Gillian Flynn’s Dark Places Summary

This is a summary and analysis of the novel Dark Places. Dark Places is Gillian Flynn’s 2009 bestselling novel. It is a crime thriller containing a peculiar protagonist and dreadful situations. Though some readers may not appreciate the novel’s dark perspective or the characters’ unusual behaviors, others will enjoy the alternative viewpoints it depicts. Some will even be happy with the subversion of the rules of investigative writing, even as the novel somewhat does enough to fit those rules.
This book tracks Libby Day and her quest to reveal the truth about the killing of her sisters and mother in early 1985. Prompted by Lyle, Libby uncovers different elements of her family history, a journey involving nasty people and altercations. Ben Day, her brother, was wrongly imprisoned for the crimes, yet settling the issues does not bring peace to anyone involved. It may not be a conventional novel, but it’s compelling and entertaining.

This summary is aimed for those who want to capture the gist of the book but don't have the current time to devour all 350 pages. You get the main summary along with all of the benefits and lessons the actual book has to offer. This summary is not intended to be used without reference to the original book.