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A review by katyisreading
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I recently read a physical copy of this book for the first time, which let me enjoy the writing on a line level. It may be strange to say this about such a dark book, but the writing is beautiful! I picked up on some small details that confirm for me that Gillian Flynn is the GOAT thriller writer (and this is her best book, IMO).
Plot: Libby Day was seven when her mom and two sisters were murdered. She survived and famously testified that her brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, a true crime society that believes Ben is innocent hires Libby to look into what really happened. Libby hopes to turn a profit off her tragic history, but as she reconnects with people from her past, she starts to uncover a complicated truth that could put her in danger once again.
I was looking through reviews for this book before writing mine and someone said, “One of the most messed up books I’ve ever read – five stars.” The perfect summary.
I think the secret sauce that makes me really love a thriller is that it has to be smart. Yes, I want mystery, but mostly I want to see how cultural phenomena—like satanic panic, true crime fandom, even 1980’s farming culture—impacts people’s everyday lives in ways that turn sinister. DARK PLACES is uniquely, creatively traumatic, but Flynn’s writing and detailed research about what it was like to live in rural Kansas in the 1980s somehow makes the story feel wholly realistic.
And the characters! Our three POV characters are fleshed out so well, that even though I didn’t always agree with their actions, I understood them. The multi-POV technique here is perfect; the reader always knows slightly more than the characters, just enough to feel terrified about what is going to happen (or be revealed) next.
Read this if you liked SHARP OBJECTS or LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE. (I could write a thesis about how DARK PLACES and LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE are the same stories, just set in different times and places.)
Plot: Libby Day was seven when her mom and two sisters were murdered. She survived and famously testified that her brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, a true crime society that believes Ben is innocent hires Libby to look into what really happened. Libby hopes to turn a profit off her tragic history, but as she reconnects with people from her past, she starts to uncover a complicated truth that could put her in danger once again.
I was looking through reviews for this book before writing mine and someone said, “One of the most messed up books I’ve ever read – five stars.” The perfect summary.
I think the secret sauce that makes me really love a thriller is that it has to be smart. Yes, I want mystery, but mostly I want to see how cultural phenomena—like satanic panic, true crime fandom, even 1980’s farming culture—impacts people’s everyday lives in ways that turn sinister. DARK PLACES is uniquely, creatively traumatic, but Flynn’s writing and detailed research about what it was like to live in rural Kansas in the 1980s somehow makes the story feel wholly realistic.
And the characters! Our three POV characters are fleshed out so well, that even though I didn’t always agree with their actions, I understood them. The multi-POV technique here is perfect; the reader always knows slightly more than the characters, just enough to feel terrified about what is going to happen (or be revealed) next.
Read this if you liked SHARP OBJECTS or LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE. (I could write a thesis about how DARK PLACES and LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE are the same stories, just set in different times and places.)