Gillian Flynn's latest book has received a lot of attention since it's release earlier this year and I was very eager to read it as well. I actually went to the bookstore and bought the hard copy edition. Many books I read these days are usually on my Kindle but I wanted to have the complete experience with this book. Having never read any of Ms. Flynn's previous books, I didn't know what to expect and that only added to my excitement. It killed me to have to wait a few weeks to crack it open because I had other books I had committed to and needed to finish. Finally, it was GONE GIRL's turn!
This riveting story of a wife disappearing on her fifth wedding anniversary and her husband being considered a suspect with all of his strange behavior, has all of the elements of a great suspense novel. Right off the bat, I noticed the unique way in which Flynn told this disturbing story. She used two sources to tell the story that alternated between each other. The first chapter started out with the husband, Nick Dunne, talking about the day of his wife, Amy's disappearance. Chapter two was told through Amy's journal that she had been keeping for what appeared to be a long period of time. Her journal gave insight to how the two met and ultimately were married. The chapters alternated in that manner throughout the book.
Because its hard to give a synopsis of GONE GIRL without giving key points away, I'm not going to do that here. I'm simply going to speak about what I liked or disliked about the book, in vague terms so as not to ruin it for those who have yet to read it.
Right from the start I felt a distrust of Nick Dunne. His behavior alone gave the impression that he definitely was hiding something. And on the other hand, I really liked Amy. From her journal she seemed like an intelligent, likeable young woman who, although led a somewhat sheltered and charmed life, didn't flaunt it or act better than other people.
The book is broken into three parts that defined the changes in the storyline. In Part 1, aptly named Boy Loses Girl, it was pretty much your basic story of a wife gone missing and the husband, of course, being the person that is investigated the most. But that is where the common elements end. When I reached Part Two, it became something very different and my curiosity was instantly piqued. So I must say that in the beginning, when people asked me how I liked the book, I said, 'It's good', without alot of conviction. but as I went further, it definitely got better and better and more twisted. I was relieved about that because I really wanted to love this book and live up to the hype it was receiving.
Overall, I was very happy with the book and glad I chose to buy it right after it came out and add it to my library. I thought it was an original idea and I became quickly connected to the characters, even though there were one or two I didn't like. I'm not one hundred percent sure I liked the ending though. It was different than I expected but left me saying, 'Wow...'. And probably, that is exactly what Gillian Flynn wanted. If that is the case, she did a masterful job.
Generally speaking, if I've read a book that I really liked and it later becomes a movie, I am usually disappointed in the film version. But with Reese Witherspoon slated to play Amy Elliot Dunne, I will be very interested to see the movie when it comes out. I don't yet know who is playing Nick Dunne but casting is going to be very important in order to make it work. I have no doubt the book will be better, however.
GONE GIRL
Author: Gillian Flynn
Publisher: Crown
Published: June 2012
Pages: 432
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
