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10 May 2014
Title
|
Gone Girl
|
Author
| Gillian Flynn |
Publisher
| Phoenix |
Publication Date
|
03 Jan 2013
|
Pages
| 515 |
Genre
| Novel, crime, mystery |
Blurb:From 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. 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?
My review:
It is clearly from the beginning that Nick and Amy's marriage is not exactly 'two lovebirds dedicated to each other'. The initial passion between them seems to be replaced with frustration with each other quite soon. When both lose their jobs in NYC and Nick's mother becomes terminally ill, they both move to Nick's old hometown in Missouri where Nick opens a bar. New York born and bred Amy finds it hard to adjust. On their 5th wedding anniversary, Nick leave the house in the morning and when being called back by a neighbour, finds Amy gone and it looks like a struggle took place, with overturned furniture and the kitchen cleaned of blood, lots of blood. With no sign of Amy, the police increasingly suspect Nick and all signs seem to point at him.
The story is told from Nick's point of view, and also from diary entries from Amy, going back to the beginning of their relationship. Nick certainly is no angel, but I found Amy even more disturbing. Her parents are book authors who wrote a children's book series called 'Amazing Amy' which they say is not directly based on their Amy, but it clearly is the golden child they wanted. Amazing Amy continues with her violin lesson and becomes a champion, real life Amy given up on violin lessons. Amazing Amy always does everything right. Real Amy is well known because of the books and people are stalking her, or are they? Or is it just Amy attention seeking?
It was a real page-turner, I read the book within 48 hrs. You never know who is lying and who is telling the truth. Unlike some readers, I did like the ending. It is always a bit difficult to review a book which is really popular and has already been reviewed and talked about so many times. It is difficult to say more without putting major spoilers in, but if you have friends who read the book, this is a brilliant one to discuss and see what your friends think.
(Small) Spoiler
I read only a few reviews about this book before (No major spoilers in those reviews) but what did spoil the reading experience slightly for me was that it said everywhere: 'there is a big twist half-way into the book.' That's why I constantly expected the story to change and was waiting for it, and, quite honestly, almost knew what was going to happen. I wish I could have just read it without reading anything about it before. Maybe the peril of a seasoned reader...
Anything I didn't like?
I did had a bit of trouble getting into it the first 2 chapters or so - but I would urge you to stay with it! It will grip you eventually. Also, the cover is a bit unimaginative?
I purchased this book as paperback. This review is entirely my own opinion.
