Dark Rooms audiobook

As the ending of Dark Rooms drew near, I could almost hear the voice of George Benson, but with the lyrics just a wee bit altered:Let me haunt you one more timeHold me closer, now you're mineLady, haunt me one last timeLady, haunt meHo, haunt me, lady.Indeed Nica Baker is the most haunting schoolgirl character I’ve encountered since Megan Abbott’s Beth Cassidy, but while it takes us a while to find out that Beth is ill-fated, Nica is dead, suddenly & violently, @ the very beginning of this story. Tho’ Dark Rooms isn’t a tragedy like Dare Me, it features enough conflicted & sometimes kinky as all-get-out relationships - mother-daughters, brother-sister, sisters-&-(ex¤t) lovers including students of both sexes as well as faculty - to provide the plots for a half-dozen Greek tragedies. Like Le Grand Meaulnes it’s a quest story on the mythic level, as the elder sister Grace investigates Nica’s death to find out what really happened. (The authorities fixed the blame on Manny Flores, a student who hanged himself shortly thereafter & then closed the case.) But somewhat like Lexie in Tana French’s The Likeness, Nica’s ghostly presence animates the story, @ times possessing Grace & making her relive Nica’s experiences, even Nica’s sexual relationships. While in the book Grace’s quest is to find Nica’s killer, what fascinates the reader is discovering who Nica really was. As it turns out, the two quests are really one.Nica & Grace’s parents are faculty members @ Chandler, a prep school in Hartford, Connecticut. That is absolutely a brilliant setting for Lili Anolik’s story & characters. Tho’ Dare Me challenged my opinion that only a boarding school can provide the necessary sense of closeness for a great school story, having the characters together 24/7 sets up the character’s relationships much faster. But faculty children are a special case; while not usually boarders, if like Grace & Nica they’ve grown up with the school, their relationship with the school is longer & more intimate than even the boarders’; they are @ once insiders & outsiders to the school community. Chandler is hard to rate on the schools’ league table. It’s clearly better than Amber Dermont's Bellingham in The Starboard Sea. Like Bellingham it provides a haven for better schools’ ejects (Nica’s boyfriend Jamie had been tossed out of Choate for drugs), but it’s an Episcopal foundation with a real chapel & a social conscience that provides scholarships for Hartford area day students - one of whom supplies Nica (& Grace!) with a new boyfriend after she mysteriously breaks off with Jamie. As @ Bellingham, there’re a lot of drugs - both the students & the faculty are dealing & the outing club is getting high in other ways than just hiking the Berkshires, but fortunately Lili Anolik doesn’t share Amber Dermont's obsession with bullies. As Grace the narrator is a very recent graduate, we really cannot expect much of a take on what kind of formation Chandler provides its alumni - it takes many years to discover what role a school plays in our lives.Grace’s father teaches math, apparently badly. (Do they all?) But her mother is a brilliant photography teacher & artist, with Nica as her favorite subject. Nica’s death renders them dysfunctional both as teachers & parents. Dad’s on unpaid sabbatical & working as a hotel bartender; mom’s got a fellowhip @ an artists’ colony & is pursuing her photographic career. Her photos of Nica sound like a combination of Richard Avedon, Diane Arbus, & Robert Maplethorpe - her showing attracts a horde of demonstrators who want to shut it down; they’re not conservative Christians but radical feminists!For once the blurb writers get it sort of right. Dark Rooms has almost the intensity of Dare Me. Like Addy’s, Grace’s narrative voice sounds adolescent North American but torqued to a poetic timbre. Nica is not quite as OTT as Camille Preaker, but if you were haunted by Camille (& by Beth) you’ll go for her too. What it most lacks that I loved in Secret History (& Friendly Fire) was any sign of intellectual & academic achievement @ Chandler. I scarcely felt that Grace or Nica had ever opened a book. As a work of realistic fiction, Dark Rooms has some real problems. Unless you suffer a very (un)lucky hit to the aorta, about the only way you’re likely to die from a .22 caliber bullet to the gut is from sepsis. I couldn’t believe that a slacker druggie like Jamie could get into Princeton even as a legacy (unless squash is much bigger in the Ivy League than one’d ever expect, he’s headed to Lake Forest for sure). I could just barely believe that Grace might have been accepted by Williams. Most especially, it’s totally unlikely that two sisters only a year apart in age & living in the same house could have kept so many secrets as Grace has to find out about Nica. But as mythic quest, Dark Rooms really worked for me. I’m delighted to add it to my school story shelf & eager to see Lili Anolik’s next book.

