Sorry to disappoint, but this a short book review, not an examination of my domestic relations. Although that might take us to some dark places, as well.
Much like Gone Girl, Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, pulls the reader in for a long strange trip. Flynn moves back and forth from the fateful day of the murders to the present, skillfully shifting the blame between the obvious and not-so-obvious suspects. Flynn’s lead gal, Libby Day, diligently chases down leads with the reader doggedly following closely behind.
Like any biased fly on the wall, I read along, watching and waiting, and of course, speculating on the real killer.
I bought Dark Places after hungrily reading Gone Girl. From the first page of Gone Girl, I was hooked and had to have more mystery and whodunit, Flynn style. I had the same high expectations of Dark Places to be shocked and thrilled, right to the very last page. Instead I shouted out, “Bullshit” in disgust, as I completed the last e-page on my Kindle.
Without ruining the grand finale, Dark Places did not end the way I expected or wanted. In fact, it finished off with a too tidy conclusion, which left me disappointed and childishly angry. It was a real let down, sell out, type of ending. There was some sense of justice, but it seemed contrived and weak especially after Libby’s intense search for the truth. The conclusion reminded me of a hastily thrown together weekend bag, with odds and ends of things, but no socks or toothpaste.
There were definitely intriguing elements explored, like family loyalty, poverty, Devil worshiping, redemption and the power of rumors and words. The story line was strong with good movement and flow; and the character dynamics were decent and mostly interesting. Yet, in spite of these things, here’s my advice.
Rent Dark Places from the library or borrow it from a friend, but save your money and expectations for another read.
Let me know your take.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Places
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gillian_Flynn
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- Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (molliegracex.wordpress.com)
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