Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I’m not usually a big mystery genre reader. There are a few great crime/ mystery novels I’ve encountered, but overall I’m not a big CSI/ Law and Order/ Criminal Minds/ Whatever else fan. However, last summer everyone was raving about this novel, and it topped all the best books lists so I put it on my “To Read” list.

And in true procrastinator fashion, a year later I read it.

Gone Girl by NY Times bestselling author Gillian Flynn opens on the anniversary of the main characters, Nick and Amy Dunne. Nick narrates the first part of the novel, recalling how he and his wife came to relocate from New York to Missouri and the tension their marriage had been under. Then it is discovered his wife has gone missing. Nick is immediately targeted, and there is plenty of evidence to convict him, including his behavior. The book also includes past diary entries from Amy before she went missing, detailing her type-A personality and how she feared her husband. Seems like a pretty open and close case.  And then…

A TWIST!  And then… ANOTHER TWIST!

I had heard that there was a big twist in the novel, and I thought I had it all figured out as I am a well-read cynic and have figured out my share of plot twists. Let me assure you, you will not see this coming. At all. And the ending is nothing I could ever have predicted. That Gillian Flynn is a tricky one.

My break down of the novel:

The plot is an incredible jigsaw, manipulating the readers like they’re marionette puppets. Flynn does a great job of giving just enough information to manipulate you however she wants. You identify so much with each character’s flaws that it’s difficult to figure out which one you’re rooting for. The best part about Flynn’s characters is that they’re so ridiculously human. She’s not trying to depict rom com role-models. Theses people will disgust you, but you can’t deny their realness.

Through theses characters, Flynn writes some really quote-worthy passages about relationships and how people act. The entire novel plays with perception in a really interesting way.

Some reviews I’ve read online talk about how the novel has inconsistencies and how they hate the ending, but I honestly think that’s part of Flynn’s Big Idea. It plays perfects with some great rawness that will leave you wanting to devour the book whole.

According to Buzzfeed’s list of “14 Books to Read Before They Hit the Big Screen” http://www.buzzfeed.com/ariellecalderon/books-to-read-before-they-hit-the-big-screen, the book is in the process of being made into a movie. I’ll be interested to see how they translate the narration onto the silver screen because of the diary entries and inner monologues. The best part is that it is rumored that Reese Witherspoon (coming off that crazy incident with the police) will be playing Amy, and I cannot think of anyone better to play the part. Reference: her performance in Cruel Intentions.

Film poster for Cruel Intentions – Copyright 1999, Columbia Pictures (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Read Gone Girl immediately. Then force your friends to read it immediately because you’ll want someone to talk about it with!

Related articles

• “Gone Girl.” by Gillian Flynn…..Is she or isn’t she crazy? (denisepalacios.wordpress.com)
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (booksintheblogosphere.wordpress.com)