Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Publisher: Crown

Format: ARC

Source: Bookstore

Challenge: A-Z Mystery Author Challenge

Purchase: Indie Bound (due out June 2012)

I can not tell you how many emotions I went through while reading this book. Talk about psychological thriller. Holy cats! This book was right up my alley. I've had this author on my radar for years now, ever since I picked up a used copy of her first book, Sharp Objects.

Still haven't read that one, of course. I snagged this ARC at work while on break and thought I'd give it a go. It is quite marvelously put together. How intricate of a plot she has created. I find myself getting a very quick opinion of a character from early on in most stories. This one, however, I thought I knew them, but they changed so many times, I did not know what was real and what was not.

Check out this synopsis from Goodreads:

"'What are you thinking, Amy? The question I've asked most often during our marriage, if not out loud, if not to the person who could answer. I suppose these questions stormcloud over every marriage: What are you thinking? How are you feeling? Who are you? What have we done to each other? What will we do?'"

Just how well can you ever know the person you love? This is the question that Nick Dunne must ask himself on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police immediately suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they aren't his. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone. So what did really did happen to Nick's beautiful wife? And what was left in that half-wrapped box left so casually on their marital bed? In this novel, marriage truly is the art of war...

In the beginning, you get the feeling that they are a happy couple or atleast trying to make a good go of it. But then as the back and forth in time chapters roll out, you get a much different picture of both of them. I honestly did not care for either one of them and thought they were just extremely dysfunctional people who can not communicate with each other at all.

Then Amy "disappears" and this whole other side to the story comes up and you are falling fast down a hill full of lies, manipulation and just plain ol' immaturity and self absorption. Like I said previously, I did not really like these characters but they had a train wreck of a story that I could not stop reading. Each chapter will surprise you and the ending will leave you with a resounding, "WTF?"

All in all, impressive read from Gillian Flynn. I will have to get to her first thriller sooner than later.

Rating: Recommend

This is not a wam, bam simple cut and dry case. No. It is a full on psychological thriller you might see on a 20/20 episode. You never know who the good OR the bad guys are. You can't stop reading though and wanting to know how the heck it's going to end. Kudos to Gillian Flynn for creating this dare I say, "edge of your seat" thriller.

Check out her website too. She has a pretty impressive resume!

Author Website:

Gillian Flynn

Happy reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child