A review and discussion of of “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn.
By Jodie Hook
Typically when you read a novel, you can decide how you feel about a character early on. In “Gone Girl”, there doesn’t seem to be anyone worth liking much, but yet, at least for myself, I still was able to connect with the characters.
“Gone Girl” is not a crime novel, although it is completely based around crime. It is not a marriage guide, although it is completely based around a marriage. And it is as far from a good vs. evil story as I have ever read. Because of how the book is setup, from two contrasting perspectives, we see the characters in very different lights and are left unsure who to believe or to even be rooting for.
The twist, and there are many, but the main twist (and those that have read it know which one I mean) changes the story so much, I was both shocked and a little disappointed. The disappointment came from the complete deviation the story took, and it took me a few chapters to get invested again in a story I quickly realized I had not understood at all.
It was like eating a steak dinner and then realizing all the sudden you were eating chocolate cake. Chocolate cake is good, but if that isn’t what you are expecting, then does it satisfy you? Perhaps.
I would recommend “Gone Girl”, it was exciting, a relatively easy read, and well written. All the things I look for when I want to get lost in a book for a few hours. I would love to hear what everyone else thought of the book and look forward to digging into the craziness that is Nick and Amy.
The September selection for our informal Book Club will be “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett.
About Jodie:
After getting married and having a baby, life took over and I stopped reading for a few years. Now that my daughter is a little older, I have made an effort to get back to my passions, writing and reading books. I have been an avid reader since childhood and my best memories are of hiding under my blanket with a flashlight and a great book. For me, reading a great book isn’t just something to do for an hour or two, it’s something I get lost in. I hope to share my passion for reading all genres of books with you and hope that we can have some great discussions.
Hi Jodi,
Your review is right on!
I know what twist did me in the most.
For me it was the most disappointing.
I have read the Help, great read with lots of sad and happy times. I didn’t have time to read your last selection, but looking forward to future picks from you Jodi.
I really enjoyed Gone Girl. The twist shocked the heck out of me! The craziness of Nick and Amy doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of their relationship, for me. I think he likes her crazy. And that makes me want a sequel.
I didn’t really like it. 🙁 It was very hard for me to get into it. The one thing I did like about it was the ending. I like the unexpected.
I think I most likely would read a sequel just to find out what is next for this couple and I guess if I would read the sequel… it means the author has done her job.
I can see this being made into a movie and being fairly successful.
Opposite for me Pam but I do agree its good movie material.
I didn’t care for how it ended.
I didn’t want Amy to get to walk away, able to continue with her wickedness.
I would read a sequel only in hopes she comes undone.
With all the twists & turns it would be my luck tho that the sequel would leave me rooting for her.
Pam, I agree… would make a great movie!
Deb, Amy getting away with her sickness is what makes me HOPE for a sequel!
Did anyone else think that Nick loved the “crazy” Amy more than the “normal” Amy? I don’t think it was just because of the … (don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read it yet) that he stuck around. I think he liked her crazy side. I think it gave him a thrill. I think they are both a little (or a lot) sick in the head.
Oh yeah Mo,
That’s what I thought at first Mo, the way he lost interest in the ‘normal’ Amy, but there were glimpses that she was never ‘normal’
Remember, he was aware of her pulling a scam on that truck driver that cut her off ?
Obviously he loves the crazy side Amy if he would risk staying with her. I mean, the woman KILLED someone for crying out loud and was willing to let Nick rot in prison for the rest of his life.
Sad thing is that there are quite a few people out there like Amy and Nick which is evident when you read all of these true crime novels or watch 48 hours or Dateline.
Oh yeah, I think crazy Amy was exciting for him. And the fact that she got rid of the friend. Holy cow. She is a nutjob!
Definitely need a sequel!
Looks like we’ll get that movie…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/12/gone-girl-movie-reese-witherspoon_n_1669592.html
Question… are we allowed to discuss the specific parts of the books? I don’t want to spoil it for anyone else by doing so…
So will Witherspoon also star in it??? She would be good, I think.
Mo, I guess Jodie would need to answer that but I thought this was for full discussion.
After what Amy did to the ‘friend’ there was no going back for me.
Even though he was a ‘creep’ that was the final straw for me.
I won’t discuss more until we get the ok Mo.
I’ll wait to hear from Jodie…
In the first 1/2 of the book, I thought Nick was a d*$k. He was selfish and seemed so guilty. I wanted to rip his face off. I think I felt so strongly about him that when the middle of the book hit, it was like a gigantic slap in the face! I enjoyed it because I usually can see where a book is heading from a mile away.
Gillian Flynn has 2 other books out, which I read. Both were really good. She can spin a story for sure!
Same, same, for me Mo.
It was a stinging slap too.
I kinda felt betrayed in a strange way.
