Ill Will Sparknotes

Dan Chaon’s Ill Will
One of the darkest books of the year, Ill Will is a story you will never forget; it’s dark subplots are intertwined to unveil difficulties all humans face. “People can find patterns in all kinds of random events. It's called apophenia. It's the tendency we humans have to find meaning in disconnected information.” -Dan Chaon. Examining something as intricate as the human brain takes great meaning and caution; but when handled right, can be a powerful message. Writing with the mind is a gift that many audiences can appreciate, for the relatability and emotions tugged from it. From murders to diving into a history he wished he could forget, Ill Will introduces the mind in a way that not many have tried. Despite being a fictitious tale, Chaon focuses on real, serious events, and dives into the true meaning of what it is to be human.. our mind is not always what we think.

The psyche of a human being is a
mysterious place; one of the deep unknown even scientists have not uncovered. It has the ability to do so many things, some that may seem frightening to outsiders. Chaon uses this to his advantage as he adds in the controversies of addiction, trauma, and even family conflict, adding another level of complexity to the plot. Based on the ideas of a gullible psychiatrist, striving to let go of his disturbing past, Chaon portrays this character as on the brink of madness, a trait not developed until later in the story. The audience will follow the man’s story as the plot goes on, finding out more and more about who he really is, who turns out to be someone much different than the man in the beginning. Chaon doesn’t stop here, also delving into the characters around the demented psychiatrist, prospecting how they react and how they knew him growing up. Fear, anger, distress; the author does it all as he writes this haunting tale of man's subconscious.

A series of murders occurring by a riverside brings a damaged psychiatrist back into the traumatic events of his past, but he isn't the only one who is affected by these events.
The story not only focuses on one mind, as it also covers the psychologists son, a boy who falls down a spiral of drug addiction, and the stepbrother of his past, a suspected murder and freed from thirty years in prison, despite being innocent. The minds are put in a ring of thoughts, bouncing off of one another, forming the real truth of their pasts. The man befriends a psychopath, soon found to be the insidious murderer, a puppeteer that had been using the psychiatrists madness to his doing. Many of these characters face struggles of corruption, manipulation, and fear, constantly living in a state of dim humanity, and Chaon shows this very clearly with his imagery and dark tone. The multiple characters just show how real these events can really be, and make the reader even more intrigued. These minds have been damaged, but still manage to help the plot move
along.

Using this writing, Chaon conveys the truth behind the human; not only thoughts, but also the madness that simmers deep inside. Words not only express what is truly inside, but the meaning behind them. When this author writes the characters feelings, it not only opens up the person’s heart, but it also may come as a warning and awareness for what can really happen when someone is forced to face these kinds of issues, for all ages. Ill Will was created in such a way that anyone could relate to different aspects, and it scares all; how real the book seems is what makes this book the “scariest book of the year”. Many will depict this book as dark and unnerving, but having that edge gives the readers an idea of what’s really out there. Chaon’s tone of writing is unique, but in a way that keeps the audience thrilled and ready for more.

Most stories written have a protagonist, a villain, a castle; a simple plot, a simple mind, a simple purpose. This story, however, does not. Changing the tendencies provides a whole new aspect of a society and how it works.. And society looks back on it and relates. These kinds of books change the community, opening up the issues in the world that some may not even know about. When written like this was, these problems can come off as horrifying and almost fictional, asking the question: why do these problems still exist today? Internal problems, ones that cannot be solved with an organization or government. Ill Will recognizes that. Not only that, but decides to attach it onto a complex storyline that anyone could find amusing. Chaon created a book that was different than others, allowing himself to find the inner conflicts instead of the outer.

Ill Will, said to be the most horrifying book of the year, certainly is. However, not in the way that one would imagine; this story dives into the human being. Humans with corruption, madness, despair, humans that are reconciled to problems the readers face in their own world. It opens up the audience's eyes to something not many choose to perceive. Dan chaon certainly made a piece of art.