Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The first thing which I will say about this book is that it almost definitely wasn’t aimed at someone like me – ie: a child. There are loads of swear words in it and there are the occasional traces of, um, er, ”adult-themes” too, but nevertheless, I quite enjoyed this book for the plot and the characters. The book is written in the point of view of two characters (a married couple): Amy and Nick. Their relationship isn’t really a happy one; that is quite clear from the start. Or at least, it was happy once upon a time but it has evidently spiraled into a bit of a breakdown. I think that Gillian Flynn, the author of this thriller, emphasizes that the breakdown surrounded their careers, implying that technology had driven them out of their jobs. Nick was a journalist and Amy was a physiological quiz writer.

So, obviously the fact that Amy and Nick weren’t the closest that they had ever been in their relationship, adds to the suspicion surrounding Nick and the suspension for the reader, when Amy mysteriously disappears from their home without any warning whatsoever, on the couple’s fifth anniversary…

I really like how the book is written. Back diary entries from Amy (describing the ups and downs of her and Nick’s relationship) as a contrast to Nick’s perspective on the situations he finds himself in when his wife disappears. He congregates with his sister ‘Go’, his parents in law, Marybeth and Rand (I really like how Nick’s relationship with his ‘in-laws’, isn’t the typical one of hatred!) and a couple of friends, not to mention the police, on a journey to discovering what has happened to Amy.

I think it is quite a poignant aspect of this book, reading about he good times Nick and Amy shared (in Amy’s diary entries) and reading about a once-successful marriage, as a contrast to Nick’s situation in the book and his view on their relationship at present. He is having an affair, and quite a few times he thinks: I nolonger love Amy. Not even a bit.

My opinion on Nick’s character changed quite dramatically when his affair is mentioned, just as he suggests in this short passage from the book when the fact that Nick is having an affair is revealed:

“Now this is the part where you stop liking me…”

And as Nick starts to realize that Amy had known about his affair all along, his assumptions of a kidnapping are erased with a sudden suspicion that Amy has framed him as a punishment for his affair.

Part 2 is like a whole different story. We see a whole new Amy, who strikes me as a bit of a psychopath!! Her diary from Part 1 gave the reader a false impression on her character. It masked her true personality. I think Amy had been pretending all along for Nick, tailoring her personality to his intersts and pleasures so that he loved her. But when she metaphorically took of her mask and unveiled the real Amy, he didn’t love her any more.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me hooked literally until the very end. It probably isn’t really a book I’d recommend to a fellow-teen, but it must be the best of the best in adult-fiction. Definitely a must-read. 🙂