Dark Places
Ever since I read Gone Girl, I've been wanting to read the rest of Gillian Flynn's work. She's amazing at creating dark, creepy scenarios that keep you guessing. It's not the sort of thing I want to read all the time. But every now and then they're a lot of fun, a nice break from what I usually read.
This one follows Libby Day decades after the massacre of her family when she was seven years old. At the time she testified against her brother, who has been in jail ever since. But new evidence suggests that he may have been innocent, and Libby is finally convinced to begin investigating and coming to terms with the discrepancies between her own memories and what she was subtly coached to say.
The narrative flips back and forth between Libby's quest in the present and the actions of her mother and brother on the day of the murder. The structure kept the tension high as it seemed to reveal and then deny both motive and opportunity for various characters. And the various points of view helped fill in a picture when it was clear that every character was biased or lacking information. How reliable a witness can a 7-year-old be, after all?
My only real complaint is that the story didn't ultimately follow the rules of a murder mystery as I understand them. Though I suppose it could be argued that this is more psychological thriller than murder mystery and thus not beholden to those rules. Breaking them certainly means that the reader is guessing right up to the very end. So maybe it's not a complaint so much as a call to me to let my assumptions go.
This one follows Libby Day decades after the massacre of her family when she was seven years old. At the time she testified against her brother, who has been in jail ever since. But new evidence suggests that he may have been innocent, and Libby is finally convinced to begin investigating and coming to terms with the discrepancies between her own memories and what she was subtly coached to say.
The narrative flips back and forth between Libby's quest in the present and the actions of her mother and brother on the day of the murder. The structure kept the tension high as it seemed to reveal and then deny both motive and opportunity for various characters. And the various points of view helped fill in a picture when it was clear that every character was biased or lacking information. How reliable a witness can a 7-year-old be, after all?
My only real complaint is that the story didn't ultimately follow the rules of a murder mystery as I understand them. Though I suppose it could be argued that this is more psychological thriller than murder mystery and thus not beholden to those rules. Breaking them certainly means that the reader is guessing right up to the very end. So maybe it's not a complaint so much as a call to me to let my assumptions go.
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