Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Release Date – June 5, 2012
Publisher Website –  Crown/Random House
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages - 415 pages
My Rating- 5/5
**Borrowed from fellow blogger**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

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? 

With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Girl goes missing. Not exactly your typical fairytale romance.  Amy and Nick seemed to have a charmed life, right up until their fateful 5th year wedding anniversary. Amy goes missing and Nick’s actions make him seem suspicious. Part murder mystery, and part mind game, Gone Girl is an intense, and twisted novel that will leave you reeling.

Gone Girl is a book you don’t want to spoil for yourself. It’s also one of those books that is hard to talk about without giving anything way. It is an intense experience, made all the more rich by allowing the novel to unfold and letting the twists and turns of the story take you by surprise.

Gillian Flynn takes a magnifying glass to marriage (or even dating someone) and ended up causing me to squirm a little. She heightens everything, obviously, for dramatic purposes but the gritty truth is apparent underneath. Some of what haunts Nick and Amy’s relationship is a all to recognizable. Often people expect their partners to read their minds, and instinctively know what they want and need. Often this leads to anger, because our partner doesn’t know us as well as we think they did. People tend to put their best selves forward when initially getting together, and slowly fade into their true natures as time progresses. It shows how important communication and honesty are in a relationship. However, most of these are done without thinking. It reflected a disillusionment that sometimes accompanies falling out of love. Everything you loved about someone is now the thing that drives you crazy. She also highlights the good stuff though. The inside jokes, the bonds that are ever present, the realization that you really do know your partner if you think about it. All of that is shown as well. The ups and downs of a relationships are beautifully written. The extremes in which love can drive us are also shown with utter realism.

Gillian Flynn’s ability to make me switch my view point each chapter was brilliant. I was caught up in each version of the truth. There really are two sides to every story, and the narrator gets to put their own spin on it. This dual narration makes this even more evident and sifting through the motivations and truths starts to feel like being caught in a spider’s web. The narrators are also so vastly different that each voice is crystal clear.

Neither Nick or Amy are blameless or perfect for many things in the novel. Each is flawed, and messed up in their own way. Nick’s driving desire to be liked, and Amy’s spoiled tendencies are just the tip of the iceberg in the dysfunction that is this relationship. However, each of them captured my attention and I was instantly drawn into their story. They are complex, and human.

I also wanted to point out the delightful nod to Nancy Grace. The character was brilliantly catty and wonderful. It provided some humour in an otherwise tense plot.

There is so much else I would love to say but so much is a spoiler, so I will just say READ IT. Enjoy the ride, and relish each twisted, delicious, demented second of it.

A novel that is meant to be an experience, Gone Girl packs plenty of thrilling twists, and turns. Just when you think you know what happened to Amy (and to the relationship) another delicious twist is revealed. An unsettling, tragic, and yet perfectly fitting ending that ensures the characters, and the story, stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.