I feel like there’s been a common theme with my book reviews…I almost always recommend them. Either I’m an incredibly nice book reviewer, or I’ve never actually met a book I didn’t like. Today’s review is Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Over winter break, I read Dark Places and loved it. I know I said I was going to post a book review for it, but I completely forgot and now feel like it’s a little late for it. On to the review…

I never thought I would become so invested in a book like Gone Girl. Gillian’s novels are inherently dark, creepy, and sometimes, just wrong. I’m not sure I really have a type of book that I like, but murder mysteries would likely not be at the top of the list. I’ll usually pick up books from the Bestseller’s list. I’m pretty sure Gone Girl is somewhere near the top, so I knew I had to pick it up next. Aside from the fact that I should have gotten this book on my Kindle, (400+ page hardcover books are a pain to lug around) I loved it. Toward the end, I was carrying it to all my classes, sneaking a read whenever I had free time.

I can’t quite pinpoint one word to describe Gone Girl except surprising…maybe? I’m not even sure if that’s the right word. When talking about it with one of my sorority sisters, she said “It’ll mess with your brain.” I can’t argue with that. The novel follows the seemingly perfect marriage of Amy and Nick, through both of their points of views at various points in time. I think that was the most confusing part for me – one chapter was written two years ago, and the next was set in present time.

It didn’t take too long for me to grasp that concept, and actually added a whole lot of depth to the story. As you can imagine, Amy disappears on her and Nick’s fifth wedding anniversary. To Amy, this was a long time coming. From my perspective, Nick appears to be the husband who refuses to admit there is anything wrong with the marriage. In truth, he doesn’t know Amy at all. Nick plays the role of lost and depressed husband well – until he is framed for the murder of his wife.

Nick knows he didn’t do it, and through his wife’s traditional anniversary clue hunt, he learns he knows his wife far better than he originally thought.

I hate spoiling the book for you, so I won’t! I urge you to go check it out at Barnes and Noble/on your Kindle/at the library/wherever it is you find your books. It’s a twisted story that you won’t be able to put down.

Oh, and it wouldn’t be one of my nerdy book reviews without me posting a quote I highlighted. I’m a margin writer, sorry about it. This is a quote from Amy. I felt bad for her…but only at the beginning.

“I don’t feel like a person at all: I am something to be loaded and unloaded, like a sofa or a cuckoo clock. I am something to be tossed into a junkyard, thrown into the river if necessary. I don’t feel real anymore. I feel like I could disappear.” 

And with that, I’m off – with my new Gillian novel, Sharp Objects. Happy Tuesday!