May 192013
Gone Girl: A Novel
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-fray
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Fiendishly clever mystery novel,
In the first few pages of Gillian Flynn’s new novel Gone Girl, I was thinking, “This is it — one of those rare novels that’s unique and totally engrossing, cleverly plotted so that each new development has me astounded and eager to find out what happens next.” Then the story continued as Midwestern husband Nick began to deal with his wife Amy’s sudden disappearance and some gradually revealed details that might cast doubt on his own innocence in the matter. During that time, the book dropped down from the level of extraordinary to merely somewhat intriguing. However, once I reached Part Two of Gone Girl (“Boy Meets Girl”), it was like Ms Flynn kicked it up a notch, and the book became amazing again. Without giving any spoilers, Part Two unveils some major plot twists that cast Amy’s status in an entirely new light. From that point on, the story moves along in powder keg fashion: the fuse has been lit, and it’s only a question of how long ’til the explosion, and how much damage will be done when it happens. Flynn has a distinctive writing style that really involved me in what was going on with her two main characters. I had previously purchased but not yet read her Sharp Objects (after several recommendations). Now I will have to read it, and also get her first book, Dark Places. Only one warning, though: Gone Girl contains a fair amount of foul language. This was not a problem for me, but it might be for some readers.
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|An Irresistible Slow Burn,
Marguerite Yourcenar wrote long ago that “the mask, given time, comes to be the face itself.” This can work for good or bad, but the more hideous the secrets, the more carefully that mask is constructed. So what if you discovered after five years of marriage that you’d only seen the mask, and never the real face of your spouse? Once those dark truths were revealed, could you stay married to that person?
Knowledge is power, and never more so than in an intimate relationship.
What if your spouse knew you so well that they could anticipate your behavior in any circumstance, and thereby manipulate you without your realizing it?
Gillian Flynn takes the common marital concerns about money, in-laws, and parenthood, and turns them into toxic waste in the case of Nick and Amy Dunne. Amy is revealed through her diaries, and Nick narrates his experiences as he follows the clues in the anniversary treasure hunt laid out by his wife before she disappeared. Did Nick kill Amy? A lot of people think so, but her body hasn’t been found. Is Amy still alive? What was lurking beneath the surface of their marriage?
GONE GIRL is a thriller, but it’s a slow burn. Flynn strings you along. She doles out just enough information to make you think you’ve figured things out before she hits you with another “GOTCHA!” revelation that changes everything. And she saves the biggest gotcha of all for the end, which is shocking in its subtlety. The way the story ends puts the final seal on what a truly sick relationship Nick and Amy had.
The path is twisted, disturbing, and sometimes horrifying. It’s also irresistible.
Sensitive readers should proceed with caution. The book does contain coarse language as well as some violence and sexual content.
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|When a Perfect Marriage Turns Sour,
A beautiful woman is snared by a young man who can’t believe his good fortune. She is well off and adores him. What can be better? Both are writers living in New York but they lose their jobs. In addition, the woman’s parents become financially bereft and ask their daughter to borrow her money. Poor, they use the last of her money to buy a bar in his hometown which is run by her husband and his twin sister.
Amy Elliott Dunne has another side to her personality that Nick Dunne is about to discover as the ideal marriage that he thought he had begins to fall apart. When Amy disappears Nick is believed to be the cause of her disappearance.
Did he murder his beloved wife? Nick knows he didn’t but all signs point to that conclusion. The police believe he is responsible for her absence. Her parents, who stand by him in the beginning, arrive at the same belief. The public and the media are likewise convinced. He wonders if even his twin sister believes it as well. Before the reader discovers the truth, the reader becomes wrapped up in endless detail.
This is a thriller that does keep one turning the pages but it roars to a pallid conclusion. I liked it but thought that someone should have spent more time editing as details are presented again and again. I know many others will like this read but I was disappointed.
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