Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

 

Being the only staff member in my book store to have not read one of the most hyped up book-to-movie adaptations of the year, I thought I had better jump on the bandwagon and give it a go.

I do love a good crime/thriller novel, and it had been a while since I had read a really good one, so I was more than ready to give this book a go.

“Who are you? What have we done to each other?”

The tag line for this book, Nick’s philosophising lamentation at both the start and the end of the novel, nicely sums up both the overt simplicity and underlying complexity of this story.

The story revolves around the two central characters of Nick and Amy Dunne, and how, on the day of their five-year wedding anniversary, Amy goes missing. As the police begin to investigate, evidence starts turning up which points the finger squarely at Nick being responsible. Told from two points of view, Nick’s first hand account and Amy’s diary entries, this story very soon becomes a case of trying to decipher who is telling the truth, who is lying, and which version of shared events between Amy and Nick is the more accurate account. This book keeps you guessing as to what is going on, what the bigger picture is, and what will happen next, right up until the final page.

As I got further and further into the book, I began to formulate two potential endings, both of which I thought would fit in with the psychological overtones of the novel. However, while I was ready to accept neither of my imagined endings taking place, I was not ready to accept the ending that Flynn decided upon. In fact, I would go as far as to say that I really disliked, and possibly even *gasp* hated, the ending of the book. I would just like to note though, that the ending has indeed divided all the staff in my book store – half of us hate the ending, while the other half think it was brilliant, so it really does come down to personal opinion and preferences.

This novel really is a page-turner because you desperately want to know what the hell is going on the whole way through, and as you get towards the end, you want to see whether certain characters get what they deserve. Aside from the clear-cut story and plot line of the book, this novel also deals with issues and topics on other levels as well. There is a definite psychological element to the book, and everything in the story ultimately comes down to the reader asking themselves, how well do you really know the other person you are sharing the rest of your life with?

I did actually really enjoy this book, despite feeling like the author’s choice of conclusion let the story down in the end. I would definitely recommend reading it before seeing the film (which was excellently done, by the way).

Rating: 3/5