Gone Girl

Gillian Flynn
Gone Girl Cover

Gone Girl

ScoLgo
3/31/2014
Email

I liked this book quite a bit as I found it to be both disturbing and compulsively readable. The first-person narrative bounces back & forth between a husband and his missing wife. Both, it turns out, are unreliable narrators, (my favorite kind ;). Though neither character is very likable, Flynn manages to write in a style that compels you to keep reading. She introduces twists and turns at just the right moment to flip your expectations around and turn your loyalties from one character to the other within one or two quick sentences. Plotwise, there is not much new ground broken here but the voice of each character is clearly written and it's easy to get right inside the head of each of them. Given the nature of the characters, that may leave some people feeling rather squicky.

Many reviewers say that they don't like the ending but I thought it was quite cinematic. Reading the last few pages took me back to watching old Twilight Zone episodes and movies where the twisty ending leaves you feeling creeped out and a little bit unfulfilled. In other words, I think that's exactly what Flynn was going for and, in my opinion, she hit the nail squarely on the head.