Book review: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn...

This was the last of Flynn's books that I hadn't read, and I think probably my favourite. It centres on Libby Day a 30-something still trying to come to terms with a terrible tragedy when she was seven; her brother brutally murdering her two older sisters and mother and her own testimony sending him to prison. Then she is contacted by a group who believe her brother Ben is innocent. Libby then starts to question the events of that night and try and get to the bottom of what really happened.

I enjoyed the way the book alternated chapters between first person Libby in the present day, and different members of her family on the day of the murders. It slowly unfolds that everyone had a trauma of their own they were trying to overcome. I'm pleased to say this was a rare time that I didn't guess the ending, not even close.

I found the story really intense, one that I couldn't forget. So much so I ended up reading this in two sittings as I was hooked and desperate to unravel the end. The book often mentions the notion of ripples- unintentional major consequences caused by minor events, which is exactly how this story unfolds. 

Another theme in this book is growing up. Libby struggles in adult life, and won't allow herself to move on from the incidents, Whilst her brother on the other hand seems to have coped strangely well. I really liked Libby, although she wasn't an outwardly likeable person. Her past had hardened her, and she was wary, and cold but human.

Dark Places, as the name suggests was very dark and scary- in an eerie, creepy way. It didn't hold back on the gore and I'd say is probably not for the faint hearted. It wasn't afraid to go to the darkest places of these characters minds. Overall, I recommend this book if you enjoy a dark suspenseful read that constantly keeps you guessing, and constantly keeps shocking you with how deep it will go.

"I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ. Slit me at my belly and it might slide out, meaty and dark, drop on the floor so you can stomp on it."

(I also found out they are making this book into a film, and Charlize Theron has been cast as Libby which I think is a perfect choice.)