Things We Do In The Dark by Jennifer Hillier
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Book Overview:
Things We Do In The Dark by Jennifer Hillier explores the intersection of Paris Peralta’s past and present as she grapples to deal with the overwhelming consequences of both. After coming home from a yoga convention Paris discovers her husband famous comedian Jimmy Peralta dead in his tub in his bathroom covered in blood. She goes into shock slips in the blood, falls, and hits her head becoming unconscious. She is awakened by police surrounding her while she fiercely clutches a straight shaving razor.
She is then arrested under suspicion of murder and taken to jail. Her husband’s oldest friend Elsie Dixon is her legal defense and works to help clear her name. However, due to Jimmy’s celebrity, the case gains notoriety and national attention stirring up long-forgotten ghosts from Paris’s past. As she works to clear her name in her husband’s murder she must simultaneously confront the dark secrets of her past she believed long buried before they destroy the life she’s painstakingly built.
My Review:
While this wasn’t a highly anticipated read and I didn’t have any grand expectations I did anticipate I would enjoy it more than I did. However, this story didn’t work for me and left me craving more. The main issues I encountered in this story were it came across as flat and emotionless, lacked intrigue and suspense, and a storyline that felt disjointed and all over the place.
The writing style employed by Hillier while easy to read was perhaps too simplistic for the content and topics explored in this story. This casual approach to more complex topics of child abuse, sexual abuse, mental abuse, and gang-related violence made these themes come across as very blase and basic. We don’t get the depth and complexity of these issues or are made to feel the terror of what it’s like to actually experience these atrocities.
Hillier glazes over these topics and keeps them very superficial which made it impossible for me to connect emotionally and become truly invested in the story. I was truly disappointed because this story is promoted as a dark thriller and I was prepared to be uncomfortable and have a visceral reaction to these circumstances but that wasn’t the case.
Additionally, the characters came across as flat and one-dimensional. They didn’t exhibit any strong emotions or feelings. So, I found myself not caring about them either way.
Another issue I had with this novel was that it lacked proper intrigue and suspense. When pivotal reveals and plot twists occur there really isn’t any build-up to these scenes making them anticlimactic and lacking the emotional punch you expect from these types of scenes. Again, this made me struggle to care and I would feel let down that there wasn’t more tension leading up to these scenes.
Furthermore, the structure of the flashback sequences was confusing and felt disjointed since they occurred without warning. There was no proper separation between the present timeline and the past timeline they kinda blended within the story. I prefer when flashback sequences are separated from the present timeline by having the past timeline occur in a separate chapter or be divided by one half of the book being set in the past and the other in the present. In my opinion, this makes more sense and is easier to follow.
Also, there were particular storylines I thought we would follow and learn more about regarding Paris’s past life and the events that led her to start over. I was certain the story was going to dissect and go off in one direction including the notorious Asian gang that ran Toronto when Paris lived there. I felt there was an opportunity to create a sinister edge to this story and add more threat and peril to Paris’s present situation but alas nothing came of this.
The ending was ok. We see Paris confront her past demons and make strides towards a peaceful future. We see more emotion from Paris in the concluding sequence as she stands up for herself for the first time. Although she becomes a bit more assertive I still didn’t feel she had a proper character arc or had any personal growth since we first met her. It’s more like all her problems are overcome and she can continue living a life full of hidden secrets. It just wasn’t truly satisfying for me.
While I didn’t enjoy this book and it wasn’t what I imagined it would be I do think it would be a great option for the reader that wants to slowly introduce themself to more dark and complex topics without delving completely immersing themself in these themes.
To learn more about the books I chose to celebrate the spooky season read My October TBR 2024: 5 Star Predictions
