Thursday, May 23, 2013

Book Hungry Reviews GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn

The Book: GONE GIRL
The Author: Gillian Flynn
The Publisher: Crown
The Book Hungry Biotch who picked this month's book: Patty


Summary (as jacked from the Amazon):
Marriage can be a real killer. 
   One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn. 
   On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? 
   As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?


My Thoughts (as jacked from my own brains...by raccoon zombies):
This book has been on my TBR list since it first came out.  I'm not really sure why I didn't read it before, especially since everyone I know who read it all said the same thing:

I didn't like this book, but it's one that you would appreciate.

I don't know about you folks, but that right there is more than a little intriguing.  WTF does that even mean?  Will I like it?  Will it piss me off?  Will it have me talking ranting about it for days, weeks, months to come?

Yes...and No.

I have to say that I didn't like either of the two main characters.  Now, I've read many a book where I didn't like the characters, so that in and of itself did not bother me (although I know there are peeps out there that will not read a book with unlikeable characters *cough* my grandma *cough*)  And, the writing was exquisite, so that wasn't an issue for me either.  And, the ending...I thought it worked.  Was it the kind of ending that one might hope for? Probs not, but I really can't see it end any other way than how it did.  It matched the two main characters very, very, very well.

The first "part" of the book dragged by for me.  I won't lie.  It felt like I was wading through wet cement while reading it.  Mostly because I couldn't wrap my mind around the way Nick described his wife and the Amy of the diary entries.  I couldn't believe that they were one and the same person.  Therein lay my problem with that portion of the book.

BUT!

Once I got to "part" two...well kids, I FLEW right through it and finished the book in record time.  It was that intensely gripping.

I can't say I loved this book.  I can't say I liked it.  I will say that yes, I APPRECIATED it.  Yup, friends.  APPRECIATE.  My fellow book readers know me well.

The intricacy in which Flynn spun such a complex tale.  The planning involved.  The sheer poetry in which this whole drama played out.  The severely maladjusted characters that really are perfectly suited to each other.  And the ending...the one that leaves you stunned and going "Really?  That's how it's going to end?!?"  It all just...worked.

6 comments:

  1. I don't have to like all the characters in a book, but in order to get through it, I have to like at least one of them. From what I read here and at the other Book Hungry blogs, doesn't sound like this one is a good candidate for my TBR pile.

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  2. Yes, 'appreciated' is a good word.

    I wish someone had warned me before I read the book that I'd not like the characters. I might have appreciated the book more.

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  3. Of course it was right up your alley. You have that whole dark think down to a science.

    For me it was the idea of these two people. What if they actually existed?

    Scary!

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  4. Like Patty said, I think "appreciate" is a good word. I, too, struggled with the first part of the book then flew though the rest. This story was so maniacal and outrageous, I'm STILL thinking about it.

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  5. this review is spot on and i agree with everything you said, especially the part about appreciation. it's a good word for this book, this story, this author.

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  6. I keep debating whether to read this one too. Then again, I have sooooo many on my TBR shelf that I don't think one that starts as slow as you indicate would really appeal to me.

    Glad to see you got your second novel out! Will be getting it soon. :)

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