I love this discussion so far. I think it’s great that even for those that didnt love the book, they are still invested enough to read a sequel just to know how far their crazy stories will go. I think thats a sign of a good author, that you can hate the story but still get sucked into it. I kept my review as spoiler free as possible, but I think that the further discussions can be as open as you all would like them to be. If we were all face to face in a club setting, we would be openly talking details, so i think we should have that same freedom here.
I hear you, Deb. Betrayed and surprised. But I enjoyed this betrayel because it meant the story had grabbed me and I was invested in it. The chapter where it’s revealed Amy is alive and it’s a fake diary had me reeling. I had to start the chapter over again because I was sure I had misread it.
Amy is crazy, psycho, insane, delusional, and WAY too smart!
Thanks Jodie! I am glad we can discuss details. There are so many little things that Amy does that made me go WTF!
She manipulated her friends in school at a young age, that boy, and Nick. She’s one of the most hated book characters for me. She kills the ex-boyfriend for petes sake! And Nick, well Nick is a wacko for staying with her… baby or not.
I agree about Nick being a wacko for staying with her……and I wanted to like him. I guess I still do like him.
When I read a book like this I always am thinking about where is this going? At one point I thought maybe Nick’s senile father had done something to her.
I thought maybe Nicks dad did it too, Pam! I was so sure that this was the answer that I emailed my guess to my sister and told her not to open it until she had finished the book. LOL
I tried to sympathize with Amy’s character.
It must have been weird at such a young age having your parents famous for writing books about a perfect Amy.
Even taking events from her life and changing them into what a perfect Amy’s choice would have been.
As the story unfolded I could no longer sympathize.
I hear you, Deb… I can’t imagine growing up knowing any screw up I had would end up in a book seen by millions. Her parents definitely screwed her up at an early age.
Oh man, what she did to that girlfriend from school and the boyfriend that wasn’t into her anymore was so cruel.
Well, the way she set up the girlfriend was cruel.
The way she set up the boyfriend for not being that into her anymore was criminal.
I really wanted her to face the music and Nick really let me down.
Amy really knew how to get into the minds of her victims that’s for sure.
I hated and enjoyed watching Nick struggle with himself. I think he was ashamed by how into Amy he was again when she came back and was waving her crazy flag. I think he was just weak enough that he relished her strength, no matter how insane she was. He seemed relieved by the baby, because then he didnt have to admit that he wanted to stay, she gave him an excuse.
Jodie,
I couldn’t believe at the time there was anything to struggle with.
I knew he was worn down with what had happen to his life but I thought that was enough to fuel him.
I agree about the baby making it easy for him.
I could feel that lady detectives let down at the end.
Or maybe it was mine I was projecting into her.
#GoneGirl I LOVED it! And I hated just about every one of the characters. That’s quite an accomplishment for Gillian Flynn. I am thankful I wasn’t expected to love them either.
I mean, how utterly despicable are the Stan and Jan Berenstain-like characters? The children’s authors? Yuck, yuck, yuck. And Nick? Ugh, I can NOT stand men like him. He resents his wife’s money AND he uses his wife’s money. His mommy does everything for him- but he actually pats himself on the back for taking care of her- when it’s the only thing he has left to do. He leans on his sister (I liked her!) for ideas, emotional support, direction- but he seems to think he is doing it on his own, and he continually puts her at risk! Loser!
But I reserve my strongest distaste for the psycho narcissist with the flawless skull- his wife. She’s a loon. She’s a soulless, evil, manipulative, pathetic excuse for a human being. Her interaction with the people from her past- the school friend, the man she dated- was just so chilling. I really identified with those characters- their desire to get away her and her toxicity. My skin crawls thinking about this character, probably because I am certain there are people like her in real life. They are people who have never developed any humility before God (or the rest of mankind) to keep their own desires in perspective. They feel no true empathy. They don’t even realize how sick their thinking and resulting actions are.
Is this an unrealistic portrayal of characters? I think at first glance, the relationship between Amy and her “friend” Desi might be described as just too cartoonish and convenient to be real. But I disagree. Of course, I think it’s rare (thank God!) but I do think such a sick dependency between two such characters happens in real life. I am thinking of the type of people who are drawn to cult leaders, then drink cyanide-laced Kool-Aid on command. Yes, There are “Desi’s” in real life. They flutter around manipulative leaders who use them, then discard them, throwing them under a bus when it serves another purpose.
I pity those people, but have found pity often goes hand-in-hand with contempt.
Is it any wonder I found myself hoping her companions in the Ozarks might have finished her off?
Count me in the group hoping for a sequel. Nick has a chance to redeem himself. He’s well on his way, IMO. I don’t think he stayed for her crazy. I think he stayed for the baby- a natural and healthy love that will lead to a virtuous dying-to-self. I agree he is drawn to her crazy, but hopefully he can channel his own neediness into another legal and less-unhealthy fetish like sex with women dressed as furry animals or something, lol!
