Dark Places (novel)
Encyclopedia
Dark Places is a mystery novel by Gillian Flynn
published in 2009. The novel deals with class issues in rural America, intense poverty and the Satanic cult hysteria
that swept the United States
in the 1980s. Dark Places was shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association
Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award
and won the Dark Scribe Magazine Black Quill Award for Dark Genre Novel of the Year. It was also listed on the New York Times Best Seller List
for hardcover fiction for two consecutive weeks.
and protagonist
, is the sole survivor of a massacre
in Kinnakee, Kansas
, a fictional rural town. After witnessing the murder of her sister and mothers in what appears to be a Satanic cult ritual
, she escapes through a window and later testifies
in court against her teenaged brother.
Twenty-five years after the massacre, Libby meets with a group of amateur investigators who believe that her brother in innocent
of the crime. With the group's support, she begins an investigation of the events of the massacre, tracking down other witnesses and possible suspects.
Interspersed with the modern day investigation are flashbacks
to the day of the massacre. These flashbacks are told from the points of view
of Libby's mother, Patty, and her brother, respectively. These viewpoints paint a picture of a grim life of desperate poverty
, marital abuse
and abandonment that characterize life on the farm prior to the murder.
Dark Places was listed on the New York Times Best Seller List
for hardcover
fiction on May 29, 2009, where it was ranked #15 for the week ending May 23. It was included in an expanded listing of the top 35 best sellers that appeared only online. (Only the top ten best sellers are included in the print edition.) It remained on the best seller list for two weeks; the June 5 listing of Hardcover Best Sellers ranked Dark Places #25 for the week ending May 30.
Indie Bound, an independent booksellers section of the American Booksellers Association
, included Dark Places in their May 2009 "Indie Next List" of recommendations by independent sellers.
Gillian Flynn
Gillian Flynn is an American author and former television critic for Entertainment Weekly. As of 2009, she has published two novels: Sharp Objects and Dark Places .-Biography:...
published in 2009. The novel deals with class issues in rural America, intense poverty and the Satanic cult hysteria
Satanic ritual abuse
Satanic ritual abuse refers to the abuse of a person or animal in a ritual setting or manner...
that swept the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 1980s. Dark Places was shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association
Crime Writers' Association
The Crime Writers Association is a writers' association in the United Kingdom. Founded by John Creasey in 1953, it is currently chaired by Peter James and claims 450+ members....
Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award
CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
The CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger is an annual award given by the British Crime Writers' Association for best thriller of the year. The award is sponsored by the estate of Ian Fleming and is given to "best adventure/thriller novel in the vein of James Bond"....
and won the Dark Scribe Magazine Black Quill Award for Dark Genre Novel of the Year. It was also listed on the New York Times Best Seller List
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
for hardcover fiction for two consecutive weeks.
Plot
Libby Day, the novel's narratorNarrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
and protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, is the sole survivor of a massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
in Kinnakee, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, a fictional rural town. After witnessing the murder of her sister and mothers in what appears to be a Satanic cult ritual
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
, she escapes through a window and later testifies
Testimony
In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. All testimonies should be well thought out and truthful. It was the custom in Ancient Rome for the men to place their right hand on a Bible when taking an oath...
in court against her teenaged brother.
Twenty-five years after the massacre, Libby meets with a group of amateur investigators who believe that her brother in innocent
Guilt (law)
In criminal law, guilt is entirely externally defined by the state, or more generally a “court of law.” Being “guilty” of a criminal offense means that one has committed a violation of criminal law, or performed all the elements of the offense set out by a criminal statute...
of the crime. With the group's support, she begins an investigation of the events of the massacre, tracking down other witnesses and possible suspects.
Interspersed with the modern day investigation are flashbacks
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
to the day of the massacre. These flashbacks are told from the points of view
Point of view (literature)
The narrative mode is the set of methods the author of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical story uses to convey the plot to the audience. Narration, the process of presenting the narrative, occurs because of the narrative mode...
of Libby's mother, Patty, and her brother, respectively. These viewpoints paint a picture of a grim life of desperate poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, marital abuse
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
and abandonment that characterize life on the farm prior to the murder.
Reception
Dark Places was listed on the New York Times Best Seller List
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
for hardcover
Hardcover
A hardcover, hardback or hardbound is a book bound with rigid protective covers...
fiction on May 29, 2009, where it was ranked #15 for the week ending May 23. It was included in an expanded listing of the top 35 best sellers that appeared only online. (Only the top ten best sellers are included in the print edition.) It remained on the best seller list for two weeks; the June 5 listing of Hardcover Best Sellers ranked Dark Places #25 for the week ending May 30.
Indie Bound, an independent booksellers section of the American Booksellers Association
American Booksellers Association
The American Booksellers Association is a non-profit industryassociation founded in 1900 that promotes independent bookstores in the United States and Canada. The ABA and its members support freedom of speech, literacy, and programs that encourage reading...
, included Dark Places in their May 2009 "Indie Next List" of recommendations by independent sellers.
Awards and nominations
The novel was nominated for Dark Scribe Magazine's Black Quill Award in the category of Dark Genre Novel of the Year on November 29, 2009. The award, which recognizes a "novel-length work of horror, suspense, or thriller from [a] mainstream publisher," was awarded to Gillian Flynn on February 7, 2010. Dark Places was the Editor's Pick for the category, where it was one of six nominees.External links
- Flynn, Gillian. Official Dark Places Website. Accessed 23 February 2011.