What if you lost everything of value in your world? What if, after losing all this, the world watched your every move, judging you for the decisions you made, as well as analyzing everything down to your smile and your response to questions? What if you and your family were the only ones who knew the truth of your situation, yet no one on the outside believed you? What would you do if you felt the world caving in, but knew the truth that would set you free? Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn addresses these issues and many more in a thrilling mystery of epic proportions.
Nick and Amy Dunne have been married for five years. Like any marriage, theirs has been through a lot, including the loss of both their jobs, as well as relocating to Missouri from New York City to help care for Nick’s dying mother and Alzheimer’s stricken father. On the morning of their fifth anniversary, Amy has gone missing and Nick is the primary suspect. He acts inappropriately and smiles at the wrong time, leading everyone to suspect that he is to blame for Amy’s disappearance. The only people who are on his side are his sister Margo, and to some extent Amy’s parents. What follows is a story of deceit, intrusion of the media, and how public opinion can quickly change due to one off-handed comment.
I have never in my life been so enthralled by a book. I know I’ve said this before about The Great Gatsby, The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Angels and Demons, but those books pale in comparison to the emotions I felt while reading this book. I’ve never been so emotionally involved in a book to the point where if I didn’t know what happened next, I wouldn’t be able to live anymore. It was the type of book where just one more chapter turned into a few more, and before I knew it I had read the whole thing in 24 hours. Even though the book is a quick read, every word matters. Every scenario builds upon the last, and the climax leaves the reader stunned.
Gillian Flynn has a way of writing characters that bring out emotions in the reader. Never did I think it was possible to hate one of the main characters as much as I did (I will not say which character for those readers who have yet to experience this book), but the passion I felt towards hating this character made reading the story even better. It bought out in me emotions that up until this point only movies had been able to. I truly didn’t think it was possible for a book to do so. Flynn’s writing had this cinematic flair to it with a Hitchcock-style twist, which made the book that much more effective for me as a reader. I will admit to gasping out loud probably 150 times while reading this book. Additionally, switching between Nick and Amy’s perspectives helped to get a fuller understanding of the events of the novel. So often when a novel is told from one perspective the reader doesn’t get the full story. The dual narration provided a full explanation of all of the events of the story, and made it that much more powerful.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough to any reader who likes a good mystery. Gillian Flynn creates a world using characters we know in a world we know all too well. The backdrop of modern society with paparazzi and the 24-hour news cycle really enhances this classic story of betrayal and the truth behind it. I think anyone who reads this review that hasn’t read Gone Girl yet needs to go get the book and experience the pure excitement of it. I am beyond excited to see the film adaptation and see how it translates to the screen.
7 out of 5 Stars
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Crown Publishing (2012)
Hardcover: 432 pages
ISBN: 9780307588364
Reflections of a Book Addict 
I loved this book too. Great review!
Thanks for checking out my review! I am glad you loved the book too!
Reblogged this on The Book Report with Elaine Charles and commented:
Gone Girl
Great review 😉 I liked this book, but I found the ending a little disappointing. I agree that this book has a great sense of mystery.
I agree with you regarding the ending. It was very abrupt, however I do think the ending followed the tone of the novel. Thank you for checking out my review.
Hi ! The book is on my 2014 wishlist and I’m definitely buying it after reading such a positive review !
Glad I could persuade you to buy it and hopefully enjoy it as much as I did! Thanks for you checking out my review.
I really want to read this book. I am, however, worried that I will compare it to other things and events (read: I’m a Penn Stater and just your description alone made me think of Joe Paterno). I didn’t know it was becoming a movie! Apparently that’s all Hollywood can think of doing these days. I’ll have to make a note to read it before the movie comes out.
I think the media aspects of the story are one part of the novel, yes a big part, but there’s so many layers to this story. The characters really make this story what it is. I would definitely check it out. Also, when I read the book, I thought it was a perfect movie plot! It was written in a Hitchcock style that I just got a visual image of the story unfold as I read. I think some books were made to be movies and get the visual adaptation of it. This is definitely one example. Thank you for checking out my review.
Seven out of five? Yikes! I have a copy of this at home and it’s killing me to wait until my book club gets to it!
Thank you for checking out my review. I would say give yourself a little preview before your book club reads it, it is definitely the type of the story I could see one reader more than once.
I loved this book for the amazing writing and intense story BUT I almost didn’t finish it because I loathed the characters SO MUCH. A friend suggested I push on and by a point it would get better. She was right. I’m glad I finished it, it IS an amazing story and the commentary on society and the media is fantastic. But the characters! Oh the awful, hateful characters!!
I definitely agree with you about the hateful nature of the characters. At one point, I had too put the book down because my blood was boiling from one of the characters actions. However I am glad, you were able to stick it out and enjoy the story and it’s commentaries on society and the media, I think that point of the novel is almost as important as the characters themselves. Thank you for checking out my review!
the author has carefully traced the events in the life of a married couple, after the wife goes missing. the beauty of the book is the diary entries of the wife which show the changing scenario in a relationship aftr the recent recession where numerous people lost their jobs. It is a must read for all the book lovers & since it is a best seller, the content is no doubt beautifully structured & life like.
I agree that the diary entries helped show the tone shift in the story. Thank you for checking out my review.
Have you read anything else by Gillian Flynn? My book club just read Sharp Objects and even though it was very well written, it was too dark for me to be sure I want to try anything else of her’s, so I’d be interested to hear how this compares.
I am waiting for work to slow down a little bit before I read her two other novels, but I am definitely interested in reading them after reading Gone Girl. Thank you for checking out my review.
Since you posted your comment, I have read both of Gillian Flynns other books. I will say Sharp Objects was EXTREMELY dark. Gone Girl is nowhere as dark as Sharp Objects. I think out of all her books, Gone Girl was the most mild, then Dark Places, and then Sharp Objects was the most dark. I think if you want a tamer read, try Gone Girl. Thanks again for checking out my review.
I loved this book myself!
Great Review! I loved this book. Definitely one of those books I could not put down!
I must be the only person who couldn’t get through this book. I found the characters narcissistic and completely self-absorbed and thought it moved slowly. I thought it was very well-written though, and happily skipped to the last 100 pages after reading the first hundred to see how it ended.
I agree the characters were completely narcissistic and that made them so interesting to read about. They were unlike any characters I have ever read about. I did think the story moved rather quickly and kept me engaged. I appreciate your comment and thank you for checking out my review
You’re welcome!
I liked the book overall, it was a quick read. Really upbeat and mysterious storyline. I did hate the characters by the end though!
I agree I did hate the characters by the end, one more so than the other. However, I would not really characterize it as upbeat, but I guess everyone’s sees it with their own eyes. Thanks for checking out my review.
A book needs to engage the reader on many levels. There’s nothing worse than being left cold and feeling like you’ve wasted your time. I might give this one a go.
If you want to be engaged in a novel, I would definitely check it out. This is a quick read and constantly leaves the reader on the edge of their seat. Thanks for checking out my review.
I read they will be changing the ending in the movie, with the author’s consent. I’m really curious how they’ll change it. I know the ending left me feeling bitter and worried. How about you?
I have heard that they changed the ending and personally I am interested to see how they change it as well. The ending in the book was on some level disappointing, but real life. I thought it suited the tone of the book and made sense. I do however wonder if they are going to make it more hollywood friendly. I have also read that Gillian Flynn wrote the screenplay for the movie, so she had a hand in creating the new ending. I am excited to see the new life she brings to her own story. Thanks for checking out my review.
A great review of a wonderful book (even though I didn’t agree with the ending)
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