.

I feel sinister for calling it "fun" but for the characters in present-day to mention these Easter eggs again in present day really had my mind reeling.

Overall, I really like how all these loose ends tied up really nicely. Is it realistic how easily all this fell into place

(Libby visits Diondra and Crystal lets it slips and Libby actually doesn't die that day and Calvin Diehl confess around the same time)

, probably not, but it's good enough for me to end on.

Content Warnings

bek_parsons's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This keeps you guessing and slowly matching the puzzle pieces together - all of them are there, some you get and some you miss but they’re all as satisfying to watch clink into place. Keys into the satanic panic well as well as showing the pure horror of a mother on the brink of losing everything.

Content Warnings

More...