Book Review: Gone Girl

Gone Girl By Gillian Flynn

This is a clever mystery thriller that alternates between two sides of one story.  Nick and Amy Dunne, husband and wife, tell the story of their troubled marriage, the events leading up to Amy's disappearance and the ramifications which follow.  The New York City couple moves to a small Missouri town after both loosing their jobs.  Amy, a once wealthy Manhattan Native, must live in Nick's hometown in the midst of a failing economy. Nick tells the story of an angry brooding wife who will never forgive him for his inadequacies. Amy tells the story of a woman trying to make the best of an unfortunate situation and who has hopes of making her marriage work even as her husband grows ever more distant and even frightening.  Nick is faced with major suspicion as the investigation of the disappearance (and apparent murder) continues.  Even though all the evidence points to Nick, he claims he has no idea why.  Someone is telling lies.

I spent the first half of this book really disliking both characters.  Nick who is so clueless about his wife and marriage. He sees Amy's annual anniversary treasure hunts as a laborious task which he is set up for fail.  He would do anything to avoid them.  Amy is a bit of a doormat (I even questioned how the book could be written by a woman). She has hopes of a romantic adventure every year, but pretty quickly forgives Nick's inability to complete most her clues. She understands her soulmate parents have set an unrealistic expectation of romance.  Amy prides herself on never expecting her husband to be a "dancing monkey." A man who must show how his love by jumping at his woman's every beck and call. In reality, Amy is not being true to her feelings or needs.  Asking your husband to respect you is not asking your husband to "dance."And still, I kept wanting to know what is next. Where the story was going.  At times it was rather predictable, but always satisfying. As the book continued, we discover that Nick and Amy really do know each other better than most couples do, and probably truly belong together.

I devoured this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes crime books and thrillers. It is amazingly difficult to share much more without some major spoilers.  If you read it let me know, we can discuss!  I especially want to discuss the ending with someone!!