Author: Gillian Flynn
Age Group: Adults
# of Pages: 432
My Rating: 4/5
[Summary from Amazon] 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. 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 I got back into the habit of reading (a hobby I have put on hiatus for five years), I decided to restart with today's popular fiction. I generally avoided popular young adult novels back when I was an active blogger, series such as The Hunger Games and The Mortal Instrument Series. I preferred reading lesser known novels and felt that popular YA series were overhyped. After all, it was my duty as a book blogger to dig around for the gem within the pile. Since I have gotten older, my taste in novels has changed. I am no longer interested in young adult fiction (but will try to attempt to go through the unread ones I own). I'm curious to see what sort of novels are considered popular for adults nowadays. Hence, I got my hands on Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train this past month.
Gillian Flynn has a very fluid and vivid writing style. She contrasted Nick's and Amy's personalities very well when the story switches back and forth between the two characters. In Part 1, you get to read Amy's journal from the past few years since she and Nick first got together. To be honest, when I was reading Part 1, I felt that the story was a bit of a drag because of Nick. I considered his personality to be a bit insufferable because he had this depressing outlook on life. It didn't appeal to me and made it hard for me to like him. Amy's journal was incredibly peppy at the beginning of the book, a strong contrast to Nick's monotone voice.
[SPOILERS] I don't feel that this is a spoiler because I'm sure you've probably know since the movie came out, but Amy is downright insane. I found some enjoyment in her revenge to go missing due to the fact that she caught Nick cheating on her. The plot picks up in Part 2, which made me read through the novel as fast as I could to get to the conclusion. Even though I did not support Nick originally for his infidelity, I hoped that he would get back at Amy for the hell she had put him through. I was pretty upset with how the story ended, hence my 4/5 rating. I know that it makes it more interesting to not have a conventional ending but after all that build-up and support for the character, it made me upset as a reader that in the end Amy had full control over Nick's life and future. [SPOILERS END]
Gone Girl definitely made its mark as a popular novel in today's book world. With an eye for fine detail and strong character developments, Flynn wrote a thriller that would have you on the edge of the seat as it builds up the mystery and suspense.
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