Flynn, Gillian. Gone Girl: A Novel. New York: Crown Publishing, 2012. Audio Book.
Borrowed from The Cedar Falls Public Library.
Listened to between November 7-13, 2012.
Three out of five stars.
Nick Dunn wakes up one summer morning expecting to humor his wife with her 5th annual anniversary day scavenger hunt. Instead, he finds that she has disappeared mysteriously, perhaps violently, and suddenly Nick finds himself the prime suspect. What unfolds is a dark, mysterious and suspenseful tale that unravels the seemingly perfect marriage of Nick and Amy. Unreliable narrators alternate their versions of the story via Amy’s secret diary and Nick’s post-disappearance experiences, keeping readers second- and third-guessing their immediate reactions as more truths about Nick and Amy’s lives are revealed and their picture-perfect façade crumbles.
What starts as a compelling, action packed, complex tale of “he said/she said”, quickly loses steam. The initial gritty, disturbing story becomes increasingly whiny and cringe-worthy, though a shocking plot twist around the half-way point was promising. The book ends abruptly, and without justice, as though Flynn simply ran out of things to say. I found myself hating Amy and Nick both, (albeit for different reasons), throughout the book’s duration. This may be a credit to the author, but ultimately left me angry and wishing it had concluded differently. I also could hardly stand the narrators (Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne as Amy and Nick, respectively), which may have affected my overall impression. I would suggest this book for readers looking to stay on their toes and question their intuition, and those who have perhaps been scorned in love and wistfully plotted revenge. I did enjoy Flynn’s writing for the most part and would give her other books a chance, but I wouldn’t buy into all the hype after being let down by Gone Girl.
thelibrariowan 
