Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Book: Gone Girl
Author: Gillian Flynn
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Year: 2012
Rating: ★★★★★ / 5

Oh, Amazing Amy!

This book was an amazing read. The mystery, the drama and most importantly the CHARACTERS. I bow before Gillian Flynn for being able to create something so deep, at some points even disturbing; to be able to switch between characters, between personalities and yet the book felt complete and harmonized.

I absolutely loved LOVED it!

I know it was a late read for me considering that the book was Goodreads Choice Awards winner in 2012, most people have already seen the movie and all the buzz around it has been slowly dying. But anyone who hasn’t had the time or will to pick it up and read it should definitely do it!

Mystery and crime are my favorites genres by far and I have read so many books in this genre, however Gone Girl surprised me on every single page, it was unique and throughout the whole book I’ve never gotten a “I’ve read it before” feeling.

So in short the book switches between two perspectives of the same story, His and Hers, Nick Dunne and Amy Elliott, as Amy went missing under very suspicious circumstances. One chapter at a time we discover their personalities, what they like, what they hate, how they live their lives. Or at least we think we did!

When I think I know them better than anyone else there came THE twist (Oh, yes THE twist because there were a lot of them but that one was the most unpredictable).

________________________________

***SPOILERS***

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

I became so sympathetic to that girl she was pretending to be while writing the diary. Obviously I knew she was alive and I had my doubts regarding Nick’s role in it, but I would never ever have guessed how messed up she actually was, how Amazing Amy turned out to be Crazy Amy!

The Cool Girl Amy in the beginning of the book seemed fake to me already, but what girl doesn’t try to pretend Cool sometimes to get guy’s attention, right? It was interesting to read about it and realize: hey, that is something I’ve done before! Especially at the beginning of the second part, when we finally got to see the Real Amy, she describes the Cool Girl she was trying to be, the Cool Girl that didn’t actually exist. Made me think about all the times I tried to be that Cool Girl, pretending everything is light and bubbly even when it wasn’t just so he would like me.

Then we see how she acted as the Poor Amy, running away, hiding from a threat that might be an abusive husband, how she deals with day-to-day life struggling with 9k dollars! It was a not so subtle way of showing Rich and Spoiled Amy showing up through her made-up personality.

Afterwards came the Victim Amy she was performing before Desi and the Hero Amy in the end, showing the police and the world how Amazing she was, the bravest for being able to stand up for herself and escape from captivity; the most humble for forgiving her cheating husband and staying together to be the Perfect Couple.

Yes, I fell in love with Gillian Flynn’s writing style and ability to make her characters feel as real as my neighbors next door.

The reason I gave this book 4 out 5 stars was Nick Dunne. I honestly didn’t like him. Without a doubt, I was sympathetic towards him at some points of the book but he just didn’t make me worry too much about his faith or about him at all, and it’s not because I hated him, I guess it was more of a neutral feeling. He seemed quiet pathetic. But that is just my opinion.

________________________________

Overall the book was astonishing, unpredictable and even weird, but absolutely and unquestionably great! I can’t wait to start reading another Gillian Flynn book!

Advertisement