Book Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

About the book

  Title: Gone Girl
  Author: Gillian Flynn
  Pages: 560
  Published: The Crown Publishing Group, 2012
  Genre: Mystery, Thriller
  My Format: Paperback
  My Rating: 4/5
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Review

This is the second book I've read by renowned author Gillian Flynn and once again she did not disappoint. 

Gone Girl engages it's audience through intimate diary style entries and whilst hurtling them into the harsh reality of a failing marriage mixed up in a publicised criminal case. The juxtaposed past and present helped paint the image of a once happy marriage's demise and the consequences that result. 

The novel is told in first person and reveals the dark, disturbing thoughts of a married couple living in suburbia Minnesota. The two main characters, Nick and Amy, represent the epitome of a nucleonic and dysfunctional marriage but despite the ordeal of events they go through,  I felt as though there was little character growth. I was also somewhat dissatisfied with the ending, though at the same time there was something quietly disturbing about it - which perhaps suited the book better. 

Flynn did a brilliant job at capturing what it would feel like to be directly involved in a criminal case either as a victim, a suspect or the criminal themselves. The book was definitely a page turner, though I felt as though some parts were considerably slower paced. The haunting imagery and clever use of analogies were also used very well in creating a cold and dark tone for the book. Though I am not here to review the movie, I felt as though this transitioned seamlessly on screen. 

Unfortunately, the blurb gave a bit too much away for my liking. It would have been nicer to find out some of the things mentioned for myself as I saw them being slowly revealed in the book.  Instead I felt as though I was anticipating the next "milestone" of the case to occur, as per what I had read on the back cover. 

Gone Girl was a page-turning and thrilling read with dark, detailed imagery and some great plot twists. Though I felt slightly let down with the ending, it remained a highly unconventional novel and I would definitely recommend it to those looking for an excellent mystery thriller or a captivating read that addresses more mature themes and content. 

PS: If you don't feel like reading the book then you can always just watch the film. I found it to be an excellent book to movie adaptation.