Dark Fate is a thriller written by the American David Baldacci. He is known for his series starring John Puller and Will Robbie. In Dark Fate, young mother LuAnn meets the mysterious Jackson. He proposes to take her out of her miserable life by only filling in a lottery ticket. Jackson promises she will win the lottery and have no more worries. LuAnn wins the lottery, but her worries have not yet disappeared. Certainly not when she is again confronted with Jackson ten years later. It is a life and death struggle.
- data
- Summary
- Main characters
- Symbols and motifs
- Title statement and book cover
- Structure and perspective / way of telling
- Theme
- Time and place
- Evaluation
data
- Original title: The Winner
- Title: Dark fate
- Author: David Baldacci
- First edition translated into Dutch: 1998
- Translation: Hugo Kuipers, Nienke Kuipers
- Number of pages: 413
- ISBN: 978-90-229-9125
Summary
Twenty-year-old LuAnn doesn’t have a great life. She lives in a caravan with her boyfriend Duane, who cannot keep a job due to his drunkenness. LuAnn works as a waitress while taking care of their daughter Lisa, the only ray of sunshine in her life.
When she receives a call from a mysterious man who calls himself Jackson, her life changes. Jackson knows everything about LuAnn’s life and he knows she needs money. So he proposes the following, he can make her win the lottery. LuAnn, who thinks it is a joke, does not take it immediately. But due to circumstances she has no choice but to go along with his story. As compensation, Jackson asks that she follow his rules. The rules are as follows: As soon as she has the money, she will go abroad and never return to the United States. And he invests the money for ten years of which she gets a share. She is not allowed to ask any further questions.
As soon as LuAnn wins the lottery, she goes abroad with Lisa and Charlie, a man who had worked for Jackson as her bodyguard. LuAnn assumes a new identity, that of Catherine Savage.
After ten years they return to the United States. They live in a remote place in the hope that Jackson will never find out that they have returned. But that changes when Thomas Donovan, a Washington Tribune reporter, finds out about LuAnn’s identity and decides to visit her. During his research on winning the lottery and the chances of going bankrupt, he had discovered that something was not right ten years ago.
Matt Riggs, a contractor who works for LuAnn and Charlie, rescues LuAnn after a chase with Thomas Donovan. Charlie and LuAnn’s weird reactions also spark Matt’s curiosity. LuAnn and Charlie try to fix the damage the two men have created as quickly as possible. But it is too late, Jackson is on top of everything and will do everything he can to prevent his secret from being revealed. No one is safe anymore. Will LuAnn be able to save her family? And who is the mysterious Riggs? Friend or enemy?
Main characters
Jackson
He is a master of disguise and a brilliant psychopath, who doesn’t shy away from anything or anyone. There are many people who work for Jackson. But none of them know their true identity.
LuAnn Tyler
Twenty-year-old LuAnn has an eight-month-old daughter, Lisa, along with Duane Harvey. Despite not having a degree and a relationship with Duane, she is by no means stupid.
Her parents had both died. She misses her mother, as far as her father is concerned, it is a bit different. Her relationship with him had never been great.
Charlie
He’s been working for Jackson for a while but has never met him in person. His mission is to look after the future lotto winners. Charlie had once been in prison for fraud and his marriage had cost him. In the ten years he and LuAnn had been inseparable. Charlie is her boyfriend and is also the only one who knows the full story. He would do anything to get LuAnn and Lisa to safety.
Matt Riggs
He had moved to Charlottesville five years ago. Matt was apprenticed to a local entrepreneur and then started his own business. He prefers not to talk about his past and therefore remains mysterious about it.
Symbols and motifs
Hope
LuAnn would like to be someone else, but she knows it’s more of a dream than it ever becomes reality. But her meeting with Jackson could change this.
Curious
LuAnn is curious by nature, which wins Charlie’s heart and convinces him to go abroad. But her curiosity also sometimes gets them into trouble.
Lies
LuAnn never told Lisa the truth about the money to make sure they were safe. She hated lying to her daughter like that, but the day came when Lisa was old enough to understand the truth and hopefully forgive her mother for all the lies.
Fear
LuAnn fears for the safety of those around her after receiving a visit from Jackson. His threats had been clear enough. Could she still run from him?
Title statement and book cover
The book cover shows a woman’s face and the Washington Monument. The face refers to LuAnn and the building can be found in Washington DC, the place where LuAnn lets other people determine her future. Dark fate refers to LuAnn’s fate when she makes a deal with Jackson.
Structure and perspective / way of telling
The thriller is dedicated to Collin. The story consists of two parts and 59 chapters. The chapters alternate in terms of point of view. So you get the point of view of Jackson, LuAnn Tyler, Shirley Watson, Anthony Romanello, Thomas Donovan, Sheriff Roy Waymer and George Masters all written in third person.
Theme
Money is the root of all evil.
Time and place
The story takes place in the following locations: Rikersville County (Georgia), Atlanta, New York, Washington DC and Virginia, both in the past and then ten years later.
Evaluation
David Baldacci proves again that he can put tension in a story like no other. Dark fate is a tensile story that makes you want to know how the fight between LuAnn and Jackson will end. It is an original story with well-written characters.