Catherine leads a life of long nights of debauchery and good times. When she meets Lee, an obnoxiously beautiful man in an equally beautiful suit, at a night club, a passionate relationship begins that seems too good to be true. Lee, however, slowly begins to spend more and more nights out and shows signs of increasing aggression. Catherine doesn't realize his harmful potential until it's too late. Told between the past and present, Catherine looks back on a relationship with a man she hardly knew and presents the struggle to live afterwards.
Into the Darkest Corner originally interested me because I enjoyed Before I Go To Sleep and Gone Girl, which seemed in line with what Haynes was offering. The novel is definitely very similar to the two and offered an equal amount of shock, sex and violence. However, unlike Gone Girl's complex narrative, Into the Darkest Corner was a bit more to the point without many of the twists fans of Flynn have come to expect.
The novel pretty much dives right into the story and gives the reader a good sense of Catherine's character. We follow her along to parties, to work functions and on the night of her fateful meeting with Lee. Fast forward, we see a highly disturbed Catherine, much different from the carefree, and at times, completely careless, woman Haynes has first introduced. I don't know much about individuals who suffer compulsive disorders like Catherine, an exercise that forces her to check the locks of her home repeatedly, exhausting herself in the process, but felt that the symptoms seemed realistic. While I found these made the story much more believable, I do feel the scenes of door checking and so forth could have been cut down without taking anything away from the reading experience.
I'd recommend this title for those who love the genre, are looking for a quick read and can stomach intense scenes of violence and sex. Some readers may have trouble understanding Catherine's character from the start. I felt that she made terrible decisions and a lived a life on the edge, and often grew frustrated when she repeatedly allowed Lee to lie and hold details (such as his occupation) from her (surely this would raise eyebrows). Furthermore, her friends are absolutely deplorable and I had a hard time believing they would have made the decisions they did. However, these obviously keep the novel together to make it the train wreck you can't stop looking at.
A title sure to keep the reader engaged Into The Darkest Corner is a thrill-seekers delight.
I received a copy of Into the Darkest Corner from TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review of the title.
I see this one popping up a lot. I wasn't a fan of Gone Girl (panned it on my blog yesterday). But this one sounds like it might be more up my alley. I felt like the twists in Flynn's novel ended up an exercise in sensationalism more than a pointed commentary on...anything. In this case a slightly more straightforward narrative might serve the story better.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, just thinking "out loud" this morning. Ha!
Andi,
DeleteYes, you would probably enjoy it if you didn't really love Gone Girl. I had similar feelings. This one is a little more intense in terms of it being something I could see actually happening (well, it does). I lost my patience a bit with the lead but I understand it was used to make the story. I wanted to shake her! (in a non-agressive way)
I quite enjoyed this, I thought Haynes was quite clever in how she introduced all the little signs/red flags of domestic violence. Agree that the friends were awful though!
ReplyDeleteSam,
DeleteI agree but I also thought that those red flags would have made me not talk to someone. For instance, Lee refusing to tell her what he did for a living. And then coming to her house while she was gone and admitting to doing it just to let her know he missed her. However, I've seen arguments that this is a very realistic look at domestic violence and have no way of understanding first hand. I don't want to seem unsympathetic because it's a slippery slope with this topic, so take this in order to understand Catherine's character.
These sorts of books are always interesting to me. You tell yourself that this could never happen to me because I'm too smart or whatever. It's good to get a glimpse at how it can happen and DOES happen. Too often. This sounds like a good read, great review Beth!
ReplyDeleteJennifer,
DeleteYes. I think you also have to think about different personalities. I'm definitely really bossy so hiding that information would just turn me away. That being said, one never knows unless in this position. They are interesting but also so depressing because you know it's out there.
Beth, I loved your post on this book! I read it for TLC, too (back in June last year) and I remember really enjoying the book's quick pace and engaging story. I just couldn't get over the characters' behavior - what kind of friends did she have? And how could she not acknowledge all of the red flags surrounding Lee - they were HUGE! It was definitely an unputdownable read. And you are so right about how its in the the same vein as Before I Go To Sleep (loved that book!) - thrilling and captivating.
ReplyDeleteNadia,
DeleteIt totally reminded me of Before I Go To Sleep. It was a bit tough to read at times but the author knew how to keep you engaged. Glad to hear you enjoyed it! I thankful for the opportunity and look forward to seeing more from her.
Can't wait to read Gone Girl, but I skipped this review in case you mention any similarities. I'll come back as soon as I read it!
ReplyDeleteYeah, there aren't actually that many despite them both being very fast paced and thrillers. Let me know what you think of both when you do!
DeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts on this book for the tour!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this book.. Basically I'm a sucker for thrillers. It is the most chilling and riveting novel i have in a very long time. Have you read her other books?
ReplyDelete