Book Review - Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

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. As The Washington Post proclaimed, 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 with 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’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick Dunne’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick Dunne isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but hearing from Amy through flashbacks in her diary reveal the perky 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 left in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

Employing her trademark razor-sharp writing and assured 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.

 Gone Girl is a hard book to review. I want to write paragraph after paragraph of "And then this happened and it was messed up and then THIS happened and it was worse!" but I won't of course, Because this is a book that you have to read for yourself - but only if you are prepared to follow a story of two narratives, neither who are reliable, to a conclusion you will either love or hate.

Gillian Flynn takes the problems of an every day marriage on the rocks and twists it into something nasty and dark. These are the type of characters that make you nervous and uncomfortable. By the middle of the book you will be so certain you have a handle of what is going on... until you read the next line and they have done it to you again. And that is what makes this novel have such mixed reviews... There really is no "Good Guy". The two main characters, Amy and Nick, display the very worse of whats in us all.

I have read many reviews all about the hate people have towards the ending. I thought it was exactly where you had to leave the story. This isn't a happily ever after kind of book and the sick feeling you are left with adds to the overall bleakness this story has. Hopefully, the movie script doesn't "Hollywood" the ending up and change this conclusion. Just in case, I would recommend reading this now before it hits the big screen.

Gone Girl is a subtle slow burning thriller which is clevely written, suspensful and compelling. I enjoyed it immensely, reading it whenever I had a spare 5 minutes, and would recommend it to fans of the Film Noir genre as well as anyone who wants to see what all the fuss is about. I don't think you will be disappointed.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads