"'What are you thinking, Amy? The question I've asked most often during our marriage, if not out loud, if not to the person who could answer. I suppose these questions stormcloud over every marriage: What are you thinking? How are you feeling? Who are you? What have we done to each other? What will we do?'"Just how well can you ever know the person you love? This is the question that Nick Dunne must ask himself on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police immediately suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they aren't his. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone. So what did really did happen to Nick's beautiful wife? And what was left in that half-wrapped box left so casually on their marital bed? In this novel, marriage truly is the art of war...
Kindle Edition, 432 pages
Published June 5th 2012 by Crown
Four Stars: A dark psychological thriller that will mess with your head!
It is the morning of Nick's fifth wedding anniversary. He wakes to the glaring sun, casting an accusing eye. After a breakfast of crepes with his wife, Amy, he heads to work at his bar. Later that afternoon, he receives a call from his neighbor informing him that his front door is ajar and his cat is outside. Strange! Nick hurries home to discover an alarmingly empty house. Amy has vanished. The police arrive and begin their investigation. As the clues begin to emerge, the guilty finger points at Nick. He swears he did not murder his wife, despite the accusing evidence. As the days slide by, the tension mounts. Amy is nowhere to be found and it looks like Nick will soon be arrested for murder, despite the fact the body is missing. Nick desperately wants to prove his innocence. Thus, he endeavors to follow the traditional clues left behind by Amy for Nick to find his present for their anniversary. The clues lead Nick on hunt and expose some shocking truths about his missing wife. Is Nick really a murderer?
What I Liked:
- Gone Girl is a great summer thriller that will make your head spin. If you are looking for an exciting book full of plot twists and mind boggling surprises this is the book for you. This was a read that got into my head and left me stunned. I am still pondering over everything after finishing this one.
- I loved the way Ms. Flynn spends the first half carefully spinning her threads. She creates two memorable characters with Nick and Amy. The first portion of the book follows Nick as he learns his wife is missing and dealing with the fallout. Amy's voice during this portion comes from journal entries that date back seven years ago, chronicling how the pair met, the blossoming relationship and all the ups and downs leading to the present. The reader begins to form opinions on the characters only to be sucker punched in the second half. All the previous conceptions are thrown out the window and the reader must start anew forming opinions on these characters that you thought you knew. The execution works so well that I spent the second half of the book uncertain as to how I felt toward either character. I love books that keep you guessing and this one does that until the last page!
- I enjoyed the numerous gotcha moments in this book. Ms. Flynn carefully lulls you in the beginning making you believe you know who the killer is with her crafty foreshadowing and hints. You read with eager anticipation expecting a wrench. Then like a spider catching a bug in its web, she grabs you and swirls you around and dumps you out dizzy with shocking revelations. This book is packed full of huge twists and surprises. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers this read is mind blowing.
- I liked Ms. Flynn's in your face writing style. It is dark, wicked, blatant and a bit crass. Definitely not for reader's of a more delicate persuasion. However, if you are a deviant you will love it!
And The Not So Much:
- The pacing of the first half is a bit slow, it really takes awhile for the book to get going. The first half is interesting but it is weak in comparison to the stunning events that come during the second half. This book picks up right at the middle and from that point on it is a roller coaster ride to the finish.
- There were two details that just didn't sit right with me at the conclusion. The first was why was there no lie detector tests? Though not fool proof, one certainly could have changed the way things were going. Second, the anonymous tip that led the police to the diary should have been a definite giveaway because there is no possible way an outsider could have known its location.
- The ending certainly left me scratching my head. It fits but it certainly is unexpected and definitely does not fit expectations. It will leave you thinking, WHAT!?
- As I mentioned earlier, this is a dark psychological thriller; a book for adults. While there is nothing graphic or disturbing, the writing style is at times a bit crass, blunt and straightforward. There is plenty of sexual references, adult language and adult situations.
Gone Girl was a sinfully wicked summer read that left my head spinning. All I can say is pick this one up and and expect the unexpected. I wish I could share with you the many shocking reveals that amazed and stunned me. Ms. Flynn is a talented writer and she crafts a phenomenal story that turns upside down and starts anew halfway through. The characters are complex and definitely memorable. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I plan to read other books by Ms. Flynn!
Favorite Quotations:
"There's something disturbing about recalling a warm memory and feeling utterly cold."
"She blew more smoke toward me, a lazy game of cancer catch."
"I even swoon over his socks, which he manages to shed in tangled poses, as if a puppy carried them in from another room."
"Over just a few years, the old Amy, the girl of the big laugh and the easy ways, literally shed herself, a pile of skin and soul on the floor, and out stepped this new, brittle, bitter Amy."
"Sleep is like a cat: it only comes to you if you ignore it."
"If she were alive, someone would need to return her. If she were dead, nature would have to give her up. It was a palpable truth, like a sour taste on the tongue tip."
"I must take my husband out of my dark shadowy thoughts and shine some cheerful golden light on him. I must do better at adoring him like I used to."
"If you're about to do something, and you want to know if it's a bad idea, imagine seeing it printed in the paper for all the world to see."
"Love makes you want to be a better man---right, right. But maybe love, real love, also gives you permission to just be the man you are."
"The truth is malleable; you just need to pick the right expert."
"I'm not just pretty anymore, I am pretty for my age."
"Stay away from boys. They'll either throw ricks or look up your skirt."
"I am a little too much, and he is a little too little. I am a thornbush, bristling from the over-attention of my parents, and he is a man of a million little fatherly stab wounds, and my thorns fit perfectly into them."
A big thanks to Random House Publishing for the ARC copy of this book. I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.
