Dark Places: A Novel（2009）
- Narrated by:
時間：13時間43分
発音：アメリカ英語。
速度：140語/分前後。
評価：5 out of 5
【あらすじ】
リビーが7歳の時、彼女の一家は惨殺された。二人の姉と母を殺した罪で逮捕されたのは当時15歳の兄。不可解な点があったものの、悪魔崇拝の影響とされ、ベンは終身刑を受けた。
24年後。寄付による基金が底をつき、自殺を考えていたリビーのもとに1通の手紙が届く。それはKill Clubからの招待だった。過去に起きた未解決事件や冤罪事件の謎を解く集まりに参加したリビーは、24年前に起こった事件を改めて検証しはじめる。
【感想】
Gone Girlが面白かったので、以前に発表された本作品を読んでみた。すごく良かった!!! 作者は人間の嫌な面を浮き彫りにするのが本当に上手い。こんな男が夫だったら、父だったら・・と思うとゾッとする。
リビーは7歳の頃、本当は何も目撃していなかったのに、兄が姉二人と母を殺したと証言してしまう。ベンを犯人と決めつけた周囲の大人たちの誘導があったものの、そのことで深いトラウマを抱えた彼女は31歳になるまで自滅的な生活を送る。心に追った深い傷のためとはいえ、彼女の行動に同情の余地はないのだが、それでも救いを求めずにはいられなかった。
Kill Clubでベンの無実を信じ、ベンに不利な証言をしたリビーを糾弾する女性支持者たちの勝手な言動にも腹が立った。ベンへの思い入れが強すぎて、当事者であり被害者でもあるリビーへの配慮が欠けている。自己中心的で嫌な集団だが、このような人たちは実際に存在するのではないかと思った。
普段は表に出ない人々の嫌な面をこれでもかと見せつけられるので、嫌悪感を感じるのだが、結末を知りたくて一気に進んだ。Gone Girlがダメだった人はこの作品も無理かも。暗〜い作品が好きな私は大満足でした。
邦題は「冥闇」。なんとも大げさな・・・。でも「暗い場所」もイマイチだしなぁ。邦題の付け方は難しそうです。
Book Review: Dark Places
Plot:
Libby’s family was slaughtered when she was 7. Her testimony attributed to the apprehension of her 15-year-old brother Ben, who was an alleged Satanist. Despite some conflicting evidence, Ben was convicted for the murders and went to jail for life.
Libby was deeply traumatized by the fact that she was the one who sent her brother to jail; she didn’t actually witness her brother at the murder scene. She had to convince herself that he had committed the crime, but deep down, she knew something was wrong. She drifted away from normal life, and she lived on donations from well-wishers until the age of 31. She was considering committing suicide when she realized that she had spent the entire fund over the years.
That was when she received an invitation from the Kill Club. Desperate for money, she decided to unravel the mystery of her past.
My thoughts:
I loved Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” so much that I decided to try her previous work, “Dark Places”. I like “disturbing” stories, and she was excellent in depicting people with dark secrets.
Libby was pathetic, but I couldn’t stop hoping for her salvation; she was young when she testified against her brother. She was confused, and authorities suggested to her that it must be her brother. Who could blame a 7-year-old for being receptive to the suggestion after her mother and two sisters were brutally murdered? Besides, Ben had a secret that led him to his doom.
Thanks to the Kill Club, she got a fund to dig up old evidence, but I couldn’t help but hate these people. Ben’s supporters strongly believed that he was wrongfully convicted, and they pinned the blame on Libby. The way they behaved, as if they were the ones who had survived the massacre, was creepy, and it seemed so convincing and real that I truly hated them. That was the power of her writing.
I really enjoyed this book, but I understand that this book isn’t for everyone; a lot of people would hate the twisted characters. But if you like disturbing plots and dark secrets, this book plucks your nerve, and you will love the sensation.
YL:7 (概算)
語数：120,000語（概算）
【今日の一枚】
ボストンChurch of the Covenant。1893年にシカゴ万博で出展された作品。ジェイコブ・A・ホルツァーデザイン。7つの教会の7人の御使いを象徴する、7人の女性の御使いの彫刻が施されている。