Jodie says:
August 27, 2012 at 9:39 am
I hated and enjoyed watching Nick struggle with himself. I think he was ashamed by how into Amy he was again when she came back and was waving her crazy flag. I think he was just weak enough that he relished her strength, no matter how insane she was. He seemed relieved by the baby, because then he didnt have to admit that he wanted to stay, she gave him an excuse.
***
Amy waving her crazy flag made me LOL. I think you’re right though… the pregnancy gave him the excuse he needed to stay with her. Sick pair. Maybe they deserve each other. I wonder though… how long with that “do it” for Nick… What if Amy were to start “waving her crazy flag” at the baby… all reasons for a second book!
Ann,
This:
psycho narcissist with the flawless skull-
Is the PERFECT description of Amy. Well done!
#GoneGirl
That skull is some metaphor. I am so glad we are not in a University-level Lit class where we’d have to dissect this to the point of tedium. Better to just enjoy the crazy and buy popcorn for the movie.
By the way, I think Reese Witherspoon will do a great job as Amy.
LOL…I didn’t get a chance to read the book…but Ann you crack me up. 🙂
I just got back from my local library. I am now number 1024 on the wait list. The librarian told me that is the longest que she has ever seen for a book, even longer than The Hunger Games.
Rosemary, Im so sorry your library has such a long waitlist for this book! I selected a little older book for September, so hopefully you wont run into the same problem.
When will we be discussing The Help? I want to make sure I get it read before the next discussion.
Some friends and I have a name for women like “Amy”. We call them Honeybadgers because they just don’t give a shit.
Mo, I have heard that honeybadger expression somewhere before but I just can’t quite place it. Yes, Amy is a honeybadger and I have found out recently there are other women out there just like her.
Amy is also a sociopath.
Pam & Mo, I’ve heard the ‘honeybager’ expression before too.
Amy does have those qualities.
Mo,We wont be discussing The Help until the last week of September. We just did an early announcement for the next book to give everyone an extra week to start reading if they are interested. I just started it last night, so far so good!
Honey badger is a very funny video you can google (be prepared, not the best language) but well worth it just for the giggle factor.
#GoneGirl
#Honeybadger…yup, that’s the Amy-type. “She don’t give a sh*t.” It is a funny video and sort of the perfect description for her. Did anyone else google it? Make sure you listen to the commentary, which is the funny part. Did anyone else think of Desi as the snake? It takes a honeybadger to mess up a snake, it sure does. The snake is still a disgusting character, but messing with the honeybadger means the snake loses. Still, it’s hard to feel sorry for the snake. That about sums up how I felt about Amy and Desi.
I loved “Gone Girl.” I was hooked from the start. I loved ‘the twist’ too. I generally think I need to “like” the characters to be able to get into a story, but I guess that isn’t the case with this book. Credit goes to Flynn. I did like Go & Boney. And I could understand and have some empathy for Nick. That was enough for me. Amy is just…well, she IS entertaining, LOL. I didn’t worry too much about Amy not getting her comeuppance. I just wanted Nick cleared.
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I love Reese for Amy. Anyone who saw “Election” knows Amy is Tracy Flick grown-up and even more wicked!
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Thanks, Jodie for choosing this book. It made for a very entertaining couple of weeks in August!
Anya, I’m so glad you liked it! I agree with her being entertaining, i think I laughed though the end as she just kept getting more bold. I was horrified and yet completely amused.
Jodie, I had to put the book down and pick it up the next day because I really wasn’t liking the ending. Once I picked it back up it was more entertaining. So I understand the horrified/amused feeling.
I am glad they’ve started a movie. Reese W is a good choice. I would not believe this woman to be in her 20’s. I will bet one paycheck that they change the ending for the movie.
But that book kept me turning pages (virtually on the kindle) long into the night. Very good read.
Just watched Gillian Flynn on Face the Nation talking about “Gone Girl”. It was an interesting show. There were other authors on also.
Rosemary, Did she say anything about the movie being made? What kind of things did they share?
Pam: She did not say anything about a movie. She did state that it was “dark”, and that she is married, but it is not about her marriage. She did discuss it with her husband before she began to write the book. Three male authors were on with her, and what they had to say about their lives and books was very interesting also.
From the Face the Nation Website:
“Gone Girl” author Gillian Flynn, writer of “The Expats,” Chris Pavone, thriller novelist David Baldacci and “Fooling Houdini” writer Alex Stone discuss their books and their craft — and their magic.
Thanks Rosemary, I missed it.
She is definitely a psycho. I think Nick needed to stay so the baby can have some normal parenting, although it’s hard to imagine that he is anywhere near normal.