Gone Girl is a gripping thriller by Gillian Flynn, published in 2012. The story centers around Nick Elliot and Amy Dunne, weaving through their financial and marital struggles.

The story progresses in two-part narration: Nick Elliot’s narration kick-starts the story on the day of their fifth wedding anniversary when he comes home to find his wife missing. Amy Dunne’s story develops through her diary, where she describes the landscape of her relationship with Nick, from the day they met up to the days before she disappears.

Amy has prepared an elaborate treasure hunt for Nick in keeping with their anniversary tradition. When she disappears, the police start working off the first clue of the treasure hunt. Given their financial turmoil, Nick’s eerie response to his wife’s disappearance, and the treasure hunt increasingly pointing to the foul play on his part, the walls are closing in on Nick. But Nick, with the support of his sister Margo, stands by his innocence. While the media badgers him and the whole nation watches this bizarre story take twists and turns, Nick is fighting his own psychological battle.

So, was Amy killed? Did Nick do it? If not, where is she? 

How did it make me feel?

I feel like maybe I expected a little too much? Having heard so much about this book, I was very excited. I got myself ready to dive into the oohs and aahs of a good thriller, which I did with for some time this book. The setting immediately gripped me. The cleverly placed narratives of the present and the past leading up to the D-day, keeps you guessing at every turn of the page. At every turn, I felt like I knew what was coming, but then it hit me with something so unexpected, I was absolutely enjoying this ride.

However, it started declining real quick. Everything was going perfectly until a point where things started getting a little too stretched out. You can question and eventually explain the behaviors of one character based on their psychological profile but when you have to do that with every other character, the story just loses its fluidity. The relationship between the protagonists and the peripheral characters amounted to nothing. So many subtle placements, be it the events or the characters, had such potential to make significant impacts on the story. Sadly, they perished without contributing anything. As a result, there were many unanswered questions and that’s what nagged me the most. 

No spoilers but…

I did not care for the ending at all. I don’t want to spoil it for you by giving away anything, but the ending was just so frustrating.

Ugh..I really wanted to like Gone Girl and I thought I would, even until halfway through the book. But sadly it disappointed me. 

Have you read Gone Girl? If not, you can get your own copy from Amazon. If you use my link to buy, I may get a small commission at NO additional cost to you! It will help me keep my blog running! 🙂 Thank you for your support!

I have Sharp Objects next on my to-be-read from this author. Have you read that one? Let me know your thoughts!