Dark Places

Dark Places was two things for me. First, have you ever read a book so dark you wondered a little nervously how the author could come up with such a twisted premise? But secondly, this is my favorite of Gillian Flynn's novels. Flynn has become one of the best thriller writers of late and this book is proof why, as it is just about as dark as it gets.

When Libby Day was seven years old, she witnessed a bloody massacre scene at her family's house. Her entire family was murdered except for her and her older brother Ben. Libby gave a witness account that sent her then fifteen year old brother to prison. Twenty four years later, Libby is still trying to cope with what happened that night and she is discovering that every person in her family had a lot to hide - particularly her brother Ben. But was Ben really capable of murdering his own family members? As Libby looks back into the past and confronts her memories of what happened on that horrifying night twenty four years ago, she realizes it's pretty hard to accurately remember something that far in the past, especially something that she has tried to block out.

Gillian Flynn delivers an intensely invigorating novel, complete with a radically twisted ending that can only be expected from this author. Dark Places was the last of Flynn's three novels that I read, but I enjoyed it most of all, partially because I was completely taken aback by the intensity of it. Never before had I read a novel so entirely dark and horrible. This book shows people at rock bottom, crossing every line imaginable. There are satanic cults, murder, and psychological trauma. That being said, Flynn captures a reality in her characters that makes this book an amazing read. This is an incredible book that I highly recommend reading..with a light on.