Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Rating: 4/5

 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 from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. 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?

 As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

I’m going to divide this review into parts. Because Gone Girl has so many twists and turns I will try not to call the main characters by their names. And of course this review is spoiler FREE because spoilers are the devil! 

First Half of the Book

I thought I wasn’t going to like the first half of the book. I read some reviews and all of them said the same thing: “Why was the first half of the book even necessary?” To my surprise I loved the first half of Gone Girl. I thought it was extremely vital to the whole book. The first half has a great amount of background story between the characters. The POV jumps from Nick in the present and entries from Amy’s diaries from several time frames. The jumps were not confusing at all. I thought this part of the book was brilliantly executed.

Second Half of the Book

Most of the things that happened I didn’t see coming. I see why most people liked the second half of Gone Girl better that the first. I did too. There’s more action, more dialogue and more everything. I don’t want to say anything else because I will spoil it.

The Characters

Wow. I just can’t begin to tell you how I felt about them. I felt guilty for feeling some sympathy toward them. I couldn’t help it. I was so involved in their story. I still cared for them after the truths were revealed. 

The Plot

The plot was designed to play with the reader’s mind. It’s an irresistible puzzle. From page one I knew Gone Girl was different. This book will keep the reader awake at night trying to figure out what will happen next.

The Writing

Everything about Gone Girl is brilliant. The characters and the plot were amazing but it’s because of the writing that the book stands out so much. I haven’t read many books that can carry themselves like Gone Girl did.

Overall Gone Girl is a mind twister. It will mess with your mind and I assure you, you will ask yourself this after finishing the book: “Are the people in my life who they really say they are?”

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