Ripples

“I can feel a better version of me somewhere in there.” Truth. 

52.12 Dark Places

Little things make ripples, which then grow larger and larger, swallowing up more and more. Little things said, maybe misheard, suddenly believed because it is convenient. Ripples. A chance meeting or missed opportunity. Ripples. Some of the effects fade away, while others grow more and more out of proportion.

Dark Places tells a murder mystery backwards and forwards. We meet the players years after the fact, from the big outside rings of that original ripple, and we follow it back in seeing the whole story fall apart and come together. If you have read any works by Gillian Flynn, then you already know that no one can be trusted. Her characters are far too human for that. They are flawed, and hateful, and realistic in the darkest but simplest ways. Most of them are trying to escape who they really are and they fail magnificently. Libby’s growth throughout the book was very hopeful and I think she will be just fine. I love any book that can make me care so much.

However, this is a rough book. Sad and violent. Very violent. Full of head shakers and oh nos, but that is Flynn for you. Her books make you physically squirm and compulsively read in a perfect balance of agony and ecstasy.  They are certainly not for everyone, and I can’t say that they are even enjoyable to read, but I also can’t wait to pick up another. One thing you can count on for sure is that if you think you have the story all figured out, the truth is you know nothing.