Review: Gone Girl

Posted January 11, 2013 by Whitney in Review / 16 Comments

Review: Gone GirlGone Girl
by Gillian Flynn
Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Publication Date May 24, 2012
Source: Bought
Genres: Thriller
Goodreads

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?


My family has gone away for Christmas every year since I was little, and each year there seems to be one book that is floating around the airport.  Last year while waiting for connections everyone was reading Stephen King’s 11/22/63 (including myself) this year, it was Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. Gone Girl seemed to appear on every top ten best books of 2012 list ever created.  I loved her debut, Sharp Objects therefore I had to read this one, and became one of the lemmings floating around the airport.

I kind of guessed what had become of Amy, but it was the way Gillian Flynn laid out her treasure hunt that still had me thinking “no fucking way.”  Amy is a sociopath, using her Amazing Amy persona to her advantage.  Elmo, didn’t exactly act the way he was portrayed on Sesame Street so why should Amazing Amy?

Gone Girl is fantastic, the writing is superb, the pacing perfect, Gillian Flynn constantly adding another piece to the puzzle.  This thriller is excellent from beginning to end, leaving me with a chill down my spine.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 169 other subscribers

16 responses to “Review: Gone Girl

    • Amy really annoyed me at the end, she is just a bitch. I wish it had ended differently but you're right, I was thinking (and talking) about it weeks later.

  1. LALALALA *sticks fingers in ears and sings badly until she's joined the lemmings and finally read the book* I've noticed the holiday book phenomenon myself, even though I don't go away often. A few years ago EVERY PERSON in the airport was either reading The Da Vinci Code or doing su doku. On holiday this year every other hand seemed to be clutching 50 Shades of Grey. I'm glad to hear that your winter experiences have yielded more interesting titles! 😉

    • Please join the lemmings; I promise you won't regret it.

      I forgot about su doku! Anyone who wasn't reading in the airport was on their phone/tablet playing Angry Birds. It was a little unnerving.

  2. Whitney, thanks for linking this in. We are starting to get a lovely collection of book links. I have just signed up to follow you. A follow back to Carole's Chatter would be wonderful – or are you already following? Cheers

  3. Great review! I've been curious about this but was sort of waiting for a recommendation from a trusted reader before adding it to my list. 🙂

  4. I have to read this book…everyone is talking about it. My friend just finished it. I am glad a few others haven't read it yet either. 🙂

    Stopping by from Carole's January Books I Loved. I am in that list as #46.

    My featured book is SEVEN LOCKS.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Blog

  5. I forgot about how much the ending bothered me. I do NOT want a sequel to Gone Girl. The newest plot surprise at the end throws it in a completely different light for me. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Flynn doesn't do that.

    • I loved the ending and thought it fit Amy's personality perfectly. I never got the impression that Gillian Flynn set up the conclusion of Gone Girl with aspirations of a sequal and made Nick's fate pretty clear. Sometimes I think what isn't said makes a lasting impression.

Leave a Reply

CommentLuv badge

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.