Gone Girl
Author: Gillian Flynn
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Summary:
Marriage can be a real killer.
One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times
bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in
this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly
wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s
toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a
nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn.
On a
warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy
Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and
reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife
disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River.
Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with
cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head,
but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could
have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting
pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting
parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits,
and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely
bitter—but is he really a killer?
As the cops close in, every
couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they
love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his
innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful
wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her
bedroom closet?
With her razor-sharp writing and trademark
psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly
dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one
of the hottest writers around.
Review:
There are
always two words I use when describing Gillian Flynn’s novels: dark and
twisted. I am a dedicated reader of Flynn’s and I mean these words as the
highest compliment. All of her books have been the stuff of twisted nightmares,
and her latest novel, Gone Girl, is
no exception.
Gone Girl is a story about a marriage, the
disappearance of the wife, Amy, on their fifth wedding anniversary and the
subsequent police search and investigation that follows. The book is told in
three parts, which really allows the reader a deep look inside the workings of
this couple and their marriage. Every chapter in the book is in alternating
points of view, oscillating between the husband, Nick, and Amy. In the first
part of the book, we see Nick’s view of the disappearance in present time and
we hear Amy’s version of past events through diary entries. We really come to
empathize with Amy and her struggles to make her marriage work, to make her
husband happy, and to do what’s needed of her. We also get to see Nick’s side of
the story and we learn some unfavorable things about him that turn the reader
against him. The second and third parts of the story are told in present time,
but continue to be in alternating points of view between Amy and Nick and we
learn what has really happened in the disappearance of Amy.
At first
glance, Gone Girl is a deep, brutally
honest look inside a marriage. It may be a troubled marriage – one with
problems that most couples face. But thrown in along the way are subtle details
that make you wonder what is really going on. Amy has disappeared and we find
out that Nick and she were having marital issues. Why does Nick have these
little secrets that don’t seem like much, but end up chewing away at our
subconscious? The ultimate questions: What is really going on here? What really happened to Amy?
Flynn
doesn’t let the reader wonder about things for long. In the second part of the
book, she unveils the true happenings of the disappearance and of the
circumstances leading up to it. All the little inconsistencies in some of the
character’s stories are laid out and begin to fall into place. Even though it
is blatantly explained what happened to Amy in the beginning of the second part
of the book, Flynn doesn’t just stop there. She delves deeper into the inner
workings of this couple and their marriage – into their very hearts and minds.
What we end up seeing there is astonishing, bewildering, and sickening. Still,
Flynn manages to write the story with such poise that it seems completely
believable that this has occurred and could possibly – probably? – happen
outside the frame of a novel as well.
Flynn’s
writing style is some of the best I’ve ever experienced. The words seem to flow
effortlessly together and the plot just seems like it was inevitable, like it
was going to happen this way no matter what. The characters are so honest and
flawed – so messed up – that they are utterly believable and heartfelt. The
storyline is seamless and perfectly executed. She pulls you in from the very
first sentence and doesn’t loosen her grip until well after you’ve read the
last page. Flynn’s writing is addictive and I literally couldn’t stop reading
the book. I had to see what happened next, had to try to figure out what was
really going on. To me, that’s a sure sign of a great author – not being able
to extricate yourself from the novel, even long after you’ve finished the last
page. I certainly couldn’t pull myself away, much to the neglect of my
household duties and my husband’s chagrin and when I had to stop reading for a
bit, I went into a kind of stupor – wondering what could possibly be happening
and trying to figure out how things were going to end.
Gone Girl definitely keeps with Flynn’s
writing style of dark and twisted suspense thrillers, even though this wasn’t
as outside the box as her other two novels were. This might’ve been even
scarier because it was actually plausible. Flynn has written some of the best
suspense thrillers on the market today and I am thoroughly pleased to say that Gone Girl does not disappoint.
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