Abbie´s blog

I am reading the book “Dark Places” by Gillian Flynn, and for a bit of background information, it is about a girl named Libby whose two older sisters and mother were murdered one night. At first, they were sure the killer was her brother Ben, but now they’re not so sure. This definitely was not the most action-filled section of the book, however, there was a good amount of information shared about multiple characters in the story. One of the most important parts revealed that Ben’s girlfriend had gotten pregnant and that they were expecting a baby. Upon finding this news, I got a glimpse into the emotional side of Ben and his girlfriend Diondra and they portrayed the feelings, that I believe most teens would have if they found out they were pregnant. It showed the worries/consequences they would have to face due to it, but also the joy of becoming parents. The other factor that made it feel realistic, was the concern of their parents finding out. Overall I feel like the pregnancy opened up another side of Ben and Diondra, and showed their natural reactions to the pregnancy.

A common theme within “Dark Places” is poverty. All throughout Libby and her sibling’s childhood, it is clear they endured daily struggles financially. Ranging from their clothes to the amount of food they had, it was always very little. I not only see Libby and her family facing poverty early on, but it also goes on to connect to her father’s and her life. Libby is not in as bad of a spot as they were during her childhood, but she also is at the point where she is desperate for any money she can scrounge up and living more on the worrysome side. Her father also struggled with money throughout the book so far so I think it is fair to say the Day family has experience of being poor.

Throughout the book I have developed many predictions, I do think that Ben will get out of jail. There is a chance that the book is just trying to make me think he’s innocent but he’ll actually turn out guilty, although I don’t see that coming. I think just from Ben’s personality and what I have seen from him, he wouldn’t have the drive to commit such terrible acts against his family even if he is mad. Somebody I do see having the ability to kill them would be Runner, Libby’s dad. He has been able to walk away from his family multiple times and I found out in this chapter he sells drugs. It could have been a drug deal gone wrong or that he simply wanted his family gone so he could get any of the benefits out of it. I believe that Runner had more motive to be behind the murders than Ben, and I am hoping my prediction is right and that Ben is innocent.

I am reading Dark Places by Gillian Flynn and for a little background information, a girl named Libby survives the night that her mother and two older sisters were murdered. The suspected killer is Libby’s older brother Ben, who has been in prison for many years, however, Libby is not one hundred percent sure her brother is the murderer anymore.

So far I am really enjoying the plot of the book and overall all the twists that have occurred. In a lot of murder mystery books, I feel that the main suspects are usually pretty predictable, however, in this book, new ideas are constantly being presented. I especially like this because it keeps me engaged and curious and I can attempt to interpret which suspect I think has the most motive to kill the members of the Day family. I think this book really captures the fact that new information can be presented even after so long, and it makes it feel a lot more realistic. From chapter to chapter, the book goes to different people’s perspectives which really helps see all the different points of view and get an in-depth understanding of each character’s thoughts/feelings

Throughout the book, I have developed a lot of predictions. One of the biggest ones is that Ben is found innocent and gets out of jail. I am not one hundred percent sure about this although I definitely think that from what I have seen regarding his personality, he took the blame to give closure to Libby and so that he could put it behind himself. I think with the reputation he had, he knew that the only thing he could do was turn himself in, because if he didn’t other people would try to put him in prison anyway. Ben always tried to make himself appear as a “fighter”, although deep down he cared about his family, and I don’t think he was capable of committing such gruesome crimes, especially against his own family. Going back to how there are many other possible suspects, I think that they are more reasonable than Ben. I think it is a possibility that Libby’s dad Runner was the one who committed the murders. He was in and out of their lives and had access to get to them. He was also a drunk and I think his motive could have been killing them to get any money he could possibly get because he was broke.

The main character Lizzy, develops more personal growth through each chapter of the book. Although I can still clearly see some of her depression and anxiety regarding what happened the night of the murders of her two sisters and her mother, she has overcome a lot and has been able to start moving forward. At the start of the book, I could see that anything regarding the murders was a trigger for Lizzy. She was not personally ready to confront what happened and move on, however, now she is going as far as to investigate the murders herself. I think this shows a huge step for her, and her ability to reach the next stage in the healing process. Lizzy’s curiosity about that night is starting to peak, and I think her character could potentially become very interesting.

Throughout the book, I think the author is trying to convey multiple big ideas. I think Lizzy has really shown through her character that you can’t always trust the people around you, even if they are family. By initially saying that her brother was the one guilty of the murders it shows that you can’t always see what is coming. Lizzy and her family would have never expected Ben to do that, however, that doesn’t mean he couldn’t. Another big idea that I think is shown is that traumatic experiences can fog someone’s memory/make them recall things that didn’t actually happen. Trauma is hard for anyone, especially Lizzy being seven years old and alone. I think this may have affected the way she concluded what happened that night. I think she blamed her brother not because she was sure it was him, but because it was the only possible thing she could think of. As the book continues Lizzy starts to recognize that she never actually saw Ben kill any of them and that there are actually a variety of ways/reasons the murders could have happened. I can see that Lizzy is becoming aware of all the possibilities

Lastly, as the book progresses I do not believe that Ben was the killer. I think there were sure times when he looked quite suspicious, although it was not enough to convince me that he would kill his family. Also through the few interactions I have seen between Ben and Lizzy, it seems like he genuinely cares about her, and she is family. The book has spun off to multiple different suspects, and I think that they make more sense than Ben’s.