This novel was marketed as "Megan Abbott meets Twin Peaks." The Megan Abbott part has to do with the troubled teen girls at the center of the book, Grace, and her murdered sister. The Twin Peaks part has to do with Grace having full blown conversations with her dead sister, and showing up to a party dressed like her. I guess it's not VERY Twin Peaks, just trippy and disturbing, but that's where I think the blurb comes from. ANYWAYS.I liked this book a lot. It fits into two of my favorite genres, mystery novels, and books set in fancy schools. A few weeks ago, I read a more gut-wrenching novel that also falls into this category called Luckiest Girl Alive. Comparing the two is how I can see Dark Rooms' flaws, because there aren't many. It's a well constructed noir with all manner of sordid things. Where it falters in comparison to LGA is in its protagonist, Grace Baker. She's not a vivid character, and is more defined by how she's not like her sister than by what she does. The book does acknowledge that, but I still didn't care about her on a visceral level. DR was plenty entertaining, but LGA hits you in the gut. Not that you shouldn't read both novels, but definitely space them out more than I did.

Kirkus Reviews glowed about this book and I know they're really tough and quality critics. When it specifically said "In the process, she begins to find her own identity, an identity that is—for the first time—separate from her sister’s. As much as this is a crime drama, it's also a coming-of-age novel" I became very interested. I gave it a try and was hooked from minute one. Total surprises and quality writing. The author brings a consistent suspense throughout AND the writing is so good. Since the book I've googled Anolik and found so much great stuff, just I realize I probably missed out since I tend to read fiction and I don't think she usually writes this? Tell me if I'm wrong because I want lots more of her. I'm hoping I come across more. She's one of my new fiction faves.

Amazing! Couldn't put it down. (Got my hands on an ARC and flipped.) I want a movie.

LA RECENSIONE COMPLETA QUI: https://thereadingslove.blogspot.it/2...Trovare risposte è un caso rischioso, soprattutto se può significare avere risposte che sconvolgeranno la tua quiete. Tutto comincia quando il cadavere di Nica Baker, bella, misteriosa e spregiudicata, viene ritrovato nel cimitero della placida e ricca città del New England. A soli sedici anni si presume che la ragazza si sia suicidata, dato che non ci sono tracce evidenti che dimostrano il contrario. Ma non è così, per lo meno non per Grace, sorella di Nica. Ci sono ancora molti lati oscuri intorno alla morte della vittima, e Grace farà il possibile per andare oltre le indagini. Passo dopo passo Grace scoprirà che tutto ciò che credeva di sapere era semplicemente un’illusione, una fitta rete di bugie che l’hanno accompagnata per tutti questi anni. La morte di una sedicenne diventa il pretesto perfetto per descrivere legami affettivi e bugie che si alternano attraverso le scoperte di Grace sulla sua famiglia. Ognuno con i suoi modi di fare nasconde un inquietante realtà. Quello che rende unico questo romanzo scritto da Lili Anolik è che il caso di Nica non resta un semplice dossier, ma va ben oltre. Una storia avvincente, colpi di scena formidabili e una spiazzante conoscenza dei meandri dell’animo umano. Un debutto davvero notevole.CONTINUA SUL NOSTRO BLOG. VENITE A TROVARCIhttps://thereadingslove.blogspot.it/

"La ragazza con la notte dentro" è un libro che mi ha colpito subito per la trama avvincente. L'ho aperto e ho letto le prime righe: boom, colpita e affondata.Avevo un altro libro in lettura ma ho mollato tutto e mi sono dedicata a questo. La scrittura di Lili Anolik è come la tela di un ragno e ci sono rimasta intrappolata. Questo libro è davvero bellissimo.La trama è davvero particolare e da subito si capisce che stiamo per leggere un romanzo che si concentrerà moltissimo sulle emozioni dei protagonisti, sulle loro decisioni sbagliate e sui modi in cui cercheranno di fuggire dai problemi della vita.La morte di una persona cara può essere affrontata in tanti modi, questo dipende dal carattere di una persona, e la protagonista, Grace, sceglie la via apparentemente più semplice. Lei non vuole sentire più niente, dormire, spegnere il cervello e medicinali e droghe possono essere la via migliore per farlo.In mezzo a tutta la sofferenza di Grace, anche il sospetto che ad uccidere sua sorella Nica non sia stato il colpevole identificato dalla polizia. Una storia misteriosa, un'indagine che porterà Grace al cambiamento e tanti sentimenti sono gli elementi che fondamentali del romanzo.A me è piaciuto troppo.Consigliatissimo!

