Everyone has a "dark place"...
What is a “dark place”? A dark place could be a place where something really bad happened to you, or where something really bad happened to someone you love, or even just something that reminds you of all the pain there is in the world and the possibility that it could touch you at any time. So what’s your dark place? Is it your childhood home? Maybe it’s a movie theater, or a park, or a classroom. Or maybe, like me, it’s a hospital. Unfortunately, we all have a dark place, and some of us are unfortunate enough to have more than one. A dark place isn’t necessarily an actual physical place, either. It could be a particular song or even a vibrant color that floods your eyes and blinds you, propelling you forward like a bull glimpsing a red cape. It could be a smell that reminds you of someone you’ve lost, whether through a fault of your own or because of a higher power, if you believe in one. For people like Libby Day, it can be very difficult to have faith in something or someone who can allow such pain and tragedy to shroud our existence.
Twenty-five years later, fueled by her need for money after drying up the trust fund that was set up for her by strangers when she was still a child, she is propositioned by a “secret society” that is infatuated with her family’s brutal story. They think Ben is innocent, and they’re willing to pay her to find out. But in order to do so, Libby will have to shine a light on all of her dark places, and she might not like what she finds. Was her family destined for tragedy, or was there something more dark and sinister going on? How far will a mother go to protect her children? How far will a boy go to protect the ones he loves? And how far will a young woman go when she feels cursed and defeated herself?
Gillian Flynn takes us all into the Day family’s dark places, and even forces us to acknowledge a few of our own. I have to admit that I was not a huge fan of her debut novel, Sharp Objects, which might have turned heads and spread like wildfire, but seemed to fall short for me. Some loved it, some hated it, and some just didn’t get the appeal. I was the latter. It was interesting, but it left me feeling like I was missing something more important. Like, perhaps my copy of the book was missing a few chapters. However, Flynn seems to be on the mark with Dark Places. Interweaving Libby’s present-day with her family’s point of view the day of the murders in 1985, Flynn strings readers along at just the right pace in order to not only discover the terrible events that happened, but to feel for the Days, as well. Knowing it could be your family, or the family you might have someday, draws you deeper into their sad lives and creates a sense of fear, despair, and even hope for not just the Day family, but for you, as well.
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