A friend of mine told me it was a great read, filled with lots of twists. I did indeed find plot turns at unexpected places, and the book itself had that elusive Compelling Factor that made me want to keep reading.
To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. For one thing, I couldn't emotionally connect with any of the characters except Boney, the police detective, and she was a background figure who appeared in only a few scenes. (I think I would have enjoyed the book much more if it had been told from her perspective, but perhaps it would have been a stretch.)
Maybe I'm too much of a traditionalist : I expected more of a cozier read, and Flynn instead offers a harrowing tale of marriage turned inside out. That's not a bad thing at all, and it betrays my own shortcoming, not Flynn's.
When Amy disappears, her husband, Nick, begins a search for her. The disappearance itself is strange, and it grows stranger as the book goes on. It is their wedding anniversary, and Amy always leaves him a scavenger hunt for his gift. In the book, the scavenger hunt is intertwined with the disappearance.
Amy herself is a wonderful creation. She was nothing like what I expected - she's no victim having the vapours, that much is for certain. And that is a wonderful, rare thing. What she is - what the reader thinks she is - gets turned on its head as the story progresses.
The ending is pure genius, but as I said, I never connected with any of the characters. I never read a chapter saying, "Oh no, oh no!" the way I would if I really loved the hero or the heroine. That's a biproduct of the twisty, turning plot, and I can understand that and the genius behind it, but the lack of connection was my visceral reaction.
Missouri, captured perfectly in the novel |
As I said, it was compelling. I never wanted to stop reading it, which is a mark of an assured, professional writer. Flynn's prose is deft enough to bring you into several different worlds, from Manhattan to Missouri. I would recommend downloading the sample on Kindle to see if you like it first.
To be honest, I enjoyed Sax and the Suburb and Terps by Elaine Gannon much more (the second, alas, is out of print.) Sax is a jazzy murder mystery, and Terps is a tender, honest story of a marriage, and I was able to connect with the characters in those books right away. But I do appreciate Gone Girl as a completely different, new sort of detective story.
Hi Alison! I'm a big fan of yours :)
ReplyDeleteSorry you didn't like this as much as you'd hoped. Your friend should have probably told you that Gillian Flynn writes very..."raw" stories. That is actually what I love most about her. I'm *really* looking forward to reading GONE GIRL, because I think she is a genius. But I can understand being taken aback by this novel if you hadn't read any of her others, like SHARP OBJECTS. Talk about harrowing... phew!
Have you ever read any Laura Lippman? I love her also - she's different from Flynn, to be sure! I'd say she's in between someone like Flynn and the true "cozy" mysteries (most of which are too tame for me). I bet you might like her :) She is from Baltimore and that is where her stories are set. She has a long-running series (with an awesome kick-butt female PI) and also some stand-alones. BALTIMORE BLUES is the first in the Tess Monaghan series. Check her out if you haven't read any of them and are looking for some great mysteries! http://www.lauralippman.com/all-books-in-order/
Thanks, Holly! And what wonderful suggestions. That makes a lot of sense - I went into the book with a set of expectations, and I should adjust my mindset.
ReplyDeleteActually, I do want to read Flynn's other books because she is so talented. I have not heard of Laura Lippman; I'll certainly look out for her novels as well.
I loved the book, but I like dark and uncomfortable instead of cozy. Wondering if you read Dare Me. I think that has been my favorite read of the year...so far.
ReplyDeleteI really want to read Dare Me now, if you recommend it, Johanna!
ReplyDeleteInteresting, nuanced review. BTW, my post on your trilogy is up!
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