I am TOTALLY flipping out over this. I read it three times so far. Best book I've read in past year. I'm a big Megan Abbott fan and saw her name mentioned as comparison on teh cover with Twin Peaks. I don't know too much about Twin Peaks but I feel like it must have a strange cool vibe because it was very Megan Abbott like Dare Me but more ghostly / suspenseful at times. The author flowed from past and present in such interesting ways. I didn't always realize immediately that I had changed time points and it totally worked. I dont' know what else to say since I don't want to spoil anything. It's more Megan Abbott meets Murakami to me but I guess I need to watch Twin Peaks to know if that's the right comparison.

I enjoyed the writing very much - more than I thought I would, anyway. My only real problem with Dark Rooms is that, as far as plot goes, it seemed pretty heavily influenced by Veronica Mars and Veronica Mars only.

https://librarycrystal.wordpress.com/...

Slow start, gets better about half way through. Very different, lots of turns.

An engaging mixture of a 'who-dun-it' and a coming of age story with a very interesting cast of characters and plot development. I used the Audible version, and appreciated the voice of the narrator as she told her story and shared her inner-most thoughts.

4 e 1/2Rapporti ambigui, droghe, allucinazioni, torbidi segreti, dolore e agonia. La Anolik traccia i contorni di una storia particolare, drammatica e dai forti risvolti psicologici ed emotivi. Il fatto che la vicenda si snodi in un ambiente di ragazzi alle prese con le scelte della vita e le difficoltà nei rapporti, non fa altro che aumentare in modo esponenziale l’interiorità che viene raccontata. Nessuno si accorgeva davvero della mia presenza – o della mia assenza – nemmeno a un party di serie B. Ero trasparente. Che ci fossi o no, non faceva differenza.Grace è sempre stata la ragazza tranquilla, diligente al contrario di Nica, la sorella trasgressiva e fuori dalle righe con la quale però ha sempre avuto un rapporto strettissimo. La morte di Nica getta Grace nella disperazione più cupa, al punto che la sua reazione iniziale è quella di lasciarsi andare, cercare l’oblio per non sentire il dolore. Grace è dilaniata dal dolore, non solo per la perdita della sorella, ma anche per i sensi di colpa che si fanno strada in lei per non aver capito, non aver visto certi particolari che avrebbero potuto forse salvarla. La notte avvolge completamente l’anima di Grace.È come se d’un tratto avessi acquisito un potere che non avevo mai sognato di possedere, e averlo mi riempie di una curiosa euforia.Grace non affronta la situazione, la sua indole le fa scegliere la via più semplice, la fuga. Poi la presenza della sorella dentro di sé si fa sempre più ingombrante e la ricerca della verità sembra diventare l’unica possibilità per Grace di andare avanti. Ma quello che dovrà affrontare, i segreti che le si presenteranno davanti sconvolgeranno tutto ciò che ha sempre pensato di conoscere. Tutto, mi accorsi , era diventato silenzioso. Le foglie e gli alberi erano perfettamente immobili, non soffiava un filo d’aria. Chiusi gli occhi. Udii i battiti del mio cuore, i miei respiri, le contrazioni della gola…suoni che, mi resi conto, erano sempre presenti ma nascosti, coperti da altri suoni…La trama ha una connotazione fortemente psicologica, descrivendo il mondo emotivo della protagonista con minuzia di particolari, attraverso le sensazioni provate nei confronti di chi la circonda, dei luoghi in cui si trova e raccontando di un contorno di relazioni malate e ambigue che non ci si aspetta.La verità sulla morte di Nica è il pretesto per intessere una storia che stravolge vite e legami affettivi, perché alla fine ciò che si rivelerà davvero importante non sarà tanto scoprire chi abbia ucciso la sorella, ma come e perché tutto questo sia avvenuto. La protagonista conoscerà lati inquietanti di Nica e dei genitori, si troverà ad affrontare momenti drammatici e situazioni pericolose, i suoi sentimenti saranno completamente ribaltati più di una volta, i sospetti le faranno perdere la lucidità e la verità potrebbe abbattersi su di lei come un colpo letale.Tutto il romanzo è incentrato sulla protagonista, l’autrice riesce a delinearne a fondo la psicologia e il carattere, ma...Recensione completa su Leggendo Romance

