Dark Places

Title: Dark Places

Author: Gillian Flynn

Published in: 2009

Date read: 18th September 2021

Score: 4/5

Genre: Crime, Detective, Psychological, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Dark Places" by Gillian Flynn is a bleak and intricate psychological thriller that explores the lingering aftermath of a horrific family murder and the elusive nature of truth.

The story is told through alternating timelines: 1985, detailing the night of the murders, and 2009, when the protagonist, Libby Day, revisits her traumatic past.

In 1985, seven-year-old Libby Day survived the brutal massacre of her mother and two sisters in their rural Kansas farmhouse. Her testimony, given as a traumatised child, led to the conviction of her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, who was branded as a Satan-worshipping killer amidst the "Satanic Panic" hysteria of the era.

Twenty-four years later, Libby is a directionless, financially struggling adult who has lived off public donations for decades. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she is contacted by the "Kill Club," a clandestine group of true-crime enthusiasts obsessed with notorious cases, including hers. They believe Ben is innocent and offer Libby money to reinvestigate the murders, hoping to find proof that will exonerate him.

Reluctantly, and primarily motivated by the dwindling funds, Libby agrees. Her cynical journey back to her desolate hometown forces her to confront the ghosts of her past and interact with the surviving players from that horrific night. She revisits family members, former friends, and acquaintances, including her estranged father, her aunt, and Ben's ex-girlfriend, Diondra.

As Libby digs deeper, she begins to uncover layers of poverty, desperation, and hidden secrets that paint a far more complex picture of her family's life leading up to the murders. The narrative flashes back to Ben and her mother, Patty, in 1985, revealing the pressures and bleak circumstances they faced. Libby starts to question everything she thought she knew, including her own memory and testimony. The more she uncovers, the more she realizes that everyone involved had something to hide, and the truth about what happened that night is far more twisted and disturbing than she ever imagined.

The novel is a dark and unsettling exploration of memory, poverty, the allure of cults, and the devastating impact of trauma, culminating in shocking revelations about the true perpetrators and the complex web of motives behind the Day family massacre.

Comments:
Always great to be impressed by an unknown author. I will definitely read more of her work in the future.

Books that we've read by Gillian Flynn (1):
Dark Places (2009)