Summary: 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? ~ powells.comReview: My sister is an avid reader but she has this habit I never fully understood. Before she dives into a novel, she reads the last chapter. She likes to know the end result to see if the journey to get there is worth it. I always believed this was ludicrous until now.
I started Gone Girl with high expectations. It came highly recommended by not only Julie but several friends as well. I tackled this novel until about a quarter of the way through when I started to get lost and lose interest. So, what did I do? I perused the last chapters, of course. Totally unorthodox I know, but it sparked that curiosity again that carried me through the rest of the novel. I saw the destination and knew the journey would be worth it. And boy was it ever.
There are many wonderful things about Gone Girl. I absolutely loved the characters, especially Nick, Amy and Margo. My favorite thing about this novel is how my opinion of the characters changed as I got to know them. Nothing was concrete, everything was shifting like a house built on sand. I wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of emotions I felt through this journey: hope, horror, repulsion, fear just to name a few. I was so certain I knew the outcome when suddenly I was through for such a loop I had to put the book down and look around to make sure I was firmly on ground.
I know I am always looking for magic in novels. And the magic of Gone Girl is in Ms. Flynn storytelling. It’s in the way she feeds us just enough information to make us do a double take on nearly every page. It’s in her ability write characters with depth and layers. She is masterful indeed. What I was not expecting at all was the poetry in this novel, the words formed in such a way they gave me pause. I love how Amy describes herself as a thorn bush and Nick as having stab wounds, her thorns fit perfectly into them. It was poetic, beautiful.
If you have not read this novel yet, I highly recommend it. Be prepared for a journey into a dark place, it will knock it out.
Final Take: 4/5
Julie's Review
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You must have liked the first part of the book so much, you forgave the last part.
ReplyDeleteAlmost all of GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn is a five-star book, i.e., it deserves the highest rating. Every page of the book builds more and more tension. It really is the best kind of book: unputdownable.
But the last part of the book gets a little stupid, silly. And the end: other reviewers have said that it comes as a surprise. True. But I didn't like it. It is as if Flynn couldn't think of an end to the story so just stopped.
I think the end should be rewritten.
Thank you to readitforward.com for giving me this book.