Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl, Sharp Objects) is another quasi murder mystery that plays with timelines. It’s the story of Libby Day, the survivor of a brutal multiple homicide when she was a little girl. Her mother and two sisters were killed, and the murderer put behind bars was her 15-year-old brother Ben. Libby survives and writes a book about her experience, but with money running out, she accepts an offer from a Kill Club that doesn’t believe her brother was guilty. In the ensuing investigation, all kinds of new information comes to light. The story is told mostly from the perspective of a modern Libby Day, but it also gives a look from Ben and his mother from the time of the murders in 1985. I thought this book started off slowly and picked up about a third of the way through, mostly because it’s hard to empathize with Libby Day. (I also found that to be the case with Sharp Objects, where the main female protagonist was a little strange.) Flynn writes about some women with strange views on life, but she’s almost like a female Chuck Palahniuk, who writes (mostly) about some screwed-up dudes.
Has anybody else read this book? Or seen the movie? I watched the trailer for the movie, and I think Charlize Theron is a pretty poor choice for the lead role.
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The Big Short. I had previously passed on it, having lived it. I do like Michael Lewis for his abilities with a story having read Liars Poker and Money Ball. The film doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the magnificently idiosyncratic Dr. Michael Burry and does only a passing job on pugnacious crusader Steve Eisman (named Mark Baum, played by Steve Carel in the movie). It’s worth reading, particularly since it’s all coming around again on an even grander scale this time.
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I haven’t seen the film yet, but the book is on my reading list. I wanted to read it before I saw the movie. I like Michael Lewis, too.
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