I totally misunderstood the blurb for Things We Do in the Dark. A glance at it while feeling pressured to choose an audiobook from the Libby app. I feel stressed if I have too many books available at once, even if they are ebooks with no return date. I feel stressed if I don’t have a book or two available in the “next up” queue. I have a problematic relationship with reading, but that will be solved another day. I conflated Ruby and Paris, thinking Paris had been found with another body that had been killed similarly.
Book Information
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
First Published: May 22 2023
Format: audiobook
Narrator: Carla Vega
Source: Library
Genre: Suspense
Paris comes across as emotionally shut down, which starts to make sense about two-thirds of the way through the book. It was weird that she married Jimmy, seeing as they appeared to have a solid but unexciting relationship. I spent much of the book determining whether Paris was good or bad. Elise and Zoe are really dislikeable. Paris seemed like she would throw anybody under the bus if it meant she could get ahead.
There were many references to abuse in Things We Do In The Dark. Paris has had terrible things happen to her at many stages of her life, and you never get to forget it. The point was driven home with a hammer. I found it gratuitous, and the story didn’t need to be repeated so often to move the plot forward. If it had been written more subtly, the trauma Paris experienced could have been much more impactful and left a more profound mark on the reader.
The switch to Drew’s perspective caught me off guard as it happened well into the book, and the blurb didn’t prepare me for a second narrator. Drew seems so morally correct and wholesome. His actions at the end of the book took me off guard. I certainly wouldn’t have expected him to ever compromise his integrity. Drew was dogged in his pursuit, and I loved that for him, but even his character felt a little bland.
There were two major twists in this story. I figured out the first one, but it could have been hidden better. I thought it may have been Simone who was initially involved in the future. By the time the second twist was revealed, I’d already let my suspicion lapse and believed the party line. I fell for it!
I like Things We Do in the Dark. It was fun to read, but it didn’t keep me glued to the edge of my seat like Jar of Hearts. I struggled with some of the abuse, which made it less engaging. It’s a fine book to listen to while tackling chores.
