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.
My Thoughts:
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is one of those books that you simply do not want to put down. A suspenseful tale that is always changing course. Flynn takes the reader on a terrifying yet exciting ride with her incredible talent to craft a story that astonishes more with each chapter. What begins as a missing wife/husband suspected of foul play routine story becomes anything but in Flynn's creative hands. This is definitely a story that you can't be told about, you have to read this one for yourself in order to experience the impact of the twists and turns- and there are many.
"When I think of my wife, I always think of her head. The shape of it to begin with. The very first time I saw her, it was the back of her head that I saw, and there was something lovely about it. Like a shiny, hard corn kernel or a riverbed fossil. She had what the Victorians would call a finely shaped head. You could imagine the skull quite easily." ~ Nick Dunne
At root is the looming question- "How well can we truly know another person?" We are all flawed but in our efforts to camouflage these flaws, are we altering who we really are? In Gone Girl, Flynn tackles the concept of what happens when the charade of a new relationship is over? While at times the story feels very heavy, it is also peppered with comedic relief from secondary characters such as Amy's parents, Rand and Marybeth Elliott and Nick's attorney Tanner Bolt. Pop culture also plays a secondary character in this story- society's interest in crime stories; the power of the media; the fall of print media in the online age; the impact movies have on how we think we are "supposed" to act and react.
"...Because you can't be as in love as we were and not have it invade your bone marrow. Our kind of love can go into remission, but it's always waiting to return. Like the world's sweetest cancer." ~ Amy Elliott Dunne
As over-the-top and despicable as both Nick and Amy often are in this story, Flynn has created two characters that instantly engage the reader like a the "perfect couple" image we are so often presented through mass media. It is completely unrealistic, yet we want to believe it all the same.
Happy Reading!
Rebecca