As the book progresses the actions and feelings of the main character Libby become more understandable. Libby has undergone an enormous amount of trauma throughout her life, this trauma originates from the murders of her two sisters and her mother. While at first, I found it a little hard to sympathize with Libby she has begun showing a more emotional side of herself. She has opened herself up to more possibilities regarding the murders and recently attempted to take big steps she hadn’t ever dared to do. While Libby is and always will be impacted by the murders, I like the way I am starting to see the healing process of being able to think deeper about that night. I think that Libby was in so much pain for so long that she closed off the possibility that the murders could have taken place differently than she originally said, and with this next phase I think she will be able to more clearly investigate all scenarios.

Although there were many scenes in this section that stood out there was one in particular that I think is pretty important. When Libby goes to visit her brother for the first time in prison (he was arrested for the murders) Ben says to her “You don’t know how good it is to see you”. I personally think this scene is important because I don’t believe that Ben killed the people in his family, I think he is being framed, and even after everything he has a soft side for Libby. I think it shows the gratitude he has just to be able to see a family member after so long, and that he has been longing to see his little sister again. I believe Ben took the fall for the murders because it was simply the easiest thing, however, I don’t think he is guilty, and I also think this scene shows a glimpse of the fact he actually enjoyed his family.

My prediction for the book is that Libby will help her brother prove he is innocent and get him out of jail. I think deep down Libby knows that Ben didn’t do it and the visit may have made her want her brother back. I am excited to keep reading and see what happens with Ben.

Within the first sixty pages of this book, I am clearly able to see the motives that drive Lizzy Day to do what she does. Lizzy is the main character of the book and along with that the only survivor of the murders that killed her two sisters, and her mother in her home. Lizzy shows multiple traits some of which include skeptical. uneasy, and defensive due to her past trauma. I personally like how the book heavily portrays these feelings because in reality if an individual is going through something so horrible there are going to be long-term effects on them, and the book shows that. Another factor that is shown through Lizzy is betrayal. Her brother is believed to be the killer and locked up in prison and the book does a good job showing the grudge that Lizzy holds against him. It reveals the inability individuals can have to forgive someone after something so tragic.

In this book, there has been one scene that has really been memorable so far. It is the scene that vividly describes the details right before and after the murders. I think it really shows how quickly things can change, and that bad things can happen at any time. This book also provides the fact that the people who hurt you are not always strangers, they can be the people closest to you whether that be friends or family. It provided several elaborate ways the murders were executed, showing the many gruesome ways murder can take place. I believe this little section of the book has multiple lessons regarding the possibilities of how things can happen.

So far I am really enjoying the author’s diction and overall style of her writing. She is very descriptive when it matters, and has a way of making you feel connected to the characters. I feel like there are a lot of emotions expressed in the writing which makes it easier to empathize with Lizzy as she goes about her life. She also has introduced many characters in this short section of the book, whose ideas contradict one another which I feel makes it more intriguing to read. I am starting to get hooked on the book and the different twists that happen, and so far I think Gillian Flynn is overall doing a good job of hooking the reader.

The book I am reading is called Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, and I chose it because I like mysteries and from reading the back it sounds like I will be intrigued/engaged with it. Anika and I have both chosen to read this book, I am excited to be able to share our ideas with one another and also see if the book will interest me like I think it will. I would say the only thing I’m a bit apprehensive about is my skill to procrastinate. Due to the weekly posts, I should be more up-to-date than usual, however, I still have the chance to procrastinate every week. With that being said, in order to ensure my success I will be trying my best to read my book in sections rather than on Wednesday/Thursday.

Columbus, de las Casas, and Red Cloud all have a similar audience that they are trying to impact. In all three texts, the individuals attempt to present a problem or situation and then a solution by informing their government and or the people. Columbus’s text mentions how he would present the American Indians to the king and queen, the point of the letters he wrote was to inform his government at home about his findings and keep them updated. This is also shown in Red Cloud’s speech to inform the people and government of the unfair treatment they had been experiencing and try to put a stop to it. Lastly, in de las Casas, the author is informing the people and partially the government of the terror and all the horrendous things happening to the Indians. Therefore in all these texts, we can see them reaching out to the government and people.

Bartolome de las Casas’s short story conveys the point that the Spaniards have not embraced the culture of the Indians and the Spaniards are in this case superior to the Indians. The text points out multiple spots during which the Indians are being controlled by the Spaniards. In the text it says “The pearl fishers dive into the sea at a depth of five fathoms, and do this from sunrise to sunset, and remain for many minutes without breathing, tearing the oysters out of their rocky beds where the pearls are formed.” (de las Casas 91). The reason behind the Indians and this awful task wasn’t for their own benefit but for the Spaniards. The Indians had no choice in the matter and ended up risking their lives because the Spaniards made them. Another example of this from the text is “… more than two million souls taken captive, and have sent them to do hard labor in the mines, labors that caused many of them to die.” (de las Casas, pg 90). Once again these individuals are not superior which resulted in them having to do many tasks such as pearl fishing, and labor in the mines. When one group is dominant over the other, the individuals in the non-dominant group usually get stuck doing the tasks and in this case, that group was the Indians.

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