A perfectly-balanced and clever thriller but definitely written by a pessimist/"realist". There's no good characters to latch on to.
Summary:
From the outside, Nick and Amy seem like the perfect couple. Until poof, Amy disappears without a trace. Suddenly everyone is investigating the husband, and they don't like what they see. While Nick is trying to sway public opinion and track down his wife, there is another game behind the scenes that could cost someone their life.
Verdict: 8/10
Unhinged humans make the best villains. Let me explain. Human being are known for being determined and creative problem solvers. Anything we put our minds to, we can accomplish within reason. So a human being with extreme intellect but no reasonable morals is the most scarily evil thing I can imagine: unstoppable and without ethical limits in the lengths that they will go to achieve their goal. Hence Gone Girl.
The clues and plot were smart and kept you on your toes. I really enjoyed looking at the PR side of an investigation. Especially nowadays with social media, public opinion can make or break a case. And it was fascinating to watch Nick navigate and adapt to that environment and use it to his advantage. The media storm was almost more enticing than life on the run or the treasure hunt!
However, for a thriller, most of the action was in retrospect, which made the pace seem slower. We’re pulled into investigating what happened and viewing the clues, not as a mystery, but as a back and forth war of spouses trying to win the public over to their side. While that’s a unique take, it made it less active or suspenseful than I would have liked.
I did love the different segments that Gillian Flynn split the book into. The first part (while a bit slower paced) really makes the reader question which of these spouses they should trust. Neither Nick or Amy's stories seem 100% truthful, but which could be more true. We don’t find out which one is false until the second part, when we’re meeting the real villain for the first time. And then the last segment is seeing just how far that villain has come and is willing to go in the future. So creepy!
SPOILER ALERT!
The ending was a necessity... but I’m not happy about it. I get why the author had to end it this way. Amy is an evil genius. There is no loophole that her brain can’t puzzle out for her advantage. There's no way out. But man, it made me want to throw the book across the room! It’s maddening to have the bad guy/girl win. Clever, don’t get me wrong. Still, I’m an endless optimist who hopes it will work out, and there will be justice at the end. This is not the book for a happy ending though. And I can respect that in a bitter sort of way.
I also understand that the author was "keeping it real" and not having any knights in shining armor. The reader may root for him in parts 2 and 3, but Nick is not likable. To me, Nick was the lesser of two evils… because the other side was ACTUALLY evil. This wasn’t the type of book that I could cheer on any one character or pick any favorites. Everyone was kind of despicable, and there really wasn’t much hope going forward for anyone. And even the nicer characters like Boney or Go, you were never sure if you could trust them.
SPOILER ENDED
Also small nitpick: Gillian Flynn really likes using onomatopoeia. Like constantly. It's fine to use as a device on occasion but it seemed a bit excessive.
Characters and grammar repetition aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. And one of the few that the movie was fairly close to the book! It always helps when the author writes the screenplay. And the casting was perfect! Recommend both if you’re in for a creepy psychological game of cat and mouse.
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