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"Gone Girl – A Novel"
Gillian Flynn, 2012
Crown Publishing Group, 432pgs.
Before we start this review, I must
disclose that I am not a Thriller/Mystery person in any sense of the
word. I never really gave much thought to the genre and it never
really interested me past middle school. By that time I was reading
Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine. I had then graduated to Stephen King
classics like Gerald's Game and The Shining. But after I reached 16
the genre pretty much died in me. I felt like I could predict the
ending to every book I was reading after 30 pages in. It got real
boring.
I did not expect the twist in Gone Girl. It was that surprising.
Gone Girl is a multi-layered novel about a marriage gone wrong. Not like, “Oh they're like Ralph and Alice! So degrading but totally acceptable!” Nope.
They're like George and Martha if they were raised by Ted Bundy and Aileen Wuornos. They're THAT kind of fucked up. The book opens with Nick and Amy Dunne on the morning of their 5th wedding anniversary, Amy is cooking breakfast, while Nick appreciates it but then has an overwhelming sense of dread. He then goes to work while Amy does the housewife thing. When he returns, Amy is gone.
What follows is a tilt-a-whrl ride through the next several days while Amy is missing: The police and the TV crews are involved, Amy's diary appears- which is collated with chapters regarding the events that happen while Amy is missing- and paints Nick in a not so wonderful light, a strange but seemingly heartfelt treasure hunt left by Amy on her last few days before her disappearance, and-of course-towards the middle of the book, Nick becomes the number one suspect. Towards the halfway point of the novel, when Nick finishes his wife's annual treasure hunt, is when we get the major plot twist, the twist which I didn't expect (not fully, at least). Because I do not condone spoilers in my book reviews, I will have to leave quite a bit of themes and explanations out of the plot synopsis. I apologize for this, but the book will be so much better if you go in knowing as little as possible. The impact is better if you don't know what's going on.
What I will go into, however, are the two main characters. I have hated both main characters the entire book. They are vile human beings. Nick is an untrustworthy, selfish, mamma's boy, who blames his problems on everyone but himself. He is also untrustworthy as a narrator, knowingly lying to the police and letting us know about it, but he doesn't dish his big secret until 25% into the book. Whereupon it's forced upon him by his twin sister, Go (shortened from Margot). Who, by the way, is the only redeeming character in this book, and even she is very flawed. Amy on the other hand, is something else entirely. Even her diary entries which make her seem like a helpless flake do nothing for her personality. The relationship they have throughout the book (both before and after Major Plot Twist) is incredibly toxic. It makes for a fantastic story but I felt like I couldn't get into the book as much as I'd like because the main characters are two wholly unlikable people with no credible reason to like either of them.
The story line and plot for this book surprised me as well, it was fucking GREAT, it was one of the best plot lines from a mainstream book I've read in the last 3 years. It really hooks you in, drags you into dullness for a few chapters, whereas I'm white knuckling pages so I don't try to skim and get to “the good stuff” then-suddenly-a new development appears! And I'm forced into a 20 page reading spree until the next lull happens. I enjoyed that feeling, this was a fun sidetrack to go down and braking down my typical, go to, genres I read most of the time. I came into this book thinking it wasn't going to be that grand (Some of the few thoughts going into this novel: IT'S A MAINSTREAM, THRILLER, MYSTERY NOVEL!!! IT'S GOING TO BE ANOTHER JAMES PATTERSON/SUE GRAFTON TRASH BOOK, OMG WHY AM I DOING THIS TO MYSELF? Mind you, someone in my steno pool said this and Fifty Shades of Grey were required reading for her. I will not stand here as a lover of Literature and self-proclaimed book lover and tell you that Fifty Shades is a book you should be reading, but if you're tired of reading the same genres and are looking for something a few steps above the Alex Cross/Kinsey Millhone bullshit trade paperbacks, then I highly recommend this book.
I did not expect the twist in Gone Girl. It was that surprising.
Gone Girl is a multi-layered novel about a marriage gone wrong. Not like, “Oh they're like Ralph and Alice! So degrading but totally acceptable!” Nope.
They're like George and Martha if they were raised by Ted Bundy and Aileen Wuornos. They're THAT kind of fucked up. The book opens with Nick and Amy Dunne on the morning of their 5th wedding anniversary, Amy is cooking breakfast, while Nick appreciates it but then has an overwhelming sense of dread. He then goes to work while Amy does the housewife thing. When he returns, Amy is gone.
What follows is a tilt-a-whrl ride through the next several days while Amy is missing: The police and the TV crews are involved, Amy's diary appears- which is collated with chapters regarding the events that happen while Amy is missing- and paints Nick in a not so wonderful light, a strange but seemingly heartfelt treasure hunt left by Amy on her last few days before her disappearance, and-of course-towards the middle of the book, Nick becomes the number one suspect. Towards the halfway point of the novel, when Nick finishes his wife's annual treasure hunt, is when we get the major plot twist, the twist which I didn't expect (not fully, at least). Because I do not condone spoilers in my book reviews, I will have to leave quite a bit of themes and explanations out of the plot synopsis. I apologize for this, but the book will be so much better if you go in knowing as little as possible. The impact is better if you don't know what's going on.
What I will go into, however, are the two main characters. I have hated both main characters the entire book. They are vile human beings. Nick is an untrustworthy, selfish, mamma's boy, who blames his problems on everyone but himself. He is also untrustworthy as a narrator, knowingly lying to the police and letting us know about it, but he doesn't dish his big secret until 25% into the book. Whereupon it's forced upon him by his twin sister, Go (shortened from Margot). Who, by the way, is the only redeeming character in this book, and even she is very flawed. Amy on the other hand, is something else entirely. Even her diary entries which make her seem like a helpless flake do nothing for her personality. The relationship they have throughout the book (both before and after Major Plot Twist) is incredibly toxic. It makes for a fantastic story but I felt like I couldn't get into the book as much as I'd like because the main characters are two wholly unlikable people with no credible reason to like either of them.
The story line and plot for this book surprised me as well, it was fucking GREAT, it was one of the best plot lines from a mainstream book I've read in the last 3 years. It really hooks you in, drags you into dullness for a few chapters, whereas I'm white knuckling pages so I don't try to skim and get to “the good stuff” then-suddenly-a new development appears! And I'm forced into a 20 page reading spree until the next lull happens. I enjoyed that feeling, this was a fun sidetrack to go down and braking down my typical, go to, genres I read most of the time. I came into this book thinking it wasn't going to be that grand (Some of the few thoughts going into this novel: IT'S A MAINSTREAM, THRILLER, MYSTERY NOVEL!!! IT'S GOING TO BE ANOTHER JAMES PATTERSON/SUE GRAFTON TRASH BOOK, OMG WHY AM I DOING THIS TO MYSELF? Mind you, someone in my steno pool said this and Fifty Shades of Grey were required reading for her. I will not stand here as a lover of Literature and self-proclaimed book lover and tell you that Fifty Shades is a book you should be reading, but if you're tired of reading the same genres and are looking for something a few steps above the Alex Cross/Kinsey Millhone bullshit trade paperbacks, then I highly recommend this book.
Book Haiku
Unraveled marriage
Unbelievable Assholes
Unexpected end
Unraveled marriage
Unbelievable Assholes
Unexpected end
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