Dark Places (3.5)

DARK PLACES by Gillian Flynn

At (semi-)long last; a new book! Two days ago my computer (only a year old) crashed and I was unable to write my new blog. It has been very frustrating and I had to wait for David to come over so I could steal his computer.

Here I am!

RATING SYSTEM

1 – I did not like the book at all.

2 – It was decent, but I would not recommend it.
3 – It was an enjoyable read. Recommendation could go either way.
4 – It was a very good book. I would recommend it.
5 – It was an excellent book! Must read!
6 – I will buy this book for my personal collection. Must read.

BOOK RATING

I give this book a 3.5.

“DARK PLACES” SYNOPSIS

This is a murder mystery book of sorts. Back in 1985, Libby Day’s family – her Mom and two sisters – were murdered in their home in the middle of the night. Libby (age 7) escaped through a window without seeing the murderer and the only ones left alive were her never-present, alcoholic father and her n’er-do-well, goth, 15-year old brother. In the flurry of panic surrounding the murders in the very small Kansas town, her brother was pegged (by the public AND Libby) as the murder and put in jail for life.

Over twenty-five years later, Libby is a self-obsessed, manipulative, 31-year old brat living off the last of the money raised for her after the tragic event. She has never given another thought as to whether or not her brother was actually the murderer and she doesn’t care to… until… a strange underground group of murder-mystery fans contacts her and offers her money to interview people from her past who might know more about the murder than they first let on.

Libby then goes on an adventure to find out what truly happened that night so many years ago.

STATS

Pages:                         345

Published Year:        2009        
Personal Rating:         3.5 (of 6)
Type:                          Personal Collection, Xmas Gift, Paperback

THOUGHTS

This is a really good, really well written book and I struggled between giving it a 3.5 or 4. I’m still not sure. Maybe it’s more of a 3.75, but either way, I really enjoyed it! I would definitely recommend it.

The book starts out a bit morbidly, which I suppose is fitting because ultimately it’s a book with a gory murder at its core. If you can push through the first couple of chapters (that will capture you anyway), the gore and the creepiness fade away and what we are left with is one really good murder mystery with a great ending.

I really love the way Gillian Flynn writes. She is so detailed – and not in the way where you describe a leaf for five-pages, but she just adds in so many little things to her writing that make the story feel very full. I don’t know how really to describe it, but she is a talented writer.

Like I said, I would definitely recommend this book and the pay off is worth it.

PERSONAL: GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS

Okay, I will give you the bad news first. Just yesterday I was told by my landlord that I have one month to vacate my apartment. In March, the leasing company had refused to renew my lease for another year and instead offered me a month-to-month lease without a rent raise. It was either accept the offer or move out, so I accepted. Now I have to be out of here by Aug 1^st. I suspect they are doing this to renovate the building in time for the Second Avenue subway and higher-paying renters. I am devastated though. I’ve been living here for four years and this apartment and my neighborhood have become my home. I wonder where I’ll live next. Perhaps this will be a blessing in disguise.

The good news? David and I are leaving for our Disney vacation on Tuesday!! We are spending seven-nights in a one-bedroom villa out in Orlando! Our villa even has a living room, full kitchen, Jacuzzi & washer/dryer! We are going to spend two days at Disney & two at Universal; the rest we will spend lounging in the sun! So excited – I needed this break!