Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - Review

SPOILER ALERT! Please do not read if you have not finished the book yet or you have not read it at all !

Cleverer women tend to become creepy and revengeful when ignored by their husbands. They also can be frantically dangerous and capable of doing life-threatening things, especially after discovering that their loved one has been having an affair with younger and a lot sexier woman. Such is the case described in Gillian Flynn' s best-selling novel Gone Girl. Thank God the story was not inspired by true events (can you imagine if it was? )
Flynn displays her brilliant writer’s talent and psychological insight to tell the story of a marriage which starts to fall apart over the years. The two principal characters are highly original, full-blooded and persuasive when gradually revealing their own imperfection.

Gone Girl is the first book I have read by Gillian Flynn. Now I know when I take the next one I will be in good hands.

Storyline: Nick Dunne, a magazine journalist and writer meets Amy Elliot, smart and beautiful native New Yorker with a degree in Psychology. Apparently she has many interesting skills and achievements beside her college education. They fell in love and soon decide to get married. The couple share many joyful moments over the first years of their marriage. However, the relationship begins to crack down some time later. The more Amy and Nick get to know each other, the less passionate they become. There is no recipe to apply on how to build the perfect marriage. One may think they have stable relation with their spouse but try to add some common issues and see the result. Both Amy and Nick lose their jobs due to the economic recession in USA. Amy' s parents lose their savings and so does she. Being on loose ends makes them fear for the future. Furthermore, Nick receives some bad news about mother who has been diagnosed with 4th stage of breast cancer. Therefore, Nick has to make a tough decision that would put his marriage to the test by moving back to his hometown of Native Carthage, Missouri to take care of his dying mother. Amy, left with no choice,  moves to Native Carthage too. As the time pass Nick and Amy grow distant and alienated from each other.
So far, nothing seems unusual with the marriage until the day of Nick and Amy's fifth anniversary when the wife mysteriously disappears. Initially, the husband seems to be the villain in the story- bored by his monotonous and almost ruined to the full marriage with a woman he no longer has feelings for. After she disappears he acts like he does not care much. Not only he looks perfectly calm but his reactions can tell that he is relieved of her absence. Consequently, we see that Amy is not murdered. What is more, she is fine and has made up all the mess to teach her husband a lesson.

Amy' s acts launch her in the A-list of most insane and brutal fictional characters I have ever read about. This novel is an excellent, stylish and daring read. It provides truly engaging plot with unexpected twists. I do liked it but I also consider it not appropriate for particular kind of women - the ones who may recognize themselves with the protagonist Amy and decide to act likewise: to revenge their husbands by doing insane things, causing much pain and tragedy just like Amy does.
‘Gone Girl’ distinguishes in its story; the characters are genuine and compeling. I liked the book and recommend it to anyone who likes the genre of mystery. From one moment on (the beginning of chapter two) the book became a total page-turner to me. Flynn proves she is a gifted narrator with the right style and skills that make her one of the best contemporary writers of modern mystery thrillers.

Generally, I may have liked the book, but I did not fully approve the end of it. I think, it could have been better if there was some justice served right at the end. Yes, the reality often is cruel and unjust and many crimes stay unpunished and that is a pity. However, I do believe that books should send wise message to the public: lying leads to more lies and sinister deeds; nothing good may come out of a relationship based of lies and false behavior. Readers should not fall too deep into the book, after all it is just a book, a fictional story, not a guide how to design the perfect crime, nor how to teach our unfaithful husband or boyfriend a lesson for a lifetime.
There is already a movie based on the book, directed by David Fincher (‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’, ‘The Social Network’) . It has been nominated for 4 Golden Globe and many more prestigious awards and it does deserve them. I liked it too but then again I prefer the book. It is better because it goes deeper. Read the book first, then, if you like, watch the movie.