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins via Edelweiss for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This review was originally posted at: http://danniespeaks.com/2015/03/19/bo...“Compulsively readable,” is a perfect description because it is. I sat down on a Saturday morning and did not walk away from Dark Rooms until I was finished Saturday evening. I was so entranced with the whodunit that I continued to read and read and read. It doesn't hurt that the book fell into the suspense/thriller genre - my FAVORITE! When I was finished reading, I wasn't happy tears crying because the characters all had a happy ending. They don’t, really. Grace and those close to her have closure. The realization that life has ups and downs, and one must navigate the best they can.My likes:Story: As you can tell by my opening, I liked it all. The story of Dark Rooms is based on a ‘murder mystery,’ but it develops into a story of everyday life: a sister/daughter finding her own balance in life as her family drifts apart due to her sister’s death. Of course, not every family has a story like this, but it’s not so far left field to be completely crazy.Suspense: Dark Rooms does fall within this genre, but there is just enough suspense that I was guessing all the way to the last few chapters. Just when I thought I knew the killer another possible suspect was added to the list. There literally are several possibilities! It was at this point…“... Nica’s situation was extreme. If she felt like Mom was constantly following her around with the camera, that’s because Mom was. She was practically the only thing Mom ever photographed.”that I thought I had it! Well, you’ll just have to read it!My dislikes: These are not (normal) dislikes… just things other readers should be aware of.Flow: The story is told with a current day and flashback flow. Sometimes back-and-forth movement like this can tend to cause confusion, but here it adds to the story. As a reader, you will gain insight from these moments. I was able to answer the, “Wait, what just happened?” questions when they arose. Subject matter: There is some sexual content. Although the sex is not explicit there are some instances where it is described. My opinion, based on the whole novel, is that the sex is not used as filler. The situations are used to develop the story and the characters associated. Now that said, readers - be prepared for Nica’s main relationship in the story.Overall, I enjoyed this book. The word ‘enjoyed’ sounds a bit wrong for the subject/content of the book, but I did enjoy Lili Anolik’s debut novel. As a reader, I was drawn into the story to make assumptions, like the characters, about the identity of the killer and I second-guessed myself the entire time.

Dark Rooms is the debut thriller from author Lili Anolik, and from the first captivating line (“The first time I saw Nica after she died was at Jamie Amory’s Fourth of July party…”), I couldn’t put it down.Grace and Nica are two beautiful sisters, as different as night and day. Grace is a year older and socially awkward. Nica is the younger party girl. They attend an exclusive New England private school not because they have money but because both of their parents are on its faculty.When Nica is found dead the morning after she sneaks out to meet a mystery lover, the glossy facade of privilege begins to crumble, starting with the suicide of another student, whose note leads everyone to believe that he killed Nica. A media circus is wrapped up in no time, but the lurid secrets have just begun to ooze to the surface, and Grace is left to find the real killer.My experiences with Dark Rooms are as different as Grace and Nica: I am as disgusted by the narcissistic parents and supportive of Grace’s personal growth. The plot twists are many - I’ll admit that at times, I thought I had figured out who the murderer was, only to find out that I was wrong within a chapter or two.Grace is caught in her own world of complexity - she wants to find her sister’s killer, but quickly realizes that she’s about to find lurid secrets about the people she’s idolized. Nica in life never managed to corrupt her sister, but now in death, Grace’s life goes terrifyingly awry. Then there’s the grief thrust upon her dysfunctional family, revealing just how limited the adults around her are. Grace thinks she can only find freedom by catching a killer, but the closer she gets, the more dire the consequences become.Dark Rooms could have been called Dark Moods - this is not a cozy mystery replete with recipes or knitting patterns. Dark Rooms infuses the world of the wealthy with as much soil as the inner cities Grace soon explores to get answers. It’s cover calls Dark Rooms ‘Megan Abbott meets Twin Peaks’, but it’s more like the The Catcher in the Rye crossed with The Moment I First Believed. This is one of those books that makes you want to order your kids to stay in the house until … oh … they are in their mid-forties.