Wednesday 19 June 2013

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

About the Book

Title: Gone Girl
Author: Gillian Flynn
Publication: Phoenix (24 May 2012)
Summary: Nick Dunne's wife goes missing on the day of their fifth wedding anniversary. Will he be to blame?


What I Think

Praise for Flynn's magical way with words.  

"Margo, calling from good ole North Carthage, Missouri, from the house where we grew up, and as I listened to her voice, I saw her at age ten, with a dark cap of hair and overall shorts, sitting on our grandparents' back dock, her body slouched over like an old pillow, her skinny legs dangling in the water, watching the river flow over fish-white feet, so intently, utterly self-possessed even as a child."

The example I've used above is, in my opinion, an exquisite sentence. Most people can't write sentences this long without losing the reader. Flynn uses atypical descriptions like a 'cap of hair' and 'fish-white feet'. She also manages to convey dialect 'good ole North Carthage' without it being overbearing, or difficult to follow. 

"[Isn't] ... the point of every relationship to be known by someone else, to be understood? He gets me. She gets me. Isn't that the simple magic phrase?" 

The above quote from Flynn's third publication sums up her psychological thriller, Gone Girl, which tells the story from both Nick and Amy's points of view. After Amy's disappearance we initially we form an opinion about this couple from Nick's perspective and through Amy's diary entries. However, all is not as it seems. Is Nick the culprit? Is this just a classic 'unreliable narrator'? Oh no, it's so much more than that. 

This is a fast-moving, gripping thriller, playing people (both unique and stereotypical at the same time) off against each other throughout. You will simultaneously be racing to the finish line as well as not wanting it to end. And the taste left in your mouth is: are men and women really like that?!  

About the Author

 Gillian Flynn's first novel, Sharp Objects, was the winner of the two CWA Dagger Awards and was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award, and for an Edgar. Her second, Dark Places, was published to great critical acclaim. A former writer and critic for Entertainment Weekly, her novels have been published in twenty-eight countries. 

She lives in Chicago with her husband and son and a giant black cat named Roy. (Phoenix)

Website: gillian-flynn
Facebook: Gillian Flynn

8 comments:

  1. I had mixed feelings about this book. Please read my detailed review here if you like -
    http://amillionkindlebooks.com/mystery-2/gone-girl-review

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment. I read your your review and have left you a comment:
      Hi! Thanks for commenting on my blog. I’ve now read your review. You make some good points, but I don’t agree with all of them. Surely ‘imperfect characters’ are the best ones? No-one in real life is perfect either. And I think the grammar thing wasn’t meant for readers. I think it was meant as a character trait. Anyway. It’s still the book to read at the moment!

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  2. I loved the uncertainty, the twists and the turns of this book. So different.

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    Replies
    1. I agree. There's nothing worse than a predictable book. Well, there are, but let's not go there! ;)

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  3. I loved this book. Did you figure out the twist before it happened? I was trying to but nope, didn't guess correctly! Really enjoyable.
    I've also recently reviewed Gone Girl, do check it out if you have the time!
    http://www.dogearedreads.wordpress.com

    Amelia

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  4. The only thing that I didn't like about reading this book is that it ended and I can't seem to pick up another book without being dissapointed. Ms. Flynn has woven an amazing story and created complex characters, who, at some point during the book, you grow to both love and hate.

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  5. This book was really good! The build up was well thought out and the twist at the end was so unexpected.

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  6. Fun read! I read the other reviews that said they were upset with the ending. I think it didn't bother me in part because I knew it might not be as good. I would certainly recommend this book to others.

    Mica
    Best Reviews for Lake Clark Bear Tours website

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