A review by noonchi
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

There is something in this book that happens that I do not like. It is not necessary for plot development, it really had no influence on the character and really really could have been excluded and still stand as a dark book. I find this author's work to read as edgelord feminism. The main character is useless and the story really has nothing to do with her or her life as much as it has to do with unraveling the mystery about what happened to her family. I actually know nothing about her after reading the book because that's how little she matters. This is the type of book where she is the narrator and our eyes. A perspective change would have made more sense than fabricating an entire character just to tell a story. The plot is gritty and I like the midwestern gothic vibe it has going. The flashback scenes were my FAVORITE because I loved the essence of the scene and reading about characters we can't take into the present. There is a lot I like about this book that gets overshadowed.
Including the scenes about the little girl lying about being molested, even though a grow man kissed her, really really bothered me as someone who works with survivors of sexual abuse. I don't have to explain why even in fiction this is a dangerous narrative to spread. Lying about sexual abuse/sexual violence is rare and things like this reinforce lies and perpetuate rape culture. I hated when the author did this in Gone Girl too. It is completely unnecessary.
You may want to check the trigger warnings before reading. This isn't a necessary read by any means, you can skip this and have peace of mind that you're not missing anything. 
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