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jenibo 's review for:
Dark Places
by Gillian Flynn
I can't exist on a diet of Thrillers, but I don't mind one once in a while. I shouldn't have read this one straight after Gone Girl, because my lack of enthusiasm for this one is probably partly fuelled by my satiety with the genre. I'll try not to be unfair, though.
Thrillers, to my mind, are a kind of a game between the reader and the author - the author puts out clues and the reader tries to interpret them correctly to come to the right conclusion, even though the author has done all that she could to hide the 'truth', bar the clues. There are certain rules, though, which cannot be broken for this bargain to be a satisfactory one for both sides: the book must have an inner integrity - i.e. red herrings are allowed, and obfuscation of the truth, but loose ends must be tied up, and the plot must hold together with a plausibility that makes the pieces fall into place satisfyingly in an Aha! moment for the reader.
Unfortunately, there are careless lapses in the integrity of the plot in Dark Places, and since the genre doesn't require, or usually offer any other good reasons for it to be read, such as fine descriptions or interesting characterisations, this is a CARDINAL SIN. Here's a rundown of these sins as I see it. Please add to this list if you spot any more of your own.
!!!!! SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Libby is alerted to Diondra's name change by a tattoo with her new name on Ben's arm, which is apparently recent, i.e. since he went into jail.
I just can't think of any plausible reason why Ben Day, who has considered himself responsible for letting Diondra murder his spying sister Debby, to the point where he has stayed in prison for 16 years in penance for the crime, would want to tattoo the murderess' name onto his arm. Sure, she used to be his girlfriend, but he is not seeing her anymore, she murdered one sister and would have murdered Libby if she could have (at the same time) and in the end he's not too perturbed by her being put in jail for the crime, so he obviously does not still love her.
I also feel that Patty's decision to allow herself to be murdered for the insurance money, though unlikely, is plausible, but the CRAZY unlikely part is that a mother who is allowing herself to be murdered so that her insurance money will support her children would allow herself to be murdered in her own home with her children in the house. So risky, and so traumatic for the children who might hear something and end up finding her body.
Finally, that Diondra would end up being a good mother to Crystal (let alone that Crystal would actually be Ben's daughter) and having a squeaky clean, no secrets relationship where Crystal seems pretty normal and Diondra has completely cleaned up her life. Same with the indian boy - the chances of these druggy murderous satanists going squeaky clean just doesn't wash with me (pardon the pun).
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Flynn's writing has obviously been strongly influenced by the works of Stephen King, though this is a common thread amongst most post King thriller writers, I suspect. The characters, voice and descriptions come from the King notebook: a spiteful, resentful voice recounting petty acts of revenge, and characters who are hopeless, poor, ignorant and apathetic, inhabiting dives with garbage swept into corners, smelling of urine, with loving attention to details such as used condoms sticking to the walls. Not a genre I relish spending too much time in, and not one which, when written so clonishly, holds many new surprises for its readers.
Thrillers, to my mind, are a kind of a game between the reader and the author - the author puts out clues and the reader tries to interpret them correctly to come to the right conclusion, even though the author has done all that she could to hide the 'truth', bar the clues. There are certain rules, though, which cannot be broken for this bargain to be a satisfactory one for both sides: the book must have an inner integrity - i.e. red herrings are allowed, and obfuscation of the truth, but loose ends must be tied up, and the plot must hold together with a plausibility that makes the pieces fall into place satisfyingly in an Aha! moment for the reader.
Unfortunately, there are careless lapses in the integrity of the plot in Dark Places, and since the genre doesn't require, or usually offer any other good reasons for it to be read, such as fine descriptions or interesting characterisations, this is a CARDINAL SIN. Here's a rundown of these sins as I see it. Please add to this list if you spot any more of your own.
!!!!! SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Libby is alerted to Diondra's name change by a tattoo with her new name on Ben's arm, which is apparently recent, i.e. since he went into jail.
I just can't think of any plausible reason why Ben Day, who has considered himself responsible for letting Diondra murder his spying sister Debby, to the point where he has stayed in prison for 16 years in penance for the crime, would want to tattoo the murderess' name onto his arm. Sure, she used to be his girlfriend, but he is not seeing her anymore, she murdered one sister and would have murdered Libby if she could have (at the same time) and in the end he's not too perturbed by her being put in jail for the crime, so he obviously does not still love her.
I also feel that Patty's decision to allow herself to be murdered for the insurance money, though unlikely, is plausible, but the CRAZY unlikely part is that a mother who is allowing herself to be murdered so that her insurance money will support her children would allow herself to be murdered in her own home with her children in the house. So risky, and so traumatic for the children who might hear something and end up finding her body.
Finally, that Diondra would end up being a good mother to Crystal (let alone that Crystal would actually be Ben's daughter) and having a squeaky clean, no secrets relationship where Crystal seems pretty normal and Diondra has completely cleaned up her life. Same with the indian boy - the chances of these druggy murderous satanists going squeaky clean just doesn't wash with me (pardon the pun).
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!END OF SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Flynn's writing has obviously been strongly influenced by the works of Stephen King, though this is a common thread amongst most post King thriller writers, I suspect. The characters, voice and descriptions come from the King notebook: a spiteful, resentful voice recounting petty acts of revenge, and characters who are hopeless, poor, ignorant and apathetic, inhabiting dives with garbage swept into corners, smelling of urine, with loving attention to details such as used condoms sticking to the walls. Not a genre I relish spending too much time in, and not one which, when written so clonishly, holds many new surprises for its readers.