Between the Lines: Dark Places
This month we are discussing Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (that name ring a bell? She’s the author of Gone Girl). I had read Gone Girl and knew that Dark Places had the potential to be a dark book as well.
After finishing this month’s section I can say two things. One, I really liked Dark Places. Two, I would love to sit and talk with the author. I’d love to know how her mind works and ticks because these plots are twisted. I’m not sure if you read the acknowledgement at the end of the book or not but it pretty much summed up my thoughts. While addressing her husband, Gillian says, “What do I say to a man who knows how I think and still sleeps next to me with the lights off?” Exactly.
Libby became famous as a victim. How do you think this strange fame effected her?
I have to be honest. At the start of the book I didn’t really like Libby. She was looking for ways to capitalize on her role as victim and as a survivor. In fact her sole means of income was based on those roles. As much as she wanted to put it all behind her she had to keep the murders somewhat fresh to keep public interest up, as witnessed by how she discussed the latest kidnapping victim, Lisette Adams. She saw other victims as competition for attention and even admitted to feeling jealous of the attention they received (p. 30). You can never put what she lived through aside and fully heal but she never tried to move past that either. Having said that though, how do you ever move past something as horrific as what she survived?What do you think of Patty Day as a mother? Is she doing the bets she can or is she making excuses for herself?
Oh questions like these, fictional or not, bother me a bit. Being asked to judge a mother is awful and wrong. Mothers are scrutinized everywhere. Did they do the right thing? Didn’t they see the signs? Couldn’t they have prevented this? Patty had a heck of a life. Left with 4 children take care of on her own with a farm that was costing her a fortune was quite a bit to have on your plate. Add to it an ex husband who would show up out of the blue in search of money and abusive to boot and you have a recipe for stress beyond belief. I think she was doing the best she could under the circumstances. Other than her sister, it appears that she had no support system and no one to lean on.Why do you think the author chose to set the murders on a farm? What images and themes does the heartland and farming evoke?
I think that the author set the murders on the farm because it was isolated and it also allowed her to develop the Satanic practices that were evolving throughout the book. They were able to use cattle from other farms as sacrifices.I also think that due to the very nature of farming and your livelihood being tied to the land and crops etc. it allowed Gillian Flynn to lay the groundwork for Patty to be so desperate and owe so much money that she would sacrifice herself to rid her children of the huge amount of debt looming over their heads.
To me, the heartland depicts an image of family. Farms are often spread out and life on one depends on family helping out and pitching in. This book is all about family. This is the story of one boy/man paying the price for the murders of his family when he is innocent to protect his loved one and daughter. It is the story of Libby, who is trying to save her brother once she realizes that she was led to testify against him and when she realizes that he is innocent. Libby also recognizes that she owes her Aunt for the years that she was awful to her growing up. I was pleased to see that they reconciled at the end of the book.
What do you believe is Diondra’s motivation throughout the story? Does her relationship with Ben change him?
Diondra, to me, was a neglected, spoiled teen that had too much time and money on her hands. She was older than Ben and he fell in love with her. Til the very end, he protected her and their daughter. He sacrificed his life for her. Diondra was a character that was extremely self absorbed. She was quick to criticize Ben and mock him. I hated the way she treated him in front of Trey. She went through great lengths to keep herself and her secrets safe, even sacrificing the father of her child and leaving him to take the blame for the murder. She allowed her parents to live in limbo, wondering if she had run away or worse yet, every parent’s nightmare, dead. She kept her daughter isolated yet filled her in on all of the details of what had happened. All around, she was a mess.What did you think of Dark Places? Did you enjoy it? Did you predict the ending at all? Personally I knew that Diondra had some sort of involvement in the murders but I never saw the other murdere coming at all.
I have heard that this book will be a movie too. Will you go see it?
Join us again next month on February 17th when we link up to discuss The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. Here are our discussion questions for this book: 1. Were you surprised at the ultimate revelation of Rosie’s biological father? Did you suspect someone else?2. Do Don’s Asperger’s conditions help him or hinder him? Does Don’s having autism offer any advantages in his life?
3. Do you feel happy for Don when he gets rid of some of his unique mannerisms in order to win Rosie or do you feel that he lost a part of himself?
4. Does Gene get his comeuppance? What do you think of his marriage situation? Be sure to link up below with Kristyn and I. We would love to hear your thoughts on Dark Places.
