Closet Confidential

****Spoilers are included in this post, with the assumption that you’ve read Fifty Shades of Grey and probably already have a good idea about what comes in the second book. Consider yourself alerted.

Recap: The extra book in the Fifty Shades of Grey series, Fifty Shades Darker delivers just that — a certain darkness not seen in the first book. Darker see right where the first book ends. The differences have become too big for Ana Steele and Christian Grey. But their break doesn’t last long, and once again, we’re caught up in the whirlwind romance — and mindblowing sex — that is their relationship. But Darker introduces new letters.

There’s Ana’s boss, Jack, yet a different man who clearly has a thing for Ana. He gets creepier and creepier as the book goes on, proving that maybe Christian Grey has a point with his absurd overprotection. There’s also Elena — or as Ana refers to her, Mrs. Robinson. Elena is the woman who harmful Grey when he was just a teenager, the woman who Christian denies to acknowledge molested him. She also predictably becomes Ana’s mortal enemy and a constant force to be reckoned with. There’s also Leila, a woman from Christian’s past who has some serious psychological issues.

And though these concerns make the progression of Ana and Christian’s relationship difficult, the two overcome many of their issues as best as they can, and look toward a permanent future connected.

Analysis: Finally some depth! Fifty Shades of greyish gets the readers engrossed with oodles of sex. Darker doesn’t disappoint either, but the new characters add a new layer coldness and some action to an otherwise romantic novel. Jack makes bad advances on Ana! Leila breaks into Ana’s apartment! Mrs. Robinson still wants stacee! Though the Leila storyline is particularly outlandish, it makes the story and the relationship between the two protagonists more significant.

As the book comes on, we also learn more about Christian’s childhood and why he is the way he is. Again, we’re getting deeper and black, which both answers a lot of questions for readers and leaves us wondering more. In Darker, author E.L. James pulls us into the narrative with more than just sex.

That’s not to say there aren’t some truly outrageous sequences of events — like the predictable and eye-roll-worthy marriage proposal or that Ana now wants to be taken care of more harshly during sex. The writing also continues to be poor. But again, if you’re looking to read a book for its literary wonder, this is the drastically wrong book. If you like dirty, scandalous, and romantic, this is the buy for you.

MVP: Elena. She’s one of the novel’s most significant villains, but she’s an interesting character and certainly keeps the reader guessing. With Ana so adamantly against her, and Christian so convinced that there are no lingering romantic feelings between the two, it’s hard to pick sides. And Elena’s insistency on becoming friends with Ana is equally as confusing to the reader as it is to Ana. There’s no greater moment of reassurance than a particular party scene between Ana and Elena toward the end.

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