a review of Gillian Flynn's Dark Places
 |
| www.glamour.com |
I love Gillian Flynn. She is one
of those writers who vividly conjures images and pictures in your head. She does
it so marvelously in her 3 books. Her writing skills is incomparable and very
readable despite the many twisted characters she creates. She makes plots
masterfully crafted with twists and turns so gripping it will take your breath
away. To date, she is one of my favorite
authors when it comes to thriller/mystery genres. And I’m just one lucky reader
who survived two of her books, the other one I’m still finishing.
And here is my review of Dark
Places, a sinister read that will leave you asking for more.
Libby Day is the only survivor of
a massacre that killed almost all of her family members. She remembers the
night of the murders, a bloody pentagram painted on the wall of their house,
her mother sprawled lifeless on the floor, her sisters dead and cold, and her
brother who went after her as she braved the snowy night to save herself from
the obvious murderer. She later testified to the court against her brother who was
an alleged Satan worshipper.
After 25 years, 32-years old
Libby is now broke with only the remaining money she received from
well-wishers. She must find another source of income soon or she would definitely
starve as she is incapable of working yet. She discovers a group of people from
a club dubbed as the “Kill Club”, who were obsessed with her family’s untimely
demise. Libby Day hesitated at first but she was already out of options. It was
her only way of earning money. Eventually she agreed to take part in the club’s
own re-investigation.
As the sole survivor and the witness
of the murders, the club members started asking her questions, each of them
eager for what she has to say, but some were skeptical and doubted most of her
answers.
She would soon realize the
possibility of her brother’s innocence as evidences led from one glaring fact
to another. Libby would find herself re-investigating the killings. And
eventually she would soon discover the events that led to the gruesome Satanic
cult ritual resulting to the deaths of her Mother and sisters and the real
identity of the killer.
What really happened on that cold
January night? For you to discover the real deal read it yourself.
Narrated by Libby herself, the
book sees the point of views of Libby, her mother, and her brother Ben the
night before the massacre and the aftermath of it.
Be warned! Dark Places includes themes such as underage sex, domestic abuse, drugs, poverty, Satanic cults, and killings.
 |
| www.hollywoodreporter.com |
One more thing I would like to
add to the increasing adoration I have for G. Flynn is her skillful take on
character and plot development. She did a great job in characterizing the Day’s
family especially the complicated and unlikeable Libby.
I’ve had several hunches with the
perpetuator’s identity only to find myself guessing everything wrong.
A page-turner and an
edge-of-your-seat story, Dark Places in my opinion is one of Gillian Flynn’s
strongest book next to Gone Girl.
 |
| www.cinemablend.com |
The film adaptation of the book is already in the making,
with Charlize Theron playing the coveted role of Libby Day. For the scope here
is the link.
I give it a 5 out of
5 stars for scaring the hell out of me.
